Meet the Pro Horts

Class of 2026

Portrait of person with long blond hair, wearing a lacy white top, smiling at the camera.

Rachael Adams

Rachael developed a passion for horticulture in high school, where she spent time researching plants and working at a local nursery. After pursuing a degree in Communications, she realized her true calling was in horticulture. Gaining hands-on experience at a fruit-and-vegetable and peony farm, she experimented with growing her own dahlias. Now, she seeks to deepen her knowledge through Longwood Gardens’ Professional Horticulture Program, excited about the immersive learning experience and the opportunity to grow her skills.

Portrait of person with very short reddish-brown hair and broad smile, wearing a black and white checkered shirt.

Travis Cox

Travis has been passionate about growing and designing with plants for as long as he can remember. At age 13, he became the youngest Master Gardener in his home state of Louisiana. He graduated from Cornell University in 2024 with a degree in Plant Sciences before arriving at Longwood, where he hopes to refine his horticulture skills and develop lifelong friendships along the way.

Portrait of smiling person with thick curly light brown hair parted down the middle, wearing a blue and red and white-striped short-sleeved top.

Melanie De La Cruz

Melanie's love for horticulture bloomed during summers with her family in the Dominican Republic. After college, she discovered her passion for urban gardening and community building. She spent the past year running a plant store in Philadelphia, and now looks forward to broadening her horizons through the Professional Horticulture program.

Portrait of smiling person with ear-length black hair, wearing glasses and a collar shirt with large black and lime green stripes.

Samuel Diaz

Samuel first entered Longwood Gardens as an employee in the garden shop, and then transitioned to assistant grower in the production greenhouse. Through the work he did and the people he met, Samuel became interested in the Professional Horticulture program. Samuel strives to gain an education in horticulture, as well as getting hands on in the many divisions of Longwood Gardens.

Portrait of person with shoulder-length curly brown hair and light beard, head tilted slightly to viewer's left, wearing white shirt and pendant.

Joshua Ferris

Joshua graduated from Lockhaven University in 2022 with a degree in environmental and international studies. His love for horticulture grew while doing restoration work in California, Alaska, and Alabama. Joshua joined the Professional Horticulture program because of his love for the environment and his desire to deepen his connection to it.

Portrait of person with short black hair and ruddy complexion, wearing glasses and a bright blue polo shirt.

Matthew Fleischhacker

Matthew grew up in Chugiak, Alaska, gardening since he could remember. Each year Matthew tried to expand his knowledge and garden space. Beyond the gardens, Matthew enjoys a wide variety of hobbies including pottery, playing the cello, downhill skiing, hiking, playing tennis, and photography. Matthew is blessed to be a part of the Professional Horticulture program and is excited about his future.

Portrait of smiling person with short blond-brown hair, wearing a dark green Longwood Gardens t-shirt.

Micah High

Micah developed his love for the outdoors and horticulture throughout his career by working at a landscaping design company, a nursery, and hobby gardening. He graduated high school from Quakertown Christian School in 2024 and is excited to continue his learning here at Longwood.

Portrait of person with wavy brown ear-length hair, wearing glasses and a dark blue shirt, head tilted slightly upward.

Logan Kline

Logan graduated from Penn State University last December with a degree in biology. He has had an interest in horticulture since his first year in college due to his grandparents’ affection for gardening and has worked in non-profit regenerative agriculture prior to the program. He hopes this program will refine his career trajectory in horticulture.

Portrait of smiling person with medium-toned skin and long black hair parted down the middle, wearing a dark green Longwood Gardens t-shirt.

Lauryn McMiller

Lauryn’s interest in plants began with a love for the outdoors and gardening as a child. After completing the Highlands Mountains Biodiversity Field Site as an Environmental Science major at UNC-Chapel Hill, she decided to pursue horticulture as a career. She then spent time in media and marketing at a North Carolina plant nursery. She hopes to emerge with new skills and the mastery it takes to be a plant professional.

Portrait of person with long brown hair smiling at the camera.

Ellie Schlehr

Ellie began her horticultural journey working in the nursery of her hometown garden center. While completing her degree in biology, she spent time working at the Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens. In her free time, Ellie volunteers with wildlife organizations and is excited to continue to connect people with nature here at Longwood Gardens.

Class of 2025

Portrait of a person with a ruddy complexion, an open smile, and short brown hair, wearing a silver chain and light blue tee shirt.

Tyler Brown

Tyler developed his love for Horticulture at Mutschler’s Rare Plants, where he became passionate about bonsai and orchids. He interned at the Penn State University Arboretum last summer and graduated from PSU in December 2022. He then interned at Chanticleer Garden where his interest in public horticulture was piqued. At Longwood, he hopes to become a well-rounded horticulturist.

Portrait of a light-skinned person with an open smile and long blond hair pulled into a ponytail worn over one shoulder, and wearing a light blue and white horizontally striped shirt.

Mary Featherstone

Before starting at Longwood, Mary graduated with a degree in Horticulture from Clemson University. It was a plant ID and systematics class there that pushed her to pursue horticulture as a career. Through school, she worked at the South Carolina Botanical Garden and spent summers working at the Highlands Botanical Garden in North Carolina and Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny, France. Mary’s passion for gardening started at a young age—thinking now it was more than mere coincidence, she won her elementary school’s golden shovel award for her dedication to the garden club.

Portrait of brown-skinned person with closed smile, closely cropped black hair, and a light blue collared shirt worn open over a solid dark tee shirt.

Yasir Hall

Of the many languages I speak, I am most fluent in Horticulture. I am nurturing the Garden one planting at a time.

Portrait of a light-skinned person with long blond hair, an open smile, and wearing jeans overalls over a white shirt.

Maggie Lavery

Maggie spent the summer of 2022 interning at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in CO and this past summer she worked with the garden crew at Glacier National Park, MT. She is excited to continue her journey as a Pro Hort student at Longwood.

Portrait of a person with light skin and hair pulled back into a long thick braid worn over one shoulder, with an open smile, and wearing eyeglasses and a dark blue tee shirt picturing six small plants in pots, each pot a different color of the rainbow.

Katie Overman

Katie recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Horticulture from New Mexico State University. She has previously interned at the Denver Botanic Gardens and Cleveland Botanical Gardens.

Portrait of a light-skinned person with short dark hair and mustache, wearing a light blue shirt opened in a vee over a dark tee shirt.

Joseph Reynolds

Joseph has been a hobby gardener his whole life. He has recently changed careers from technology consulting to gardening full time. Joseph designed and renovated homes and plans to take his eye for design into the garden.

Portrait of a light-skinned person with shoulder-length dark brown hair and an open smile, wearing a tank top with yellow horizontal stripes, a necklace, and partially revealing a tattoo on the left upper arm.

Lily Turovsky

Before coming to Longwood’s Professional Horticulture program, Lily worked as a private gardener, designed floral arrangements for weddings designs and everyday use, collaborated with various fine-gardening crews, and farmed on both organic vegetable and flower farms. With a background in sociology and time spent living in upstate New York and Western Massachusetts, she hopes to bring her passion for beautiful and ecologically minded landscapes as well as a positive attitude to all that she does. Lily’s focuses are hands-on horticulture and floral arts.