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Kristina Aguilar is a native of northern New Jersey and first learned about plant record keeping while interning at the New York Botanical Garden during her college winter breaks. After graduating from Cornell University, she continued gaining experience in plant collection management at the University of Delaware Botanic Gardens and Mt. Cuba Center. In 2006, Kristina joined the staff at Longwood Gardens, where she continues the legacy of plant record keeping while using technology to better share plant collection information with staff, students, and guests.
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Shipley was in practice as a professional landscape designer from 1980 until retiring in 2016. He studied Landscape Architecture and Plant Science at the University of Delaware where he received his Bachelor of Agriculture, Plant Science degree. He has been designing beautiful gardens and outdoor living spaces throughout his career in the tri-state area. His garden designs are crafted to serve the specific needs of his clients and are customized to utilize the natural assets of each unique site. His private garden in Kennett Square, Pa, has been featured on many private garden tours sponsored by Longwood Gardens, the Pennsylvania Landscape & Nursery Association, The Tyler Arboretum, The Scott Arboretum, and Fine Gardening magazine.
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Geoffrey L. Anderson, RLA, LEED AP, is a principal with the landscape architectural firm Robinson, Anderson, Summers, Inc. (formerly Rodney Robinson Landscape Architects). Geoff has over 25 years of experience designing public and private gardens, historic landscapes, and urban spaces. He received his B.S. in Horticulture from North Carolina State University, and a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Kristie Lane Anderson is an ecological technician on the Land Stewardship and Ecology team at Longwood Gardens. At Longwood, Kristie engages in hands-on ecological restoration and invasive species management, as well as restoration planning and GIS-based data collection. Kristie has a Master of Landscape Architecture and brings a focus on both the aesthetic and the ecological to her work.
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Bestselling author and horticulturist Brie Arthur has garnered acclaim for her enthusiastic presentations and practical, out-of-the-box gardening advice. Originally from southeastern Michigan, Brie Arthur studied Landscape Design and Horticulture at Purdue University. With more than a decade of experience as a grower and propagator, she now shares her expertise as an advocate for consumer horticulture and home gardening across America.
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Artist Stacey Bal celebrates the value in the vast diversity of the floral industry by wearing many hats including educator, author, consultant, event designer, magazine contributor, and product developer. As the owner of The Flora Culturist, she energetically expresses her ever-evolving point of view with unexpected materials and unique combinations of botanicals. Stacey's continued lifelong educational journey through various arts and horticulture are met with her experience as a second-generation floral designer. She is recognized for bringing a fresh perspective and strong voice to the visual arts community most notably as a feature artist at Art Basel Miami 2019. Internationally published, her latest work is featured in IMPERMANENT in which she co-authored and was lead photographer. Bal earned her European Masters Certification in 2019, is a long standing member of the American Institute of Floral Designers, and is a member of the Floriology Education Team.
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Andy received his MFA from the University of Delaware in 2005, and his BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 1994. He has been a full-time Lecturer of Photography at Dickinson College since 2013, and served as an adjunct professor of Photography prior to that from 2005 until 2012. His photographs are included in the permanent collections of Caisse d'Epargne in Toulouse, the Photomedia Center and Messiah College in Pennsylvania, and at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia.
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Kristin Barry currently operates her family business, Groff's Plant Farm, with her husband Jonathan in Kirkwood, PA. Before returning home, Kris worked in ornamental flower breeding at Pan American Seed in Chicago, IL and cotton breeding in Lubbock TX. She received a PhD in environmental horticulture from the University of Florida. She has two high-school age children, two large dogs and too many flower beds.
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Dr. Susan Barton earned her Ph.D. from the University of Delaware and has worked there as an extension specialist and associate professor for over 30 years. Her projects include researching and implementing new roadside vegetation management strategies and the Plants for a Livable Delaware Program, which was designed to provide alternatives to known invasive plants. Susan promotes sustainable initiatives by teaching both students and professionals.
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Alisha Simone Bell, AIFD, is a member of the prestigious American Institute of Floral Designers and the owner of Alisha Simone LLC, a couture event floral and decor studio. Throughout her 20 years in the floral industry, Alisha has been an adjunct professor of "Floral Design" for Mercer County College, participated in numerous featured designs at the Philadelphia Flower Show, was head designer for celebrity event planner David Tutera, as well as produced designs for White House events and many celebrities including Soledad O'Brien, Jenifer Lopez and Beyonce.
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Daniel Benarcik is a native of Wilmington, Delaware, and was raised in a family-owned retail florist business. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware. He gained horticulture experience at the Mt. Cuba Center and Imperial Nursery, and currently works at Chanticleer, an innovative public garden for both plants and design. He has taught classes for the Delaware Center for Horticulture, The Scott Arboretum, and the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society, and lectures frequently to garden clubs, arboreta, and horticulture institutions around the country.
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Kevin Bielicki currently serves as the Bonsai Curator for Longwood Gardens. He is responsible for maintaining and growing the collection that consists of over 50 trees. He works to expand the collection by increasing the variety and quality of trees available to the public while refining the current trees. He intends to build more public interest through this growing collection combined with rotating themed exhibits. Prior to this role he assisted in the maintenance for The Kennett Collection, a private bonsai garden, for over 12 years. Here he gained his experience and knowledge from internationally renowned bonsai masters. He holds his MFA in sculpture from IUPUI and a Minor in Art History from the University of Delaware.
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Matthew Biggs is a gardener, writer, and broadcaster, and a graduate of The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. During his forty-year career, he has gardened for a local authority, been Head Gardener at a private house, and owned a landscaping company. He has also presented and directed gardening television programs, written over fifteen books on horticulture and related subjects (including several commissioned by The Royal Horticultural Society), and is a panel member on BBC Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time. He is a floral judge at Royal Horticultural Society shows, including Chelsea Flower Show. Matthew is currently developing his own garden, 30 miles north of London—among its features are exotic and Mediterranean borders, a mixed shrub and herbaceous border, and a kitchen garden with a collection of heritage apples. He loves exciting stories and is passionate about history, plants, and people.
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Jim Bobb has served as president of the Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association and as chairman of the board for the Eastern Apiculture Society. Jim enjoys horticulture and plant identification walks, volunteers at apiaries in arboreta and public gardens, and assists others to get started in the wonderful hobby of keeping bees.
