Stacey's love of plants began with her grandmother, who always let her pick as many lilies of the valley as she wanted. Though she had always gardened as a hobby, it wasn't until after she earned her linguistics degree from the University of Michigan that she realized she wanted to become a professional gardener. Stacey moved to New York in 1999 to attend the School of Professional Horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden. The two-year program led to her conviction to share with others what she had learned during her studies.
After working as a rooftop gardener in Manhattan, she served as the horticulturist at Tavern on the Green restaurant for three years, the second woman ever to hold the position. Stacey joined the Martha Stewart Living staff in 2005 and works with Andrew Beckman and Tony Bielaczyc planning the garden content for the magazine. Though she dreams of an enormous formal vegetable garden surrounded by fruit, nut, and shade trees, her Woodside, Queens, apartment allows for little more than her collection of unique succulents. Stacey is an avid knitter, weaver, and sewer, which all provide an outlet for the inspiration she finds in the natural world.