Plant doctor Barbara Brawley will see patients Saturday

VIRGINIA BEACH

Gardening may be genetic for Barbara Brawley, handed down from family matriarchs, but she wants you to know even a Master Gardener can kill a plant.

“Everybody fails at something,” she said of experts and novices alike.

Brawley, a Beach resident since 1979, has been a Virginia Beach Master Gardener for more than two decades. Outdoor plants are her specialty, but growing herbs is her favorite.

“I love the outdoors,” she said, adding as a gardener she’s motivated by “watching things grow and anticipating a harvest.”

She’s in charge of maintaining the two herb beds at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center on Diamond Springs Road, and lectures about growing and cooking with fresh herbs for the VBMG speakers bureau.

In her half-acre yard, Brawley grows loads of herbs, vegetables, raspberries, figs and even cut flowers. She’s not a fastidious gardener, but admitted it took her 18 years to find the right spot to grow tarragon – and she’s not even particularly fond of tarragon, she said.

“I don’t hover over plants,” she said, adding people often kill plants by over-watering them.

Considered a plant doctor, Brawley often appears at VBMG community events to discuss plant health with the public. On Saturday, during the master gardeners’ fall festival at the extension center, she’ll inspect branches, clumps of grass, weeds, leaves, photos and other samples folks bring to the event’s Plant Doctor table for diagnosis.

“Whatever we get, we’ll address,” she said.

Virginia Beach Master Gardeners’ annual Fall Gardening Festival is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center, 1444 Diamond Springs Road. Free admission. Visit www.vbmg.org or call 385-4769.

What do you enjoy most about helping people with ailing plants? Meeting people and solving problems.

What is most challenging about diagnosing troubled plants? Diagnosing without seeing the plant.

What kinds of plants do people most often bring to you to diagnose? Shrubs and tree leaves.

What is the most common ailment you see this time of year? Grass problems.

Have you ever been stumped by a sick plant, and if so, what did you do? Many times consult other gardeners, research in books and on the computer.

Who inspired your green thumb? My grandmothers and mother.

What’s the secret to happy, healthy houseplants? Benign neglect.

The gardening resources you use most often: Books and friends.

If a snapshot was taken of you enjoying a perfect day, what would it look like? Having a picnic in the garden.

Favorite gadget: Weeding knife.

Favorite movies: “The American President,” “The Bucket List”

Pet peeve: People who are always late.

What plant best resembles your personality and why? Daisy - I will adapt to wherever I’m placed.

Comfort food: Chicken and dumplings.

A favorite TV show from the past: “Murder, She Wrote”

Of what achievements are you most proud? Raising a large family while moving 20 times.

Something you’ve done others might not expect of you: Lived in a warehouse in Alaska.

If you could invite three famous people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be? Julia Child, Guy Fieri, Madalene Hill (herb grower, writer and cook)

Theme song “Que Sera, Sera”

Personal motto: When I have pain, I will not be one.

The words of wisdom you’re most likely to share with someone new to the world of plant care: Not everything will grow for you; you will have failures. Relax and try again.