Gardens have the power to draw us in. They help alleviate ailments of the body, mind and spirit, foster our aspirations, and inspire us. And they do this in profoundly personal ways. View this episode of Verdant Views, for a talk with staff horticulturist Mitja Stragapede about his personal odyssey with gardens and their transformative power.

From the enchantment of spying insects and plucking grapes in a small family garden plot in his native Italy, to curating the Martha Young Flower Garden, Mitja will share how his experience of hortophilia– in Oliver Sacks’ words, “the desire to interact with, manage and tend nature” – integrates his love of gardens as cultural craft with a passion for wild nature.

“Gardens are nature condensed, perceived and reworked, enhanced even, through the prism of culture,” says Mitja. “To some, gardening is returning to, maintaining or refining culture. To others it is a clear reminder, arousing our imagination and spurring us back to nature in its most unbridled and exuberant form.”

Join us for a journey highlighting the woven fabric of nature, gardens, and cultures.