JOE SEALS holds a degree in Environmental Horticulture. He worked his way through retail and wholesale nurseries, as a manager and grower, as well as in landscape design and landscape contracting, then detoured through the corporate gardening book and magazine world, and eventually ended up in the international seed and plant industry as a director in product development, marketing, and sales.

Teaching — off and on — started 40 years ago, with stints at UCLA and adult programs at two other colleges, training of Master Gardeners in three states, and, most recently, the offering up of occasional fun classes within city parks & recreation programs for adults and children.

In addition to client designs he’s done in the varied geographical areas, he’s created his own gardens where he’s lived in California, Wisconsin, Illinois, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Washington. He currently lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Gardening, of course, has been a passion of his for over 60 years.

Aaron Anderson is a PhD candidate in the Garden Ecology Lab at Oregon State University, and is broadly interested in how ecological function can be incorporated into urban and suburban landscapes. After dabbling in entomology, restoration ecology, and biological control, he became interested in studying urban systems. Aaron is fascinated by native beneficial insect conservation, especially in understanding how these species use urban green spaces as habitat to better inform how we manage these landscapes.

Jennifer is a California licensed Landscape Architect and educator with over 20 years professional experience. Her qualifications include being a LEED Accredited Professional, ReScape CA Qualified Professional and Rater, and Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper.  She grew up in Southern California but earned her BLA in Landscape Architecture from Oklahoma State University. Jennifer is self-employed; she enjoys a wide mix of projects from landscape architectural design work to consulting and public speaking.

Jennifer worked as the Director of Education for a non-profit organization, setting the direction and developing the curriculum for horticultural education programs.  She also developed and taught courses at the college level for the University of Berkeley Extension Landscape Architecture certificate program. When Jennifer goes “pencils down”, she is an avid knitter, yarn dyer, and gardener with an inexplicable fondness for bearded irises. She lives in Oakland, CA with her beloved husband and 3 exceptional cats.

Krystle Hickman is a TEDx Speaker, Artist, Community Scientist, and Photographer based in Los Angeles, California. Through artful photography, Krystle strives to increase awareness of the decline in native bee species as well as highlight their biodiverse ecosystems. Her photography has been featured in The LA Times, children’s books, and scientific journals.

Krystle works with gardens like the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Arlington Garden, regularly photographing and documenting their native habitats. She also collects data on rare bee species in the Mojave Desert, Joshua Tree, Anza-Borrego, the Santa Monica Mountains, yards with native gardens, and more.

Hillary Maurer is a Horticulturist with Portland Parks & Recreation.

Jeff Lowenfels (Lord of the Roots), is one of the most humorous and entertaining lecturers and writers on the organic gardening circuit. He is a reformed lawyer who went back to his childhood roots to become a leader in the organic gardening movement. He is the author of a series of award-winning and bestselling books, three of which have become bibles for organic growers worldwide, including Teaming with Microbes, Teaming with Nutrients, \Teaming with Fungi., and Teaming with Bacteria Lowenfels has also penned the longest running garden column in North America and was inducted into the Garden Writers of America hall of fame after serving as President. He is the founder of “Plant A Row for The Hungry,” a program which has resulted in millions of pounds of garden produce being donated to feed the hungry every year. He lives in Anchorage Alaska, where cannabis has been legal since 1975. www.Jefflowenfels.com

Sean Henry, Research Technician/Media & AV Support at Bartlett Tree Experts, works out of the Bartlett Tree Research Lab.

E. Thomas Smiley, Ph.D., Plant Physiologist & Soil Scientist at Bartlett Tree Experts, works out of the Bartlett Tree Research Lab.

Annette Huddle is Director of Education at the Gardens of Golden Gate Park, comprised of San Francisco Botanical Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers and the Japanese Tea Garden. She has spent the last 25 years responsible for youth, family, and teacher programs at San Francisco Botanical Garden.

Photo credit: Katja Bresch