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Jerome Boodoo is an innovative and resourceful floral designer with over 30 years of knowledge and experience working with flowers and plants from many parts of the world in conceptualizing and creating arrangements that are both beautiful and appropriate to clients’ desired aesthetics and needs.
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Sarah Carlton graduated with a first class honors degree from the Horticulture with Plantsmanship BSc taught at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) in 2013. Since then, she has enjoyed a successful career as a botanical horticulturist, working at the RHS flagship garden Wisley for two years, interning at Kew Gardens, and traveling to study alpine plants in the Swiss and French Alps, China’s Yunnan mountain ranges, the Russian Altai, and Kyrgyzstan. Sarah is currently the Garden and Conservation Supervisor at St Andrews Botanic Garden. Her role encompasses the whole garden, managing a small team, and caring for extensive botanical collections. Prior to that she spent four years as Alpine and Woodland Supervisor. Sarah is passionate about understanding the world of alpine plants, sharing this knowledge, and raising awareness of the threats climate change poses to their existence.
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Darryl Cheng is the creator of the incredibly popular blog and Instagram account, House Plant Journal. Darryl's passion for plants and engineering approach have turned him into one of the most trusted resources of the internet houseplant world. What was initially a hobby Tumblr page has turned into an Instagram account with over half a million followers, a foundational houseplant care book entitled 'The New Plant Parent', a game-changing online course, and plant time-lapse videos that have gone viral around the world.
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Roseann Christian is a graduate of Longwood Gardens Certificate of Merit in Floral Design. She is a member of the Garden Club of America and a candidate in the GCA Judging Program. Her designs have won awards at Club, Zone, and Philadelphia Flower Shows. She owns a small floral design business, providing floral creations for weddings and events. She has been a volunteer for several years in Longwood's Continuing Education Department, primarily in Floral Design classes. Roseann is currently pursuing a Certificate of Merit in Ornamental Horticulture at Longwood Gardens.
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Louise Clarke is the horticulturist in charge of The Morris Arboretum's 65-acre Bloomfield Farm, home to more than 1,200 woody plants and over 6,000 square feet of green roofs. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Horticulture from Temple University and an MBA from DeSales University. As a Garden Writers Association member, she teaches workshops and lectures on numerous horticultural topics. After hours she tends Halcyon, her lush home garden, a mixture of tender tropicals, bulbs, perennials, unusual annuals and vines.
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Ashley Clayton earned a B.A. in Biological Sciences with a minor in Horticulture from Clemson University. She expanded her horticulture experience through internships at Mt. Cuba Center, Longwood Gardens, and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Currently, Ashley is one of Longwood Gardens’ Research Specialists who manages the tissue culture lab, soil lab, and experimental greenhouses. When she is not looking through a microscope or researching the mysteries of nature, she can be found dabbling in a new craft project.
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Emily Conn graduated from the Commonwealth Honors College of The University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2017 with a degree in Anthropology and Latin American and Indigenous Studies. After completing the 2019 Morris Arboretum Plant Propagation Internship, Emily earned a certificate in Urban Horticulture from Louisiana State University and is currently working at Longwood Gardens as the Plant Records Intern. Emily enjoys teaching botanical folklore, ethnobotany, and how plants get their names.
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Rosemary Connelly studied fine art and graphic design at Mesa Community College and Arizona State University. She worked for over 20 years as a graphic designer. She spent two years living in Italy where she painted and journaled extensively. Rosemary has been practicing watercolor journaling for over 10 years and has been teaching workshops since 2009, throughout Delaware and in locations around the country. Rosemary is a member of the Mispillion and Rehoboth Art Leagues, Urban Sketchers and is a founding member of Sketchers Delaware.
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Alex is a horticulturist in the Philadelphia region. She has a background in organic agriculture and was trained in ornamental horticulture at Longwood Gardens. Vegetable growing was her first love of gardening and she enjoys incorporating edibles and cut flowers into ornamental displays.
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Jon Cox is president of the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER Foundation) and an assistant professor, continuing track in the Department of Art & Design at the University of Delaware. He serves as a Board Member of the Dorobo Fund for Tanzania, is a 2015 National Geographic Explorer, and Full Fellow of the Explorers Club. Cox has directed 23 photographic study abroad programs across the globe, including destinations to Antarctica, Vietnam, Cambodia, Tanzania, Australia, Tasmania, Argentina, and Peru. He was a pioneer in the field of digital photography, served as the adventure photographer/writer for Digital Camera Magazine, and authored two Amphoto digital photography books. Cox is a co-recipient of a National Geographic Society Grant to support a collaborative cultural mapping initiative with the Ese’Eja Indigenous community living in the Amazonia basin of Peru. He co-authored a book titled Ancestral Lands of the Ese’Eja: The True People and co-created a traveling exhibition to accompany this project titled The Ese’Eja People of the Amazon: Connected by a Thread that is currently on tour across the United States. Cox co-authored Hadzabe, By the Light of a Million Fires with an accompanying traveling exhibition titled Hadzabe: Roots of Equality. Cox is currently working with the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware on a cultural mapping and land restoration project supported by the Delaware Humanities, University of Delaware, and the National Geographic Society. His ongoing project, titled ARRIVALS: What's Left Behind, What Lies Ahead, is a collaborative multidisciplinary project recording and disseminating the stories of refugees and immigrants that are living in Idaho and the Native Americans that have been displaced from their ancestral lands.
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Charles Cresson is a consulting horticulturist, writer, and avid gardener. Hedgleigh Spring, his personal garden in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, is known for its collections of rare plants, including many bulbs. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture from the University of Vermont, studied at the University of Bath in England, and worked for the Royal Horticultural Society Garden at Wisley. Charles is the author of three books: Ornamental Trees; Rock Gardening; and Charles Cresson on the American Flower Garden.
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David Culp is a well-known gardener, past president of the Hardy Plant Society, and a vice president with Sunny Border Nurseries, Inc., the largest perennial grower on the East Coast. David lectures throughout the United States, contributes articles to a variety of horticulture magazines, and has taught at Longwood for many years. He has received numerous awards, including the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Award of Merit, and the 2014 Perennial Plant Association's Media Award. His book, The Layered Garden, was named overall book of the year by the Garden Writers Association.
