About Me 

THE STORY BEHIND THE BUSINESS

Elaine Hines began Garden Phocas in 1998 after obtaining a Bachelors in Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design and a Master Gardening Certificate in Tennessee. Once established in The Berkshires, Elaine began pursuing ongoing learning opportunities that help her seek fresh and imaginative solutions using native plants and incorporating methods that account for changing climate patterns. Elaine is active in the Horticultural Certificate Program at Berkshire Botanical Gardens. In 2012, she graduated from a Permaculture Design Course through Sowing Solutions Permaculture Design and Education. 

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

Elaine named her business after Saint Phocas the Gardener, one of the lesser known saints from the 3rd Century. St. Phocas lived in Sinop, on the coast of the Black Sea in Turkey. He cultivated lush, beautiful gardens filled with roses, perennials, and fruits and vegetables, which he offered to the poor. Before being executed by Roman authorities, he asked that his body be buried in the hole that he dug so that his remains could feed his gardens.