Sue Owen

Like almost all avid gardeners, Sue Owen's affinity for plants began in childhood. "I used to follow in my grandfather's footsteps to the garden'" said Sue. She learned to love peonies and iris in her mother's and grandmother's garden.

One of her fondest childhood memories is of the annual family tradition of photographing the first blooms of her mother's night blooming cactus.

Continuing the family gardening tradition, Sue grows many native plants at her home in Sapphire, along with garden flowers and vegetables.

Sue describes her early years as a 'town girl'. Her father was a watch repairman, jeweler and artist with a shop in the Times Arcade in Brevard for almost 40 years. She has two grown children who live in Hendersonville and Raleigh.

One of the first members of the Southern Highlands Reserve team, Sue applies her green thumb to almost all the herbaceous plants that are planted at the Reserve.

Sue is continually on a quest for a new plant or a better way to care for the ones established here at the Reserve. Her life long plant knowledge, coupled with her continuing self-education, make Sue a valuable partner in the garden.