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Tanner Delvalle is a Commercial Horticulture Educator with Penn State Cooperative Extension for both Schuylkill and Berks Counties. His major focus areas include green industry, turf maintenance, weed control, vegetables, fruit, berries, and Christmas tree production. He received an M.S. in Agronomy from Penn State, a B.S. in Turfgrass Science from Penn State, and an A.A.S. in Logistics from the Community College of the Air Force. Tanner's professional experience includes golf course maintenance, a sales consultant for a green industry supplier, director of a lawn care company, and six years in the U.S. Air National Guard.
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Frank DePietro is a realist painter living in Kennett Square, PA. He received his Bachelor of Art from Bloomsburg University and later studied at several art institutions in Philadelphia. He exhibits his work both locally and nationally, and has received various awards for his painting. Frank has instructed courses at many Greater Philadelphia art centers, Moore College of Art and Design, and currently teaches landscape painting at the Delaware Museum of Art.
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Robert Dougan is a graduate of Temple University and has been concentrating on trees for his entire career. He works as grounds supervisor for Jeanes Hospital, where he cares for over 700 trees on a 34-acre campus in Northeast Philadelphia. Robert also teaches classes on Woody Plant ID, Residential Landscape Design, and Landscape Maintenance at Temple University. He has also presented programs on Tree Identification for the Penn-Del chapter of the ISA, the Montgomery County Penn State Cooperative Extension, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and Tyler Arboretum.
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Maria is a professor in the department of Geosciences at Florida Atlantic University, a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, two times TEDx speaker, and a fellow in the Explorers Club. She researches the human/environmental aspect of conservation throughout the globe, focusing on the rainforests of Latin America and the Savanna in Africa. She loves teaching and won the Excellence and Innovation in Undergraduate Teaching award and was a finalist for the Distinguished Teacher of the Year Award. She received her Ph.D. in Geography at the University of Texas at Austin, an M.A. in Latin American Studies from Tulane University, and a B.A. from Vassar College.
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Tim Farrell, AIFD, AAF, PFCI, is a retail florist from Drexel Hill, PA. Tim has owned and operated Farrell's Florist since 1983 and is very active in the floral industry. He is a member of the prestigious Teleflora Design Team, teaching retailers across the United States, and is an educator at the Teleflora Education Center in Oklahoma City, OK. His work has been featured many times on the cover and in feature articles for FLOWERS& Magazine. Tim has designed for presidential inaugurations and Congressional receptions in Washington, DC. He has been designing flowers for the Academy Awards in Los Angeles since 2005, and represented the United States in the Teleflorist World Cup Competition in Tokyo, Japan, in 2007.
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Brandon Forsht is a certified Ikebana Instructor in the Sogetsu School and a member of the Sogetsu Southern NJ study Group. He is also a florist and garden designer and has a passion for growing his own floral materials.
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Carol Gangemi is a former professional graphic designer and illustrator and a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists. She has exhibited and sold her work in galleries and at the Philadelphia Flower Show, and has instructed art classes at the University of Delaware, Wilmington University, and Moore College of Art and Design.
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Darcie Garcia AIFD has worked in the floral industry for 29 years—20 as lead designer for a large flower company in Allentown, PA. In 2015 she completed the Professional Floral Design Evaluation and joined the American Institute of Floral Designers. In 2017 she was named an AIFD Certified Judge and Evaluator. Darcie was a member of the team decorating the White House for the Singapore state dinner in July 2016. In 2017 she joined the Continuing Education department at Bucks County Community College, teaching in the school’s AIFD certification program. From her own floral design studio, Darcie uses a workshop setting to help students develop their skills. Darcie has served on the Teleflora Penn Jersey Education board for 15 years and for the past decade has helped create award-winning exhibits at the Philadelphia Flower Show. In 2020 she chaired the AIFD exhibit at that show.
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Karl Gercens, Conservatory Manager, is responsible for many of the changing displays in the Longwood conservatories. Originally from the Mississippi Delta, Karl has worked at Walt Disney World in Florida and Filoli Estate in California to experience horticulture from coast to coast! Karl has worked in the Conservatory for a third of his life and has visited hundreds of gardens in all 50 states. Karl catalogs his inspiration and ideas for classes at his website, www.KarlGercens.com.
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Adam Glas is currently a gardener at The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College. There he has been overseeing and performing the renovation of the Dean Bond Rose Garden. His is also primary caretaker of the International Clematis trial and the American Rose Trials for Sustainability program and trial. Glas also cares for the Arboretum's espalier collection. Prior to joining the gardening staff at Scott, he was the nursery manager at a local garden center. He is a graduate of the Professional Gardener class of 2006 and studied Horticulture and Landscape Design at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He is the current president of the Professional Gardener Alumni Assocation (PGAA) and vice president of the board at Chenoa Manor.
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Jane Godshalk, AIFD earned an MBA in Organizational Behavior before discovering her life’s passion, working with flowers. From the first, it was a total immersion into the study of floral design and includes certificates from Longwood Gardens, the Stoas University in The Netherlands, and a fourth level teaching certificate in Sogetsu Ikebana. She is an Artistic Judge for the Garden Club of America and a Certified Evaluator for the American Institute of Floral Design. Jane has represented the USA at the Chelsea Flower Show in London and at the World Association of Flower Arrangers in Dublin. Both the American Horticultural Society and the Garden Club of America have recognized Jane with national medals.
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Richard Greenwood is a fine arts photographer whose repertoire spans from macrophotography to landscapes. A photographer for over 45 years, he continues to grow and explore new modes of photographic expression. Frequently combining photography and writing assignments, his works are featured in magazines, galleries, and homes throughout the northeast.
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Christopher Griffin (he/she/they) is a plant parent and enthusiast, better known as Plant Kween! They share their botanical adventures to plant shops and botanical gardens via social media, as a personal method of self-care, joy-sharing and community building. Their mission is to continue to build a diverse online + offline community of plant-loving people; create greater visibility as a Black queer non-binary femme existing in green spaces, and just share the joy + happiness plants have brought into their life.
