IN MEMORY OF SHERRY SANTIFER

Santifer grew up in Newark, New Jersey, but lived in North Woodmere for more than 45 years. Gardening was actually her third career. She had a bachelor’s in sociology from Rutgers University, but said, “If I’d known I was going to love horticulture, I would have gotten a degree in horticulture from Rutgers instead.” Santifer, who declined to give her age, worked at CBS Records before moving on to television as a talent coordinator for a PBS television show called “Soul!” But when she got married and moved from the city to Long Island in 1977, she took up gardening as a hobby.

“I went to audit one class at SUNY Farmingdale and caught the bug,” she said. She soon enrolled and earned an associate’s degree there. Her first horticulture job, in the 1980s, was working for Charles and Helen Dolan (the family that owns Cablevision, Newsday’s parent company). “I ran the estate, the grounds. He had a Lord & Burnham greenhouse, which was the leading greenhouse-maker at that time, and he allowed me to revamp and restore it,” Santifer recalled of Charles Dolan. “I had such a great time with that.”
From there, Santifer in 1984 started her own business, Laurel Hill Farms, named for the street where she lives. She put her horticulture training to work designing, installing and maintaining gardens, but never lawns. “Grass is a science unto itself. I opted after my turf classes never to get involved with cutting grass.” Santifer actually wanted to be a grower, but she said the price of land on Long Island, even in the 1980s, was prohibitive.
Santifer, who once was very active in the Perennial Plant Association” a national group comprised of commercial growers whose mission it is to provide education and promote perennial plants ” over the years has earned nearly 400 ribbons at the Philadelphia flower show for her forced bulbs.
Santifer doesn’t have a home garden. “Trust me; you look at July and August, those dog days, and you’ve been out working. You come home stinky, sweaty, especially if you’re a hands-on person ” and I am ” and the last thing you want to do even after a shower is to start puttering in the garden.”

Words of wisdom
“I think home gardeners should trust themselves more and not be afraid of the combinations that they come up with. I think sometimes people are hesitant to try something other than what they’re used to. And generally, the layperson’s eye is better than they think it is. If you don’t like it, you can always take it out. And don’t lust after impatiens until they come up with a cure

 Blooms of Dedication

Through scorching summers and frost-kissed winters, Sherry toiled. She pruned, weeded, and whispered encouragement to her beloved plants. Her hands knew the rhythm of growth the pulse of life. Clients became friends, and their gardens became her canvas. Sherry’s legacy was etched in every daffodil, every rose, every winding vine

 March 13, 2023: As the sun dipped below the horizon on that fateful March day, Sherry tended to her final garden. The soil cradled her footsteps, and the breeze carried her laughter. She whispered her gratitude to the earth, knowing her time was near. Sherry closed her eyes, surrounded by the blooms she had nurtured. And there, in the quiet embrace of her garden, she surrendered to eternity,  As seasons turn , I honor her memory, I plant with intention and love  knowing that somewhere Sherry nods in approval may her spirit continue  to bloom , perennial and everlasting.