SUSAN AUSTIN ROTH is a writer and photographer residing in the DC area. She is the author and photographer of ten popular gardening books (Rodale Press, Houghton Mifflin, Home Planners, and Better Homes and Gardens) and was honored with three awards from the Garden Writers Association. She worked for seven years as a field editor and assignment photographer for "Better Homes and Gardens" magazine, and her photographs appear regularly in books, national magazines, and calendars. Recently, she became a Virginia Master Naturalist and volunteers in local and national parks.