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Greg Griffis graduated with a degree in Music Education from West Chester University. He attended the 2010 Longwood Orchid Show where he purchased his first orchid. One plant quickly became twenty or so, and before long he was hooked. In 2010 he visited Parkside Orchid Nursery for the first time, and by Summer 2011 he was working part time for Tom Purviance and John Salventi. He studied under their tutelage while working for them, and when they sold the nursery in 2012, he was hired by the new owners as the Grower and Manager. He managed Parkside for one year, before leaving to grow orchids in Hawaii. He worked for Hilo Orchid Farm for more than a year, spending a large amount of time working with Paphiopedilum, as well as Intergeneric Oncidiinae and Miltoniopsis. At the beginning of 2015, Greg was hired as the orchid grower at Longwood Gardens.
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Having graduated with a degree in Visual Communications, Bob has 30 years of experience as a professional designer, photographer, and instructor. He's conducted classes and workshops ranging from beginner photography to advanced computer imaging. Currently, Bob is also serving as an adjunct professor at Drexel University, where he teaches a graduate course in biomedical photography. Bob loves creating images of nature, landscapes, and wildlife; but what really excites him is seeing a student's eyes light up when they say, "Wow, NOW I get it!"
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Zach Hammaker is the owner and principal landscape designer of ZH Design. He completed his education at Penn State University earning a Bachelor of Science in Landscape Contracting’s Design/Build concentration, and a minor in Horticulture. After graduation, he moved to the Delaware Valley to work with Terrain at Styers before starting his own business in 2012 in Media, PA. Zach is the past president of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), PA-DE chapter. He has recently completed a dual Master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania in Landscape Architecture and City Planning. He currently works as a design fellow at PennPraxis, the public design practice of the University of Pennsylvania's Weitzman School of Design. He is also an adjunct professor in the University of Delaware’s Landscape Architecture program.
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Diana Heitzman is an artist who is active in botanical painting. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, and studied at Temple University in Rome, Italy. Post-graduation, Diana studied graphic design and advertising at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia and worked as an art director. Diana has taught in Cape May County as well as Mt Cuba Center and Center of the Creative Arts in Delaware. She has shown her work in several galleries and completed multiple commissions, including the Wilmington Flower Market Poster. For the past 20 years she has exhibited and sold her paintings at the annual Philadelphia Flower Show. She is a member of the American Society of Botanical Artists and the Philadelphia Society of Botanical Illustrators.
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Harriet Henderson is a principal of Cushing & Henderson, a landscape architecture firm in Unionville, PA. She received a B.S. in Landscape Architecture from Cornell University, was awarded the William F. Dreer Award for work/study of garden design during two years in Kyoto, Japan, and received a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania. Her residential and institutional landscape architecture practice emphasizes connections with horticulture and architecture, with design ranging from formal to naturalistic, and Western to Asian. She has taught a History of Gardens course at the Barnes Foundation for over 20 years, and lectured widely on garden design topics at Haverford College, Morris Arboretum, Pennsylvania Horticulture Society, University of Pennsylvania, and other eastern arboreta and colleges.
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Based out of southeast Pennsylvania, Valerie Hoffman is an avid landscape, wildlife, floral, and architectural/real estate photographer and photography instructor. Valerie cannot remember a time when photography was not a passion. This led her to pursue a degree in photography. After more than 25 years selling photographic equipment, Valerie embarked on a career teaching private photography lesson, group classes, and workshops. She loves sharing her photographic knowledge and inspiring people to take their photography skills to deeper and more creative levels.
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Heather Holm is a biologist, pollinator conservationist, and award-winning author. In addition to assisting with native bee research projects, she informs and educates audiences nationwide, through her writing and many presentations, about the fascinating world of native pollinators and beneficial insects, and the native plant communities that support them. Her first book, Pollinators of Native Plants, was published in 2014, and her second book, Bees, published in 2017, has won six book awards including the 2018 American Horticultural Society Book Award. Her latest book, Wasps, was published in February 2021. Heather’s expertise includes the interactions between native pollinators and native plants, and the natural history and biology of native bees and predatory wasps occurring in the Upper Midwest and Northeast.
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Sarah Huddas, PLA, ASLA is an award-winning landscape architect with 12 years’ experience. She is a full-time employee at OHM Advisors in metro-Detroit and is actively engaged in all aspects of the design process. Sarah values the art of hand sketching as an integral component of idea generation and thought development, and she thrives in a realm where pen meets paper. Sketching is a valuable skill that allows individuals to slow down and study what they are truly seeing. Sarah strives to integrate her love for nature with her passion for art, sustainable design, and culture. Her goal is to inspire others to experience the outdoors and gain an appreciation and respect for the natural environment.
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Robin Irizarry is the Philadelphia Watershed Coordinator for the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership. He holds a degree in Landscape Architecture from the Temple University School of Environmental Design. He has worked as a landscape designer for Land Stewards Ecological Landscape Design in Bucks County and has served as a teaching assistant in several of Temple University's Master of Landscape Architecture studios. In his free time he enjoys drawing and wood carving and is the Owner/Craftsman of Fiddlehead Toys.
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Steve Ittel started studying bonsai as a student of Dennis Donald over twenty years ago. He is a member of the Brandywine Bonsai Society and runs their web site. In addition to tending his bonsai collection, he also makes bonsai pottery and works with Longwood's bonsai collection.
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Jeff Jabco holds a M.S. degree in Horticulture and Plant Pathology from North Carolina State University. He is the Director of Grounds and Coordinator of Horticulture for the Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College, teaches botany in Longwood's Certificate of Merit in Ornamental Horticulture Program, and is also an instructor in Longwood's Professional Horticulture Training Program. He frequently lectures on sustainability and gardens, is president of the International Clematis Society, and is vice-president and co-founder of the Mid-Atlantic Peony Society. Jeff was named Teacher of the Year in 2009 by the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture.
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Tim Jennings is a graduate of Longwood's Professional Gardener Training Program and is the Senior Gardener responsible for Longwood's outdoor Waterlily Display, Fern Passage, and Rose House. Tim teaches several popular water gardening courses at Longwood Gardens and can answer almost any question on waterlilies! Tim also serves as a lab instructor for various plant identification classes.
