Mary-Kate Mackey is an award-winning garden writer and co-author of Sunset’s Secret Gardens—153 Design Ideas from the Pros. She is a contributor to The Sunset Western Garden Book and Sunset’s Gardening in the Northwest. Her 100+ articles have appeared in national and regional publications such as Fine Gardening, Horticulture, and Sunset. Online she writes a monthly column for the U.S. Hartley-Botanic Greenhouse website.

Nancy Carol Carter researches horticultural history and has published in California Garden, Eden, Journal of San Diego History, and Pacific Horticulture, on numerous topics including horticulturist Kate O. Sessions, the olive industry, and the development of Balboa Park. She is an Associate Editor at California Garden, where her regular column, “Roots,” profiles people important to horticultural development in Southern California.

Forrest Campbell is a landscape contractor throughout the metropolitan Seattle area. He is a 2010 graduate of Edmonds Community College with an Associate of Technical Arts Degree in Horticulture-Landscape Management with a Certificate in Ornamental Horticulture. Forrest is a member of several horticulture societies including Northwest Horticulture Society, is a docent at the Seattle Japanese Garden, and enjoys visiting public and private gardens throughout the Pacific Northwest and Canada.

Katy Reedy is a Seattle area gardener, writer, and educator.

Designer, chef, and craftsman, Warwick Hubber is principal of Garden Artisan, a full-service design/build firm in the San Juan Islands in Washington.

Christina Dauenhauer is a landscape designer, artist, and Grounds Manager at Esalen Institute.

Beth Mullins specializes in residential garden design. She graduated from University of Pennsylvania with a post-doctorate in Biochemistry and has completed her Masters equivalent in Landscape Architecture from UC Berkeley Extension. Beth’s designs have been recognized in landscape publications and received awards from the California Licensed Contractors Association, and the San Francisco Flower and Garden show. Her favorite color is texture. www.Growsgreen.com

Rafael Schneider loves endemic Swiss orchids. He has a degree in Environment Engineering from Zurich University of Applied Science, is a leading researcher in orchid preservation, and has engaged others in his work to discover everything he can to ensure their survival. Rafael has received numerous grants to further his research, taken many students under his wing, and spoken internationally on the topic. An infectious smile and funny-man jokes lighten his many hours spent with a microscope.