MY Story
My name is Debbie Seracini and
I was raised by a Gardener.
My mother was very creative and had many talents, with gardening being one of her best. My very practical Dad built a large lath house in our backyard, where she maintained a jungle of shade loving fuchsias and ferns. In the sunny part of the yard, she grew roses, irises, and lots of “six-packs” of annual color. But as a kid, I always enjoyed visiting local nurseries with her – and paging through her dog-eared Sunset Garden books. That’s when I started creating beautiful gardens in my imagination.
As a young adult,
My first college major was Nursery & Landscape Technology. It was a heavily science–based course and I was more interested in design, so changed my major and received an A.A. degree in Interior Design. However, my goals later changed, leading me to a M.A. degree in Public History and a career with the National Park Service. During that time, I met and married my late husband, Massimo Seracini, and ended my Park Service career as we traveled for years between San Diego and the countryside of Florence, Italy. I was fortunate to land a new career as an acquisition editor for a U.S. based local history publishing company, which allowed me to work remotely and explore the historic sites, gardens – and trattorie of Italy! But the fairy tale life quickly ended after Massimo passed away in 2009.
On my own again,
I started a new position as Archivist for the San Diego Air & Space Museum. Although I am skilled in research and writing, I am also an artistic person and have always enjoyed gardening (and baking!) as a creative outlet. As retirement neared, I decided to craft a new career that allowed me to combine my early experiences and showcase my creativity. I also wanted to complete the first major I attempted so many years ago. At Cuyamaca College, I earned an Associate of Science degree in Landscape Architecture and proudly launched BlueBug Landscape Design in 2023.