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Lea Johnson is Associate Director, Land Stewardship and Ecology at Longwood Gardens, where she directs management of more than 700 acres of diverse habitats across Longwood’s natural lands. She is a plant ecologist who works to advance the science and practice of improving ecosystem health for people and biodiversity in a changing world. She collaborates across disciplines and professions to address wicked problems in complex social-ecological systems, and she is interested in processes that unfold over time at multiple scales. Her career has taken her to a variety of ecosystems, from the mountains of New Mexico and temperate rainforests of Oregon to the highlands of Guatemala and back woods of New York City. She earned a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers University.
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Patrick Joyce is the Nursery Manager at Longwood Gardens. He oversees the woody plant production and procurement for the Gardens. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture from West Virginia University and has been working in the Nursery Industry for over 11 years. When he isn’t working with plants he enjoys traveling, the outdoors, and being with his family.
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Brian graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Science degree in General Biology and continued his education in turfgrass entomology at the University of Kentucky (M.S.) and The Ohio State University (Ph.D.). He was the research entomologist for TruGreen ChemLawn South region prior to their closing of the research division. Now he is the ornamentals IPM extension specialist at the University of Delaware. Many projects have examined insecticide efficacy and others have focused on host plant selection, biological control, or cultural control of various pests.
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Donni LaBrake is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology's School of Art and Design. She pursued a speciality in watercolor and enjoyed a career as a free-lance commercial artist. In past years she created and sold wildlife paintings. For many years she has specialized in botanical art. Donni was invited to participate in the 11th Annual Exhibition of Botanical art at the Hunt Institute in Pittsburgh and subsequently received a formal request to have one of her paintings for inclusion in The Hunt's permanent collection. For the past 15 years she has exhibited at the annual Philadelphia Flower Show.
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Santino Lauricella has served as the education coordinator for Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve since 2019. He is responsible for the Preserve’s educational programming, which helps visitors to be inspired by our natural world. Originally from central New York, he received his B.S. in wildlife management from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. An avid lover of the outdoors since his childhood spent just outside the Adirondack Park, he relishes all opportunities to share his passion for nature and science with others.
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Ginny Levy worked in the Horticulture Division of Longwood Gardens for 15 years in several permanent display areas and special projects throughout the Conservatory. She teaches floral design and horticulture classes, including the Conifers course. She is an active member of the Garden Club of America—serving as the Horticulture representative for Pennsylvania and Delaware, as the zone vice chair, and currently as president of the West Chester Garden Club. Ginny holds both Certificates of Merit in Ornamental Plants and the Certificate of Merit in Floral Design.
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Danilo Maffei is the founding principal of Maffei Landscape Design, LLC in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. With a background in design, public horticulture, landscape contracting, business and civic leadership, he brings to each project a positive and practical perspective on the way gardens enrich our experience and engagement with people and places. His philosophy: gather experiences, not things. Objects alone do not make a garden better. Rather, it is the opportunity for people to meaningfully engage with the outdoors in all of its ephemerality and seasonal transformations that truly elevates the garden from merely functional to truly sublime. In addition to his duties as the leader of his firm, Mr. Maffei is a regular instructor and lecturer in landscape design and serves on the executive committee of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), where he was honored as a Fellow.
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Sarah Cathcart Masterton comes to Longwood from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in the UK, where she was Head of Education and Learning. While at RHS, Masterton was responsible for the RHS Campaign for School Gardening with approximately 30,000 participating schools. In addition, she oversaw the quality and direction of RHS’s education programs for school-age children through Master of Horticulture programs, and actively sought strategic collaborations and partnerships to advance RHS’s educational mission. As Vice President of Engagement and Learning, Masterton oversees the development, implementation, and coordination of Longwood’s global education programs, which include: the two-year Professional Horticulture Program; the School & Youth Program, which attracts 45,000 students online and in person; the Co-Op Program; Continuing Education Program for adults; the High School and University Internship Program; the International Internship and Training Program; the 13-month Longwood Fellows Program; and the Longwood Library and Archives.
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David Mattern holds a degree in Landscape Contracting with an emphasis on design and a minor in Horticulture from Penn State University. He is also a graduate of Longwood's Professional Gardener Program. David is an avid gardener, and has spent the past several years working in horticulture and landscape design. He is currently an assistant horticulturist at Chanticleer Garden.
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Valerie McLaughlin is a freelance floral designer working out of her home in Wallingford, PA, where she lives with her five sons and husband. She earned a Certificate in Floral Design from Longwood Gardens. The flower business suits her, adding a bit of femininity to an otherwise masculine household. Even Rudy the dog is a boy. Valerie creates custom arrangements within a budget. Her designs reflect her own joy and passion for living.
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Eva Monheim is the Author of Shrubs & Hedges: Discover, Grow, and Care for the World’s Most Popular Plants and has written over 100 gardening articles and scholarly papers on design and garden history. An award-winning educator, Monheim teaches Woody Plants at Longwood Gardens for the Professional Horticulture Program and is an adjunct professor at The Barnes Arboretum at St. Joseph’s University where she teaches Garden Appreciation and Landscape Management. Her breadth of knowledge and extensive teaching experience has led to the formation of VEE – Verdant Earth Educators, LLC. She and her co-principal consult, educate, write, and advise on all things horticulture. Eva is also the producer and co-host of The Plant a Trillion Trees podcast, found on all major podcast platforms.
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Cres Motzi, AIFD, is a graduate of Longwood Gardens Certificate of Merit in Floral Design and an internationally trained floral designer. She was inducted into the American Institute of Floral Designers in 2010. Graduated from Boerma Instituut in Holland with diplomas in professional and advanced Dutch design, Cres has been a full-time designer who now works as a freelancer for events and weddings. She is a floral design demonstrator and has written tutorials and articles for By Design, a quarterly publication of GCA. Her works have been published in Green Scene, a publication of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society; Flower Arranging the American Way; International Floral Art Annual 2010/11; and the Jubilee Edition of International Floral Art 2014-15. She successfully completed a European Masters Certification program with Tomas de Bruyne of Belgium in May 2012, received her certification in September 2013, and is now an AIFD Certified Floral Evaluator/Judge. Cres is a 4th-grade Sogetsu Ikebana teacher.
