Judith M Taylor, a retired Oxford-trained neurologist, now practices history without a license in San Francisco. She has published several books, most recently The Global Migrations of Ornamental Plants: How the World Got into Your Garden (2009). The begonia story is part of a future book on plant breeders and their obsessions.

Dan Heims is the president and guiding spirit behind Terra Nova Nurseries, Inc, a company noted for its new introductions to horticulture, including selections of Heucheras and their kin, Echinacea, Coreopsis, and Pulmonaria. Based in Canby, Oregon, he travels the world to find new plants, lectures widely, and is the author of Heucheras and Heucherellas (Timber Press, 2005).

Pria Graves is a botanical artist who frequently depicts the heirloom fruits and flowers growing in her Palo Alto garden. The large oak she shares with neighbors is alive with birds and squirrels and has given her a first-hand opportunity to observe the oak’s importance in our environment.