Lydia Plunk is a Southern-California writer admired for her enthusiastic observations focusing on her great passion: the glory of garden-centered living. She is an FIDM graduate and the former city of Diamond Bar Commissioner as well as a member of Garden Writers Association, Southern California Horticulture Society, and the Pasadena Writer’s Salon. Since 1995 Lydia’s words on authentic beauty have graced newspapers, magazines and new media. Her graphic-driven professional collection is presented at www.lydiaplunk.com.  Her blog, www.averygoodlife.blogspot.com is frequently updated.

Ansel Oommen is a freelance writer, calligrapher, and urban forager in New York City. His work has been featured in a variety of venues including First Things, Yahoo News, EcoMalaysia, and the Gardeners’ Gazette, among others. As a multimedia artist, he first combined his passion for horticulture with visual design after learning about the works of Axel Erlandson, Richard Reames, and Peter Cook.

Mary Gutierrez is a technical writer and editor in Seattle. She was the editor of Northwest Garden News for over 10 years and is assistant editor of Pacific Horticulture.

Janet Endsley is the Seminar and Social Media manager for the Northwest Flower & Garden Show.

Bob Hornback has long been a contributor to Pacific Horticulture, having written about topics as diverse as Luther Burbank, cannabis, the Gardens of Wonderland, and man-eating plants, among many others. He teaches botany and horticulture at campuses around California’s North Bay Area and is a popular speaker at garden clubs throughout the state. In his spare time, Bob runs Muchas Grasses, his company that specializes in plant brokerage, consultation and design with ornamental grasses. Bob shares a small storybook cottage with his devoted cat, Davy, out in the redwoods near the mythical hamlet of Occidental.

John A. Wott, Ph.D. was a founding faculty member of the Center for Urban Horticulture, University of Washington, and is Director Emeritus, University of Washington Botanic Garden and Washington Park Arboretum.  He has a passion for public horticulture and plant propagation.  His degrees are from Ohio State University (1961) and Cornell University (1966, 1968).

Becky Wheeler has tasted more than 300 varieties of fruit. Her popular website draws visitors from more than 150 countries to read her reviews. Her first book, Fruit is Fabulous: An Alphabet Book (Amazon Kindle, 2012), is aimed at the next generation of fruit lovers. When she isn’t hunting down her 45th variety of apple or her first mandarinquat, Becky freelances for produce companies as she works on a series of children’s books inspired by fruit.

Robin Stockwell has worked in nurseries from the age of twelve. Today, his three-acre nursery Succulent Gardens the Growing Grounds, in Castroville, California, is designed to both educate and inspire gardeners about the landscape and design potential of succulent plants. With almost forty years of experience, Robin is a succulent plant expert whose work has been recognized and widely featured in the media. He encourages gardeners to explore gardening with succulents, which he characterizes as the conservationists of the plant world.