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Greg has been in professional horticulture for over 30 years. He is an International Society of Arboriculture certified arborist, and is past president of Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS). Greg is Vice President of GreenWeaver Landscapes, an environmentally friendly landscape firm that serves the Delaware Valley. Greg started in landscaping by mowing lawns while attending George Mason University. Greg worked as Assistant Director of Facilities for Grounds at Bryn Mawr College in Bryn Mawr, PA, from 2004-2008.
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Jennifer Nichols founded GreenWeaver Landscapes in 2008, when after years in the traditional landscape industry, the need for an environmentally sensitive approach to landscaping became apparent. She is a consultant and lecturer and has studied horticulture and design at Longwood Gardens and Landscape for Life through the Sustainable Sites Initiative. Prior to founding GreenWeaver, she was vice president of Twin Oaks Landscaping, Inc. of Fairfax, Virginia.
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Mitch is a passionate Arborist who has been at Longwood Gardens for two years. He graduated from Penn State Mont Alto with an Associate's Degree in Forest Technology and worked for Bartlett Tree Experts on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts for three years, developing skills and a love of tree pruning and plant health care.
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Melissa Palmer trained under Gregor Lerch in Germany and attended the Boerma Institute in the Netherlands in Dutch Master Design. She owns her own business, Florum Flowers and Petaling Posies, and grows flowers on her New Jersey farm. She is a frequent speaker at the Philadelphia Flower Show.
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Ann Perry is a student of the Ohara School of Ikebana. She was introduced to Ikebana in 1968 while living in Tokyo, Japan, and was fortunate to have studied with several Masters of the Ohara School. After receiving her Master's Certificate she returned to the U.S. where she continues her study. She has demonstrated, taught, and has exhibited at the Philadelphia Flower Show, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Longwood Gardens.
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Jacqui Pestell followed a professional career in design and illustration and exhibited widely before also training as a teacher. She became Artist in Residence at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh in 1996 teaching Botanical Art and developing courses. Over the last 25 years she has built a team which together operate an internationally appreciated and enjoyed range of courses in botanical illustration resulting in the RBGE being recognized as an international center for training botanical illustrators. After working on projects which include plants from China, Chile, Nepal, and Scottish natives Jacqui was awarded an MBE for her work with Botanical Illustration in Scotland. Currently, she is researching and illustrating British Yew trees and the use of Herbal plants for RBGE publications. For Jacqui, the world of plants provides a never-ending fascination and source of inspiration which has led to many collaborative initiatives with students, botanists and plants from around the world. She values time to closely observe plants for drawing and painting- in a meditative way, whilst learning about their life cycles and significance to the world we live in.
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Colvin studied architectural history at the University of Virginia and botanic garden management in the Longwood Program at the University of Delaware. From 1977 to 2004 he was Longwood's PR Manager and subsequently became the Gardens' historian. In 2008 he was named Longwood's first P. S. du Pont Fellow. He has studied all aspects of Longwood's history since 1973 and has designed Longwood's musical fountain displays since 1980. He has written or produced books, CDs, and DVDs on the Gardens, including the Longwood Gardens—The First 100 Years centennial volume and Longwood Gardens Christmas.
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Jennifer Reed strongly believes floral design and all forms of art should make you "feel," immerse you in the design, and, most importantly, be fun! She has been creating distinctive floral designs for events for over 20 years at her company, Jennifer Designs, and gained experience in the retail end of the industry, having grown up in her family's floral business. Jennifer creates pieces that emphasize sculptural composition in design and focus on items found in nature, invoking feeling through color and paying attention to design details. Her design philosophy is to incorporate all forms of art and translate them into floral form. Jennifer has been featured in multiple publications and is a Featured Designer for the Philadelphia Flower Show.
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Sarah Roberts started out as a Fine Artist many moons ago and then totally fell in love with plants. She has exhibited and collaborated internationally, is a Botanical Images Scotia gold medalist, and qualified as a botanist this year at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s MSc in Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants. She has been teaching botanical illustration at RBGE for eight years and is constantly amazed by the diversity and beauty of the work that students create when they pay careful attention to plants—even if they start as total beginners.
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Tylor Rogers is an avid plant enthusiast in Portland, Oregon. He owns and operates the lush plant shop, Arium Botanicals. Plants sparked a natural curiosity in Tylor early in his college years. He grows and collects a wide variety of plants but has developed a particular interest in aroids, specifically focusing on Anthurium hybridization. Active on social media, Tylor is well known in the houseplant community.
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Eileen is an instructor of drawing and painting with a focus on the natural world. She has twenty-plus years of teaching experience at various institutions such as Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania Horticulture Society, Jenkins, Scott, and Morris Arboretums, Mainline Art Center, and the University of the Arts. She has also led workshops in Spain and Belize and has done murals and paintings in private homes.
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David Sanford is an associate professor of horticulture at the Berks Campus of Penn State University, where he is coordinator of the agricultural program at the campus. He has earned degrees from Cornell University, Michigan State University, and North Carolina State University—all in horticulture. He has over 30 years of experience teaching courses in general horticulture, plant propagation, greenhouse production, landscape management, and herbaceous and woody plant identification. He also has an appointment with Penn State University Cooperative Extension as a specialist in ornamental horticulture. He has served on the board of directors and as president of both the Eastern Region of the International Plant Propagators' Society and the national Perennial Plant Association.
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Rachel Schnaitman is the IPM Manager at Longwood Gardens. She oversees the plant diagnostic work in greenhouses, interiorscapes, and outdoor gardens. She is a certified pesticide applicator and completes and oversees applications in outdoor landscapes, greenhouses, and interiors capes. Before starting at Longwood she graduated with her M.S. from the University of Oxford and her B.S. from the University of Delaware.
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Chris Scott is a 2008 graduate of the Professional Gardener Program at Longwood Gardens. Since completing the program Chris has gone on to be a greenhouse grower in Chester County. He lives in Delaware with his wife and three children.
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Emma feels very fortunate to have an occupation which is constantly nurturing and explorative. She feels it is a joy to be a gardener! Emma has received training at Mt. Cuba Center, Longwood Gardens and Great Dixter Gardens. She has worked as a horticulturist at Chanticleer and is currently loving her job at Doe Run Farm, an expansive and ever evolving private estate in Chester County.
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Barefoot Botanicals is a labor of love for Eric VanderHyde and Linda Shanahan, bringing together their combined years of experience in herbalism, nursing, engineering and agriculture. Having grown vegetables, flowers and herbs for over a decade, Eric and Linda are now specializing in certified organically grown medicinal and culinary herbs.
