A Master Gardener in Tennessee has revealed his love of gardening was passed down to him by his mother.
Bill Legg has been an active horticulturalist all his life, he told the Shelby County Reporter, but it was only when he underwent formal training in 1999 that he realised how good his mother was with plants.
"[The class] showed me a lot of things that I had the wrong idea about," he said. "Ironically, a lot of things she taught me were right."
Now, 12 years after qualifying, Mr Legg has racked up more than 3,000 hours as a Master Gardener and is all set to teach the vegetable gardening class that begins next week.
He said the lessons on the course are all excellent, especially as many of them are taught by professors from Auburn University, while it is easy to work out when someone is hooked on horticulture as a result.
"You will know you're a Master Gardener when you tell your family that what you want for Christmas is a load of manure," the expert explained.
Memphis plant expert Irene Elliott recently told the Commercial Appeal that she tends to her plants for around four hours a day and that she has been interested in horticulture for around 40 years.