Donna Brickman, known to everyone at DG as SoCal passed away, July 12. She joined us on December 6, 2000. She was one of the first 200 members and watched this little website grow from just a trading page and one discussion forum; to the huge, global community we have today. Donna loved gardening and sharing what she grew. Many of us have plants in our gardens that were the result of her generosity. Her smile was infectious and those that knew her couldn't help loving her.
In 2003, we were a small group of strangers who got to know each other through our love of gardening. Donna convinced her husband get on a plane with her and come to Kentucky for the Roundup on Lake Barkley, where all of these 'internet people' were gathering. She wanted to meet some of the people who she had been getting to know through DG. We all had a wonderful time and after that, Donna opened her home on many occasions to host get-togethers, plantswaps and lunches in California.
We all enjoyed seeing pictures of her gardens and for those of us who live in rural areas, it was amazing how she could pack that much plant material into a small city lot.
And now, she's a member of this ever-growing Memory Garden. Good friends have gone before her and it is part of the circle of life that good friends will follow her too. Those of us who were fortunate to know her well, smile when we see her plants growing in our gardens, and many of us will also plant something in her memory this week as well.
It is like the seed put in the soil - the more one sows, the greater the harvest....Orison Swett Marden
Donna's harvest was gardens of friends from around the world and we'll all miss her terribly.
A special nod of thanks to our dear, departed friend Floridian, for the lovely picture of Donna, taken at the Kentucky roundup in 2003