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Vincent Simeone has worked in the horticultural field for over 34 years, gaining expertise in woody plant identification, culture, use, and selection of superior varieties. For the past 28 years Vincent has worked in public horticulture as the manager of a large public garden and historic landscape on Long Island. Vincent also teaches horticulture and gardening classes at local botanic gardens and provides about 50 lectures, workshops and classes throughput the United States. Since 2005 he has published six books. Vincent's book Sustainable Gardening: Grow a "Greener" Low-Maintenance Landscape with Fewer Resources has been revised and will be available in March 2021.
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Katharine Startup is an assistant horticulturist at Chanticleer Garden in Wayne, Pennsylvania. After graduating from the University of South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and French, she lived on traditional French homesteads, growing vegetables and caring for livestock. She then pursued her passion for plants professionally, from installing gardens in urban backyards to nurturing high-rise tropical and succulent specimens. While training at New York Botanical Garden’s School of Professional Horticulture, she tended the private plant collections and gardens of Iroki, a private estate in New York. Combining her love of design and plants, she delights in gardening throughout Chanticleer as well as teaching and writing.
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Judy Stevenson is Archivist in the Library and Archives at Longwood Gardens, where she manages and catalogs Longwood's historical archives and cultural object collections. She holds a B.A. in History from Moravian College and a Masters in Library and Information Science from Drexel University. Previously, she has worked in the Pictorial Collections Department at Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington, DE, and in the Library and Archives at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, PA.
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Jim Sutton graduated from Penn State with a degree in ornamental horticulture and worked at Longwood Gardens for over 20 years. He has also worked as a private estate gardener and floral designer for parties, weddings, and large charity events. He has completed the Series I Certificate of Merit from Longwood, is an avid home gardener, and loves to bake and entertain.
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Leona Swiacki is a 2004 graduate of Longwood Gardens Certificate of Merit in Floral Design. She then found her second career working in retail and corporate design settings serving Philadelphia, Wilmington, and NYC and has since retired from Hoffman Design Group in Folcroft, PA. Leona is currently a free-lance designer and Floral Design Instructor at Delaware County Community College, Tyler Arboretum, and Longwood Gardens.
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Stephen Talabac has been an amateur nature photographer for more than 40 years. His primary subject matter interests are landscapes, flowers, and wildlife. A member of the Central Maryland Photographers Guild, Stephen has served as its Director, Assistant Director, and Education Coordinator. He organized the Guild's DSLR Users Group. Stephen's photographs have been published by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and by Outdoor Photographer magazine in its 2015 national photo contest book, The American Landscape. He has given talks on digital camera principles of operation, led hands-on workshops on how to photograph birds in flight, and provided in-the-field instruction to help amateur photographers expand their knowledge and improve their skill. His work can be viewed at SJTPhotography.com.
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Midori Tanimune, a Japan native, holds diplomas and high ranking teaching certificates from the renowned Sogetsu School of Ikebana in Tokyo. Midori is held in high regard by the International Ikebana community. She has taught Ikebana courses at the Philadelphia Flower Show, Philadelphia Horticulture Center, and the US National Arboretum, and has done demonstrations and workshops in Richmond, VA, San Antonio, TX, Wilmington, SC, Washington DC, and throughout PA. Midori has attained the Komon degree, only one step below the top rank of Ikebana artists.
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Before his retirement in 2019, Harold Taylor was the Section Gardener for Longwood's Idea Garden, specifically working with vegetables, herbs, fruits, annuals, and perennials. He is a graduate of the Longwood Professional Gardener Program. Harold worked at Longwood for over 30 years and is an avid home gardener. He was named Teacher of the Year in 2010 by the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture.
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Matt Taylor obtained a B.S. in Horticulture from Penn State University, an M.S. in Horticulture Science from The University of Florida and a Ph.D. in Horticulture Science from North Carolina State University. He has also been a grower for Dan Schantz Farm and Greenhouses in Zionsville, PA and was the head grower for Woodring's Greenhouses in Bellefonte, PA. Matt is currently the Research Manager at Longwood Gardens and carries out research in many different areas including: plant trials, plant breeding, tissue culture, plant propagation and optimization of cultural techniques for Longwood's plants. He also oversees Longwood's integrated pest management program, soil and compositing operation, plant conservation efforts and the plant exploration program.
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Gregg Tepper is a professional horticulturist, lecturer, consultant and life-long native plant enthusiast. He has been in the public horticulture industry for over 25 years and has helped manage and guide various public gardens. He is now the Senior Horticulturist at Laurel Hill East and West Cemeteries in Philadelphia, PA where he manages various garden areas, including Nature’s Sanctuary, a SITES Gold certified landscape. Gregg has lectured extensively in the United States as well as the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Wisley in Great Britain. He is co-author of the book Deer-Resistant Native Plants for the Northeast and his next book, The Sensory Appeal of Native Plants, is in the works.
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Joseph Thomas is a member of the Land Stewardship and Ecology team at Longwood Gardens. Joe grew up in the area and attended the University of Delaware, studying plant science and wildlife conservation. While at the University of Tennessee, Joe earned a Master’s degree in Plant Science with a focus in Weed Science. Within the broader field of land management, Joe’s primary professional interest is invasive plant management.
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Mary has been the Curator and Plant Recorder at the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA since 2015. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Ornamental Horticulture from Temple University and a Master of Science degree in Crop Sciences from the University of Illinois. She is also a Pennsylvania Certified Horticulturist, an ISA Certified Arborist, and Nomenclature Chair for the Philadelphia Flower Show. She is particularly passionate about witchhazels, conifers, deciduous azaleas, and ferns.
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Virginia Velez Thaxton has a B.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Horticulture. She did her undergraduate thesis on the ecology of a high-altitude tropical tree species in her native Colombia and later conducted research in plant physiology while working at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. Virginia's graduate thesis focused on irrigation in container grown ornamentals at Louisiana State University and over the years she has gained plant production and care experience from working at nurseries, garden centers and historic gardens in Puerto Rico, Louisiana, and Maryland. Since 2018 she has been a horticulturist with the Interiors Section of Smithsonian Gardens, the team that displays and maintains all the indoor tropical plants in the Smithsonian museums and the Kogod Courtyard in Washington DC.
