Connie Cottingham

Connie Cottingham has been a GardenComm member since 2009 in Arkansas, Region 4.

She left her established garden with mature trees in Region 5 Georgia last year and moved to a new home surrounded by Bermuda sod on compacted subgrade in Region 4 NW Arkansas, and says it has been “inspiring, frustrating, and daunting.” She has added raised beds, bird feeders, plantings, vine supports, and a compost pile – as well as a bit of empathy for fellow subdivision homeowners. “Thank goodness my little red pickup moved with me!” she said. She dreams of a beautiful, productive living garden with a tiny meadow around the bluebird house rising from her new lot.

 After decades of gardening articles and columns in newspapers and magazines (most written before going to her full-time job at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia), she is now focusing on garden and travel writing. She enjoys featuring public gardens and spaces and including nearby attractions and restaurants that can enhance a visit. While in Georgia, Connie also helped plan a regional meeting and post-conference tour as part of her employment with the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.

Connie is looking forward to attending her fifth GardenComm Conference in Minneapolis soon! Although she is admittedly shy, it is meeting supportive, intelligent, creative people that she finds to be the most significant membership benefit. She says, “The education, garden tours, and discovering new plants and products are great too.”

 She also looks forward to having a travel book on Bentonville and Rogers, Arkansas, and an article in The American Gardener published in 2024.

You can find some of Connie’s content in ‘Love Notes from the Garden.’ They are short, free, weekly emails highlighting a plant or plant combination, maintenance tips, or garden book/tool/video/event. Sign up for the Love Notes or read her blog at: https://gardentravelexperiences.com.