Gretchen Kromer has been interested in gardens, houses, and photography since childhood. She grew up in New England. While a Fellow at the American Academy in Rome, she visited the garden of Ninfa for the first time. The recipient of a Ph.D. in Classics from Johns Hopkins and an M.S. in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University, she has worked as a college teacher, house remodeler, real estate salesperson, and instructional designer. Her photographs of gardens have been shown at galleries in the Midwest, in publications, and on the Internet. She lives in Bloomington, Indiana with her husband, economist and photographer Paul Kuznets.