Barbara Perry Lawton, an award-winning writer, author, speaker, and photographer, has over 1,500 published articles to her credit. She currently writes for Gateway Gardener and Outdoor Guide and for nearly 20 years contributed a weekly column to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She has written several gardening books, including Magic of Irises, which was nominated for an American Horticultural Society Award, and most recently Parsleys, Fennels, and Queen Anne's Lace.She has earned regional and national honors for her writing and photography, and has served as president of the Garden Writers Association. In 2004 she was named a "Woman of Worth" by the Older Women's League, and in 2006, she was… named one of "24 Ageless-Remarkable St. Louisans" by St. Andrews Resources for Seniors. Just recently, she was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Missouri Affiliate of National Federated Press Women.Barbara currently volunteers as a Master Gardener at the Plant Doctor Desk and Horticultural Answer Service at Missouri Botanical Garden, is a member of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Stream Team, and is an editor of Cape Albeon's Cottage Review.