About Chris Eirschele

Chris Eirschele began gardening more than 40 years ago with metal coffee cans for pots and coleus the only plant she grew. She writes about the garden life: the how-to, make-believe, and true-life stories.

Her prose are found in books, magazines, and blogs; in print and in electronic media.

At times, her non-fiction genre has taken short detours into memoir- but always with a trail of plants weaving through the pages. Now, her imagination has led her into writing fiction.

Whatever the genre, you may count on Chris’ characters and story-lines to be dotted with flowers and foliage, and where scents of a garden come alive.

Chris’ most current non-fiction garden writing and a selection of past articles may be found in the NonFiction Category. Her writings for State-by-State Gardening publications were featured in issues of Indiana Gardening, Ohio Gardener and Missouri Gardener.

In 2011, Chris wrote two pieces for the horticultural trade magazine, Greenhouse Grower.  The articles highlighted two greenhouses; one in Indiana and one in Ohio

From 2012 – 2013, Chris brought a gardener’s perspective to travel pieces she wrote for BucketTripper.com. Much earlier in her writing career she wrote for theMulch.com where she focused on container gardening. Chris’ book, The Kid-Gardener’s Planting Book for Parents was penned for adults with kids unlucky enough not to know big people with gardening knowledge running in their veins.

To date, her greatest privilege came in 2014, as part of the press pool for the “Spring Planting at the White House Kitchen Garden.” A true honor.

Other tales, or tails, having nothing to do with gardens, except where dogs and cats were part of the landscape. When a cat dropped into her garden, her dog passed away, and when she interviewed a greyhound dog’s people, she penned personal essays for the website Decoded Pets.

Horticultural Trained Master Gardener Beginnings

“Chris aptly combines her horticulture training, gardening experience and passion, as well as her ability to communicate, in every article she writes. I have watched her develop and grow her career from the first day she sat in one of my horticulture classes and, over the past few years, as she continues to expand her writing portfolio. It’s truly a pleasure and honor to have Chris as a colleague in the garden communications field,” says Melinda Myers.

Representing Milwaukee County Extension Master Gardeners, Chris spoke to groups like Women’s Health Initiative and senior and veteran groups and at a television-station sponsored demonstration garden. Chris pursued a horticultural education at Milwaukee Area Technical College while working as a private gardener for a Hosta enthusiast and selling plants at greenhouse garden centers.

Her past memberships included Southeastern Wisconsin Master Gardeners, Incorporated, for a time as Program Coordinator, the Daylily Society of Southeastern Wisconsin and, while in Ohio, the Metropolitan Columbus Daylily Society. She maintained a membership with the Perennial Plant Association from 2007 through 2011. Her membership to The Association of Garden Communicators goes back to 2009.

Chris has grown potted gardens wherever she has lived; from her native Wisconsin through Ohio, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and a long time ago in Germany.

Chris lives with her husband, Chuck, and their marmalade cat, Savine, and Buster-Joe, their black and tan dachshund. Now, back in the Midwest, in the Great Plains of Nebraska they live among trees where plants are found inside and outdoors.

Chris is an alumna of Wisconsin’s Novel-In-Progress BookCamp & Writing Retreat: 2015, 2016, and 2018.