Christine George: Director of the Garden Care Division at Sweetgum Horticulture

Growing up on a New England farm, Christine tended large vegetable, herb and cut flower gardens, along with berry patches, shrubs and fruit trees. Her family also raised a variety of livestock. At a young age, Christine learned the fundamentals of garden maintenance, seed starting, and food preservation and storage.

With this horticulturally rich background, Christine moved on to many years of working in her own gardens. Since starting at Sweetgum over five years ago, she has used her hands-on experience and in-depth research to beautify our clients’ gardens. She is known for being our resident expert on challenging plants like roses, hydrangeas and dahlias. In addition, she is a thoughtful teacher, always ready to share her knowledge with coworkers and clients.

Christine designs lush seasonal planters using natural elements, with an emphasis on leaf texture and color. She also has a keen eye for color when creating combinations of annuals and bulbs around outdoor living areas. Her passion for creating habitat for pollinators, butterflies, and hummingbirds inspires her dedication to using native plants as much as possible.

Christine has kindly shared many lovely photos and hard-earned wisdom from her own garden on our Journal page. Her favorite advice for a novice gardener? “The best way to tend a garden is to take a few minutes every day just walking around and observing.”

When Christine is not in the garden, you can find her horseback riding, hiking, cooking, volunteering, learning about pollinators of all kinds, and spending time with her family and dog.

 

Lourdes (Lulu) Martinez: Senior Garden Care Supervisor and Assistant Plant Buyer

Lulu brings over two decades of horticultural experience to Sweetgum Horticulture, having honed her skills in both large plant nurseries and fine home landscapes. Before joining Sweetgum as its first employee, Lulu trained for several years with a master plantsman who taught her the art of pruning, a skill she is eager to share with her coworkers. In the early years, she worked side by side with Catherine to plant and care for our growing network of ecologically managed properties in the suburbs of Boston.

Her dedication extends to all aspects of gardening, but some of Lulu’s favorite activities are designing and shopping for colorful seasonal planters, and choosing plants that are attractive to all the winged creatures that add joy and movement to our gardens. Lulu loves being outside and motivating her coworkers, while always allowing a few minutes to share a kind word with our clients.

A tender heart for animals is one of Lulu’s most notable qualities. In addition to nurturing her two cats at home, she regularly showers affection on the beloved pet companions who seek her out as soon as they see her enter our clients’ properties.

In her spare time, you can find Lulu traveling around New England, soaking in the sun at a local beach, or enjoying live music in Boston.

 

Peter Buscemi: Irrigation and Shop Manager

Peter began gardening at a young age, planting annuals and picking vegetables in his parents’ and grandparents’ gardens. During summer breaks from college, he worked at a local nursery and landscaping company, and would often bring home his favorite perennials to add to his
family’s yard. While employed as a research and teaching assistant, Peter lived as a caretaker for two years on a Brookline estate where he tended the grounds and interior plantings.

After graduate school, Peter spent over ten years as a geologist for an environmental consulting firm. He worked on the cleanup of contaminated soil and groundwater at sites throughout the East Coast until becoming a stay-at-home dad of twins. He took their double stroller everywhere, often accompanied by the family border collie who was completely devoted to the twins (and any type of ball or Frisbee).

When Peter began working at Sweetgum Horticulture, he quickly took over many important tasks like repairing drip lines, programming irrigation clocks and installing barriers to protect our clients’ valuable plantings from rabbits. After he let it slip that he was an Eagle Scout, Catherine found “special projects” for him to test his skills, like building a greenhouse to harden off vegetable and herb plants. A big fan of dad jokes and puns, he says that after many years of working with contaminated soils, it's a relief to work with “clean dirt” again.

During his time off, Peter finds something to do outdoors in every season with his family: hiking, looking for rocks at the beach, and building impressive structures in the snow. He’s even been known to let the kids use him as a sled down the hill at Elm Bank! He looks forward to introducing his wife and twins to the national parks and attractions that he loved as a child, as well as traveling to new domestic and international destinations ... and bringing back some cool rocks.

 

Jessica Blum-Tucker: Ecological Garden Supervisor and Project Assistant

Jessica is an avid gardener who shares her passion for plants with her two children who each have their own gardens. They remind her daily how much fun it is to play in the dirt, while keeping her grounded in the moment with their natural enthusiasm and abundant curiosity.

As a volunteer who generously shared her time at both the neighborhood elementary school and a local organic farm, Jessica learned to love native and organic gardening. A self-taught hobbyist until now, she gravitates to gardens of self-sustaining native plants that support pollinators. Friends and neighbors have complimented her instinctive knack for using rugged perennials and shrubs to enhance the boulder-strewn landscape that surrounds her home. Their encouragement led her to the next step of working with Sweetgum Horticulture, where she is excited to further develop her skills at a professional level.

Beyond work, Jessica enjoys being outside all year around, including the brisk walk to school and back regardless of our challenging Massachusetts weather. Along with her husband and children, she spends her free time hiking, biking, skiing, and exploring in New England’s outdoor splendor.