About Us
Gail Clarke and Karen Ishibashi are CSU trained Master Gardeners with over 35years of experience in weathering Colorado extremes. In addition to designing and maintaining our clients’ gardens, we volunteer at the Boulder County Jail garden which produces thousands of pounds of vegetables per season. We have also produced seedlings for the Garden to Table project for Boulder Valley schools. Our experience is not limited to edibles and we have designed sustainable landscapes based on hydrozones, xeriscaping, and right plant, right site. We are fond of garden lore and of finding reasonable scientific explanations. We have both come full circle in that we grew up on farms, became software engineers, and are now pursuing our passion for gardens full time.
Gail Clarke
My earliest memories are of playing, eating, and sometimes working beside my mom in our vegetable and herb garden. My mom and grandmother were both wonderful gardeners and canned, jammed, and stored their bounty for winter. Our garden provided enough for our family, our large extended family, neighbors, and extra income through roadside stands.
From the farm, I moved to Boulder, graduated from CU, and pursued a career in software engineering. In 1977, I was lucky enough to find a home in Newlands with fruit trees, a sunny garden plot, and neighbors who shared seed, cuttings, and information. The previous owners were fishermen and I inherited their compost pile and lots of worms.
Papaver orientale 'Pizzicato' in Bow Mountain
I moved to the Foothills in 1982 and it was like moving to Mars with adobe soil and critters so I needed a new gardening plan. My current gardens are designed to survive on very little water and a whole lot of wind. Most of my gardens are filled with drought tolerant plants by necessity because I am dependent on natural precipitation, a well, and any water I can capture from the roof. I do have plants that I cannot live without even though they require more care. With proper siting, my own-root roses have flourished. One of my interests is propagation and most of my gardens are filled with plants that I started from seed or cuttings.
Last year, I assisted clients at Sturtz and Copeland. This spring, I will be at Harlequin's Gardens helping clients select plants for their sustainable gardens. As a client of DragonFly Gardens, you will receive a 10% discount at Harlequin's Gardens.
Last year, I assisted clients at Sturtz and Copeland. This spring, I will be at Harlequin's Gardens helping clients select plants for their sustainable gardens. As a client of DragonFly Gardens, you will receive a 10% discount at Harlequin's Gardens.
Karen Ishibashi
Karen's dad withTabernash Lupines
Having grown up in Southern California, it was a bit unusual to be a farmer's daughter. But, the years of walking through rows of strawberries and vegetables, and being involved with road-side marketing left an impression. After earning a degree in mathematics at the University of California, Irvine, and a stint teaching high school math for several years, school still beckoned so back I went for engineering. That brought me to my next phase in life as a software engineer for IBM in Boulder, CO. Good fortune shone upon me; I met my husband, and we spent the next 5 years working at the IBM Research Lab in Zurich Switzerland, then traveled the world for 2 years before settling back in Boulder. The hi-tech industry had it's grips on me for the next 10 years.
I enjoy discussing with my 90yr old father the ups and downs of vegetable gardening, and the fact that I have neighborhood deer to contend with. He gently reminds me that it is always good to share! Growing up, tomatoes were not a favorite, although my uncles always provided us with fruit fresh from the vine. Now, I relish the fact that I can start my own tomato plants in the depth of winter, and enjoy their bounty in the summer.
One of my favorite challenges is gardening at high-altitude in Tabernash, CO.
In addition to successfully transplanting ground covers and various perennials from our Boulder home , we have added dozens of young aspen trees which we transplant annually from the local National Forests onto our property.
I enjoy discussing with my 90yr old father the ups and downs of vegetable gardening, and the fact that I have neighborhood deer to contend with. He gently reminds me that it is always good to share! Growing up, tomatoes were not a favorite, although my uncles always provided us with fruit fresh from the vine. Now, I relish the fact that I can start my own tomato plants in the depth of winter, and enjoy their bounty in the summer.
One of my favorite challenges is gardening at high-altitude in Tabernash, CO.
In addition to successfully transplanting ground covers and various perennials from our Boulder home , we have added dozens of young aspen trees which we transplant annually from the local National Forests onto our property.