Rick Darke, President of RICK DARKE LLC, is a widely published author, photographer, lecturer and consultant focused on regional landscape design, planning, conservation, and enhancement. Blending art, ecology, and cultural geography, Darke is dedicated to the design and stewardship of the livable landscape. He has studied and photographed North American plants in their habitats for over 30 years, and this work is reflected in his articles and books including The American Woodland Garden: Capturing the Spirit of the Deciduous Forest.
A broadly knowledgeable horticulturist, Darke has traveled in both hemispheres, exploring diverse ecologies and cultural landscapes in search of ideas to enrich the global garden. He is an internationally recognized authority on the use of grasses in designed and managed landscapes and his book, The Encyclopedia of Grasses for Livable Landscapes is the world's most complete individual reference on this topic. The Wild Garden: Expanded Edition places William Robinson's classic concept of wild gardening in modern ecological context and illustrates its relevance for today's gardeners and landscape stewards. Darke's own garden, made with Melinda Zoehrer, his wife and co-horticulturist, comprises 1.5 acres in the rolling piedmont of Landenberg, Pennsylvania, and features locally native and adapted plants and regional relics.
John Elsley: From the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, England, to the halls of Geo. Park Seed Company and Wayside Gardens South Carolina, to Beaver Creek and Song Sparrow Nurseries in the Midwest, John Elsley has had an exceptional career covering every aspect of horticulture. He is once again at Wayside where he had developed and introduced new plants and served as general editor of The Wayside Gardens Collection, an eight-volume series on home gardening. He also worked with English rose breeder David Austin which led to the first line of “English Roses” in North America. He has lectured far and wide and appeared on segments of NBC’s “Today Show” and WOR Radio’s “Garden Hotline” in New York.
Richie Steffen is the curator for the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden where he manages the rare plant collections and heads acquisition of new plants for the garden. By using both natives and exotics and blending elements of American, Japanese and British gardening influences the botanical garden follows in the tradition of Elisabeth Carey Miller in establishing a premier garden representing a classic Northwest style of garden design. Many plants are trialed for their regional suitability and garden use. Being an avid gardener, Richie constantly experiments with plants and growing conditions to learning ways to become a better gardener and how to use our natural resources in an efficient manner.
Gretchen H. Carnaby was raised in a gardening family. Advanced degree in biology. Owned and operated Perennial Designs since 1983. One time board member of the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon. Co-founder and project coordinator for The Friends of Bush Gardens (formed to preserve and enhance the gardens in Bush's Pasture Park in partnership with the City of Salem Parks). Cofounder and member of the Salem Hardy Plant Society. Her concern for the environment has led her in the direction of habitat restoration and an ecological perspective in her own design work.
In addition, Gretchen is a founding member of the Lord & Schryver Conservancy whose mission is to preserve and interpret the legacy of Lord & Schryver to promote a greater understanding of their contribution to northwest landscape architecture. She is currently Rehabilitation Director for the preservation of the Lord and Schryver gardens at the Historic Deepwood Estate in Salem.
Sadafumi (Sada) Uchiyama, the Garden Curator of the Portland Japanese Garden, is a third-generation Japanese gardener. His family has been involved in gardening since 1909 in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. His training started at a very early age, first under his grandfather, father, and uncles, and later with his older brother. Since his arrival in the US in 1988, Sada received his Bachelor and Master in landscape architecture from the University of Illinois, graduating with high honors.
A traditional apprenticeship in Japanese gardening combined with the formal training in Western landscape architecture has allowed Sada to design and build a unique and wide range of private and public landscape projects. Two of his representative projects include the renovation of Osaka Garden (the Japanese Government exhibition site at the 1893 Columbia Exposition) at Jackson Park in Chicago and the renovation of Shofu-en Garden at Denver Botanic Gardens.
Prior to becoming the Garden's Curator, Sada taught landscape design courses at Clackamas Community College and lectured on Japanese gardening at both Mt. Hood and Portland Community Colleges. Since the beginning of its publication, he has contributed to the Journal of Japanese Gardening. His writings have also appeared in Inspired House and locally in Oregon Home. He served as a secretary of the International Association of Japanese Gardens (1996–2000). Most recently, Sada was invited to speak at the 5th International Symposium on Japanese Gardens in Tokyo, September 2007.
Kate Gessert is a Master Gardener and an instructor at Lane Community College in Eugene, OR. In 1987 Storey Publishing published her book The Beautiful Food Garden.