In memory of Sandy Poehling by Amy Dixon
This past spring, the Gardens lost a beloved friend and patron, Sandy Poehling. Known throughout the Winston-Salem community as a gracious hostess, expert gardener, and inspiring human, Sandy Poehling’s positivity reflected into all those she met. I never had the pleasure of meeting or knowing Sandy, but desperately wish I had. Her strength, determination, and welcoming spirit are still palpable within the community—traits that are rife within those that knew her best. I connected with several of Sandy’s close friends so they could relay their memories of her and help me to better understand just how much she meant to them. Close friends Annamarie D’Souza and Sandy High both regarded Sandy as a sister, each connecting with her in both diverse and similar ways. D’Souza and High met Sandy at different points in their lives but found profound commonalities with her.
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Annamarie and Sandy were friends for forty-three years, first meeting when D’Souza moved to North Carolina in the late seventies. Over the years they shared much together, such as chairing community organizations, a love of gardening and several special trips. They toured European gardens including Gravetye, Cliveden, and Sissinghurst. “She would travel far and wide to see and learn gardening techniques,” D’Souza said. “We traveled the world, she and I, to see gardens.” D’Souza described Sandy as a perennial gardener, working year-round in her two-acre garden. Reynolda Gardens became a place of information for her, as she garnered a lot of her horticulture knowledge from the adult education classes. “I think in the early years, she learned about gardening from Reynolda Gardens,” D’Souza said. “She didn’t grow up a gardener, she adopted gardening as a young adult. When we would go to Reynolda, we would go to all the classes. I think it was a place of learning, it was a place of reflection. It was a place later on where she felt she could contribute with all her learning and experience over the years.” One of the many sentiments that echoed of Sandy, was her bountiful generosity. Her meticulously cultivated home garden and conservatory was a place she readily shared with others, making it a gathering place for all. “She shared her garden like no one else,” D’Souza said. “She was one of a kind. She brought life to everything she did. She was very selfless, always putting others first, always lifting others up. She brought people together.” A friend of over thirty years, garden designer Chip Callaway worked alongside Sandy in her garden, helping to craft her vision into reality. Callaway also
