Holly Zipp began her tenure at the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden as an intern in July of 2009. On one of her first days there she walked the terraced 3-acre gardens with curator Richie Steffen. She followed her new boss in stunned amazement as he pulled out foxglove, crocosmia, and evening primrose, all in full bloom. The two began to laugh and a bond was quickly formed.

Just two Julys earlier, in 2007, Zipp was in the midst of another internship in a very different garden: Great Dixter in England. Under the tutelage of master showman Fergus Garrett, she was learning about the adventurous use of color in bold showy borders. She quickly learned the Miller garden had a decidedly different aesthetic, based heavily on woody plants. Color use was understated, showiness eschewed…