Interests

• Ecological landscaping
• Designing gardens for beauty and function
• Planting design
• Storm water management
• Edible plant gardens
• Tropical plants and container gardens

About

I am horticulturist and landscape designer holding bachelor and master’s degrees in horticulture, and a Master’s of Landscape Architecture from Cornell University. I entered the horticulture profession because of my love of trees. Over the course of many years, this interest evolved to include terrestrial plants of all kinds – their identification, ecological relationships, beauty, and significance to peoples and cultures around the world. I have worked as a gardener, community educator, horticultural taxonomist, lecturer at Cornell University, and residential landscape designer.

I have traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and Great Britain in search of great gardens and inspiration for design. For the past 18 years, I have held the position of landscape architect for Cornell Botanic Gardens where I design and develop hardscape details and planting plans for new gardens, and work closely with the gardening staff on the selection and placement of plants. Most recently, I completed a conceptual design for a new peony and perennial garden inspired by East Asian landscape and architectural traditions. It will showcase tree and herbaceous peonies growing in association with other complimentary plants native to China, Japan, and Korea. Involvement with this project for several years has fostered in me an increasing appreciation for Japanese culture and aesthetics.

I live in Brooktondale, New York, and enjoy bird watching, vegetable gardening, cooking, and learning about the cuisines of cultures from around the world.