The beautiful purple berries of Callicarpa bodinieri var. giraldii ‘Profusion’ also known as the beautyberry - 1
  • My Must-Have Fall Shrubs for Fabulous Color
    1. Virginia Sweetspire
    1. Oakleaf Hydrangea
    1. Tiger Eyes Sumac
    1. American Beautyberry
    1. Viburnum
    1. Smokebush
    1. Dwarf Fothergilla
  • Choosing Fall Color Shrubs

After graduating from Oklahoma State University with a degree in English, Susan pursued a career in communications. In addition, she wrote garden articles for magazines and authored a newspaper gardening column for many years. She contributed South-Central regional gardening columns for four years to Lowes.com. While living in Oklahoma, she served as a master gardener for 17 years.

close up of bougainvillea blooms - 2
  • Can a Bougainvillea Stay Outside in Winter?
  • Is Winterizing Necessary?
  • Bougainvillea Winter Care
  • What to Do in Spring
  • FAQ

Teo Spengler is a master gardener and a docent at the San Francisco Botanical Garden, where she hosts public tours. She has studied horticulture and written about nature, trees, plants, and gardening for more than two decades, following a career as an attorney and legal writer. Her extended family includes some 30 houseplants and hundreds of outdoor plants, including 250 trees, which are her main passion. Spengler currently splits her life between San Francisco and the French Basque Country, though she was raised in Alaska, giving her experience of gardening in a range of climates.