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DR. NOEL KINGSBURY BIO

Dr. Noel Kingsbury is internationally known as a writer about plants, gardens, and the environment. Best known for promoting a naturalistic approach to planting design, he has written some 25 books on plants and gardens, four in collaboration with Dutch designer Piet Oudolf. He has also written for Gardens Illustrated, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, The Garden, Hortus, The New York Times, and many other publications.

He does planting design and consultancy, mostly for landscape architects in the public sector, with his main current project being the Queen Elizabeth II Garden in London's Regent's Park, as part of the HTA Landscapes team. He does an increasing amount of teaching and lecturing, and is also available as a garden/planting designer and horticultural consultant for private garden work too.

Research is key to his approach. In the mid-2000s he undertook PhD research with the Landscape Department at the University of Sheffield, into the ecology and behavior of ornamental perennials, followed up with further research into long-term performance, documented at perennialdirectory.org.

He's become increasingly involved in education — his first career was in fact in adult education, and he's passionate about improving how knowledge and skills are communicated within horticulture. He teaches for Learning with Experts. And with Annie Guilfoyle, he runs Garden Masterclass, which has built up a major profile since 2020 as a provider of online education for garden and landscape professionals and keen amateurs. With naturalistic experts, he also runs the popular Naturalistic Planting Design Course for Garden Masterclass.

He's also keen that those interested in gardens and landscape engage with the world beyond the garden walls, and he dabbles in art, society, politics, philosophy, economics, and the wider natural environment.

THE PLANTASTIC PODCAST

The Plantastic Podcast is a monthly podcast created by Dr. Jared Barnes. He's been gardening since he was five years old and now is an award-winning professor of horticulture at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX. To say hi and find the show notes, visit theplantasticpodcast.com.

You can learn more about how Dr. Jared cultivates plants, minds, and life at meristemhorticulture.com. He also shares thoughts and cutting-edge plant research each week in his newsletter plant•ed, and you can sign up at meristemhorticulture.com/subscribe. Until next time, #keepgrowing!

HAVEN KIERS BIO

Haven Kiers is an associate professor of landscape architecture at UC Davis. She received a BA from Brown University and an MLA from UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on urban/suburban landscape projects and their design effectiveness at both the practical (construction and maintenance) and psychological (aesthetic and therapeutic) levels. Through studies that investigate the intersection of reconciliation ecology and aesthetics, her work examines the environmental benefits, technological progress, and level of cultural acceptance of sustainable design. She explores the idea that ecological concepts such as xeriscaping and biodiversity can also be viewed as amenities – concepts that aesthetically enhance the landscape while simultaneously promoting sustainability and engaging the community. Her research explores three, often contradictory, aspects of landscape design: (1) the potential to change long-engrained conceptions of what sustainable design looks like, (2) the creation of aesthetically pleasing, drought tolerant habitats for plants and wildlife, and (3) the maintenance required to keep urban landscapes engaging and ecologically productive.

You can learn more about Haven from her Keeping Up guide, her UC Davis faculty page, her website sheepmowers.org, and her Instagram @ucdavis_sheepmowers.

THE PLANTASTIC PODCAST

The Plantastic Podcast is a monthly podcast created by Dr. Jared Barnes. He's been gardening since he was five years old and now is an award-winning professor of horticulture at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX. To say hi and find the show notes, visit theplantasticpodcast.com.

You can learn more about how Dr. Jared cultivates plants, minds, and life at meristemhorticulture.com. He also shares thoughts and cutting-edge plant research each week in his newsletter plant•ed, and you can sign up at meristemhorticulture.com/subscribe. Until next time, #keepgrowing!

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JEFF EPPING BIO

Jeff's passion for plants and gardening is reflected in his 35-year career as an award-winning horticulturist and garden designer. During his 28 years as Director of Horticulture at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, he transformed a lawn-laden landscape into a nationally acclaimed public garden, known for its artistic and innovative, plant-driven designs and ecologically sound gardening techniques. Alongside that role, he also ran his own design and consulting business for 25 years and continues to do so today. Epping Design & Consulting specializes in eco-conscious gardening guidance and designs for projects ranging from small private gardens to large public landscapes and expansive business campuses.

Jeff shares his expertise through classes, workshops, tours, and lectures. His insightful writing has been featured in leading gardening publications like Fine Gardening, Martha Stewart Living and Better Homes and Gardens, and his work has been recognized by The New York Times and The Washington Post, among others. Beyond print, he's also contributed to radio, television, online videos, and podcasts. He has received prestigious awards from both the American Public Gardens Association and the Perennial Plant Association, honoring his significant contributions to horticulture.

Jeff's new book, published by Timber Press, entitled The Gravel Garden: Visionary, Drought-Defying, Naturalistic Designs, is available now from bookstores.

You can learn more about Jeff by visiting his website jeffepping.com.

THE PLANTASTIC PODCAST

The Plantastic Podcast is a monthly podcast created by Dr. Jared Barnes. He's been gardening since he was five years old and now is an award-winning professor of horticulture at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX. To say hi and find the show notes, visit theplantasticpodcast.com.

You can learn more about how Dr. Jared cultivates plants, minds, and life at meristemhorticulture.com. He also shares thoughts and cutting-edge plant research each week in his newsletter plant•ed, and you can sign up at meristemhorticulture.com/subscribe. Until next time, #keepgrowing!