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Shannon Toal, AIFD, CFD, PFDE, is a professional special event floral and event designer, bringing over twenty years' design experience. Shannon has partnered with the area's premier design companies and designed at the most elegant venues in the Philadelphia area. She has created everything from weddings to corporate events across a wide spectrum of styles and size. Shannon has also used her talent and passion to help educate budding floral designers through her adjunct professor position at Bucks County Community College, Longwood Gardens, the Philadelphia Flower Show, and the Northeast Regional Chapter of the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD). In addition, Shannon is a frequent participant in the Philadelphia Flower Show and has contributed to numerous award winning exhibitions with AIFD and excellent florists.
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Renee has more than 20 years of design and leadership experience in the industry. She was inducted into the American Institute of Floral Designers in 2016 and Professional Floral Communicators Int'l in 2018. She is an educator at an AIFD Education Partner in Bucks County PA, and she’s a member of the national Teleflora Education team. Renee has participated in the Philadelphia Flower Show for the past 13 years, including 2020 when she was honored to be asked to produce The Princess Grace Rose Garden exhibit on behalf of the Embassy of Monaco, and 2021 when she brought The Honey Hive exhibit to life. Her first book, Framing Floral Techniques, was published in October 2021. Connecting with fellow designers and bringing the floral community together is one of her truest passions. As a speaker to many garden clubs, a freelance floral designer for several studios and as an educator on several platforms, she is moved by the lives that she empowers with flowers. Renee fills the in-between moments of her life with her loving husband and her three chihuahuas. Some of her favorite things include craspedia, coffee, carbs and good Mexican food (with a margarita on the side!).
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California native turned Pennsylvania flower farmer, Mara Tyler grew flowers in small spaces for 20 years in her home state. She now farms in Southern Chester County, on a 12-acre farmette that was historically used for dairy and sheep farming. Fenced pastures with meadowed flatlands seemed perfect for brightly colored flowers, and the idea of The Farm at Oxford was born. The farm's cut flower business specializes in locally grown peonies, dahlias, roses, spring bulbs, and companion perennials.
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Barefoot Botanicals is a labor of love for Eric VanderHyde and Linda Shanahan, bringing together their combined years of experience in herbalism, nursing, engineering and agriculture. Having grown vegetables, flowers and herbs for over a decade, Eric and Linda are now specializing in certified organically grown medicinal and culinary herbs.
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Scott Wade is a graduate of Penn State, with a degree in Liberal Arts. Scott is a certified arborist, working at Longwood Gardens. Volunteering as the state coordinator of the Champion Tree Program with the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, he has found and measured many champion trees.
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Hattie Weselyk is a self-taught jewelry artist who has been making jewelry since she retired as a professional ballerina to begin her family. Seeking a creative outlet after professional dance led her to an unexpected path—Hattie purchased a beginner jewelry-making book from a local craft store and established an immediate connection and passion for artisanal work. "Being self-taught as a jewelry artist has allowed me to cultivate my own unique style without undue outside influence." Hattie's jewelry is on sale in the Longwood Gift Shop as well as other national outlets.
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Cheryl has been actively involved in the flower industry since 1980 and has taught at Morris Arboretum since 1999. Her effervescence, communication skills, and knowledge are a dynamic combo for those who want to learn floral design. Wilks has presented at the Philadelphia Flower Show for the past 30 years, demonstrates at other flower and garden shows around the country, and has designed many weddings and galas. She works as a horticultural therapist (“Flowers on Location”) around the Delaware Valley, teaching flower arranging for wellness and transforming lives. Wilks believes that flower arranging is an activity that nurtures creativity, self-expression, and self-esteem.
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Chad Wlazelek, a graphic designer with a passion for flowers, enjoys bringing two-dimensional inspirations to life with floral design. Chad received his Certificate of Merit in Floral Design from Longwood Gardens in 2012 and continues his design journey with Continuing Education classes at Longwood Gardens.
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Bridget Wosczyna gardens in southeastern Pennsylvania and considers it the epicenter for American horticulture. She came late to horticulture but wasted no time jumping in with both feet. Her first love is and will always be aroids, specifically Arisaema, but she also enjoys growing rare woodland plants as well as Turkish and Greek bulbs in her rock garden. Bridget is a former small garden maintenance business owner but now spends all her spare time (and money) on her personal garden.
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Betty M. Young is a 2012 graduate of Longwood Gardens' Certificate of Merit in Floral Design Program. She is presently the Continuing Education Assistant responsible for flower and foliage processing and material preparation for all Floral Design classes. Retired from the Pharmaceutical Industry of 39 years, Betty is an avid home and community gardener who enjoys floral design and organic vegetable gardening for her family, her friends, and her church.
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Pandora Young is a Senior Gardener in Longwood Garden's Outdoor Eastern Section since 2005, specializing in native plants and caring for a historic arboretum. In her home garden the rules are: it has to be native or edible, ideally both (with the exception of Lily of the valley). She earned a B.A. in Japanese studies, with a minor in Biology from Earlham Collage, IN. Public horticulture combines her passion for art, science, the great outdoors, and connecting with people from all walks of life.
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Peter Zale Ph.D. earned his doctoral degree from The Ohio State University where he studied plant germplasm collection development, breeding, and genetics. As Associate Director, Conservation, Plant Breeding, and Collections at Longwood Gardens he is responsible for curatorial activities, the plant breeding program, the plant exploration program, and the recently initiated plant conservation program. He has published over 30 articles in trade, specialist, and peer-reviewed journals and designed and participated in over 20 plant exploration expeditions throughout the United States, Azerbaijan, China, Japan, Vietnam, Myanmar, and the Republic of Georgia.
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While working on organic farms in Australia and New Zealand, Kevin Zuidervliet found his passion for plants. When he came back to the United States he joined AmeriCorps VISTA and was responsible for running a community garden at Bucknell University to help fight food insecurity in the area. Kevin began his career at Longwood Gardens as a Professional Horticulture student and discovered his interest in growing woody plants. He currently works as a Nursery Horticulturist at Longwood Gardens where he has gained experience with irrigation techniques, growing plants, pruning, in addition to many other unique skills.
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