HEATHER HOLM BIO

Heather Holm is a pollinator conservationist and award-winning author of four books: Pollinators of Native Plants, Bees, Wasps, and Common Native Bees of the Eastern United States . Both Bees and Wasps have won multiple book awards including the American Horticultural Society Book Award. She is the founder and chair of Minnesota Native Bees, an online field guide illustrating the native bees of Minnesota and beyond. Heather’s expertise includes the interactions between native pollinators and native plants, and the natural history and biology of native bees and predatory wasps. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune, and many local publications. Heather is also an accomplished photographer and her pollinator photos are frequently featured in print and electronic publications.

You can learn more about Heather at her website pollinatorsnativeplants.com, and check out her Minnesota bee field guide nonprofit at beesmn.org

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.

Discount link for listeners for Woodies in Naturalistic Design presentation on May 18!

SHELBY RADCLIFFE BIO

Shelby Radcliffe is a horticulturist and landscape designer whose work at Emergent Gardens blends art, ecology, and human experience. Raised in Central Florida, her early connection to natural ecosystems and photography shaped the way she observes and imagines space. After years in creative practice and small-business leadership, Shelby trained professionally in public gardens, including Wave Hill Public Garden & Cultural Center in Bronx, NY and the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.

She completed the University of Florida’s Environmental Horticulture Certificate Program, has volunteered with several organizations, and developed a native plant micro-nursery that became the foundation for her evolving, provocative home garden. At Emergent Gardens, her designs seek to balance beauty, function, and resilience for the benefit of living beings—now and into the future.

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.

TIM BOLAND BIO

Tim Boland is the Executive Director of the Polly Hill Arboretum, located on the island of Martha's Vineyard in West Tisbury, Massachusetts. He holds an undergraduate degree in Horticulture and a master's in Botany, Plant Ecology, and Systematics from Michigan State University.

Tim specializes in oaks from all over the world. He is involved in various plant conservation projects to preserve threatened oaks in North America, Europe, and Asia. He is a member of the Board of the International Oak Society (IOS) and chair of the Oak Conservation and Research Committee. He helped develop a special fund that has thus far supported 28 research projects worldwide where oak species are vulnerable to extinction.

In addition, Tim and his conservation partners published a modern flora of Martha’s Vineyard in 2022. He also has expertise in propagating rare North American trees and shrubs. He has been involved in seven seed expeditions, mapping and collecting two species of native North American Stewartia, while also pursuing native azaleas. He is very involved in plant propagation of Martha’s Vineyard endemic plants. Throughout Tim’s career, he has bridged the gap between botany and horticulture and loves teaching aspiring students about the beauty, mystery, and utility of plants. Tim plans to retire this year after twenty-four years leading the development of new infrastructure and programs at the Polly Hill Arboretum. When asked what is next? He jokingly asserts, “I think I’ll get involved with plants!”

To learn more about Tim and the Polly Hill Arboretum, pollyhillarboretum.org.

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.

Discount link for March 23, 2026 Botanic Bootcamp on the Power of Plant Selection.

SHAUN MCCOSHUM'S BIO

Shaun McCoshum is a certified, Senior Ecologist and Wildlife Biologist with over 20 years of experience restoring habitats, conducting research, and gardening. His work includes published scientific papers, books, and copious restoration plans from coast to coast including lands with bison, endangered plants, threatened pollinators, black bears, and mountain lions. His new book explores the pre-European ecology of North America and how habitats existed and explains how we can better mimic processes in our own yards to support habitat. 

Shaun has kindly offered podcast listeners a discount of 30% of his new book! Use the code NHWG30 at the Princeton University Press website.

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.

Subscribe to my curated weekly newsletter plant•ed: meristemhorticulture.com/subscribe.

DR. ALLAN ARMITAGE'S BIO

Dr. Allan M. Armitage is an Emeritus Professor of Horticulture at the University of Georgia, where he served as a faculty member until his retirement in 2014. Internationally recognized as a writer, speaker, educator, and researcher, he is one of the most influential voices in modern horticulture.

Dr. Armitage has authored more than 70 academic research papers, over 500 industry articles, and 17 books that serve as foundational texts, professional references, and trusted companions for gardeners worldwide. His landmark reference Herbaceous Perennial Plants was named one of the best horticulture books of the past 75 years by the American Horticultural Society and is now in its fourth edition. 

His research focused on new crop introduction and evaluation and environmental physiology.He founded and led the highly respected University of Georgia Trial Gardens, a premier testing ground for heat- and humidity-tolerant plants where he released more than 20 plants to the gardening industry, including the iconic Verbena ‘Homestead Purple’ and ‘Margarita’ ornamental sweet potato.

Dr. Armitage has received nearly every major honor in American horticulture, including the Liberty Hyde Bailey Award (American Horticultural Society) – highest lifetime honor and the Scott Medal and Award, another of the most prestigious honors in ornamental horticulture. 

Dr. Armitage remains an in-demand lecturer throughout North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South America, and continues to write, teach, and advocate for practical, joyful gardening.

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!

Subscribe to my newsletter plant•ed: meristemhorticulture.com/subscribe.

RACHEL LINDSAY BIO

As Head of Site Design at Regenerative Design Group, Rachel works principally with organizations and homeowners to create productive, resilient landscapes. She draws from her experiences in organic farming, Latin-American sustainable development, and art to approach design with cultural sensitivity and environmental integrity. Rachel approaches projects of all scales through a soil, carbon, and water conservation lens, looking for opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of design installation while meeting the client’s goals and aesthetic preferences. Her projects encourage people to engage deeply with their local ecosystems and apply holistic and low-stress approaches toward gardening and landscaping. A worker-owner at RDG, Rachel was a member of the steering committee that led the ownership transition process and has been the Treasurer of the Board of Directors since its establishment in 2022.

She holds an MS in Ecological Design from The Conway School and a BA in Anthropology from Wesleyan University. When she isn’t working, she may be found messing around in her garden, cooking with the latest harvest, or hiking with her husband and young daughter.

Learn more about Rachel at Regenerative Design Group.

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!

Learn more about botanicbootcamp.com.

JOHN LITTLE BIO

John Little has been reimagining what urban nature can be since founding the Grass Roof Company in 1998.  Over the past 25+ years, John has designed and built more than 400 small green-roof structures and various other species-rich planting with walls engineered for nesting, hibernation, and year-round habitat.

His nonprofit Care Not Capital pushes for a fundamental shift to redirect funds from one-off capital projects toward ongoing, human-powered stewardship that benefits both biodiversity and communities.

Here are the core ideas John argues for—putting the best gardeners in the poorest places, moving money from capital into care, understanding that gardened places are best for biodiversity and people, moving novel landscapes higher up the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) metric, understanding that a modern public space gardener is much more than a horticulturist, keeping waste on site and using it to make places beautiful and biodiverse, and putting soil and plants on roofs.

You can connect with John on Instagram at @grassroofco and @carenotcapital.

Discount link for Botanic Bootcamp.

MOLLY HENDRY BIO

Molly toggles the worlds of design and plants as both a trained horticulturist and landscape architect. She has stepped out to create her own garden design studio, Roots and Ramblings, where she does design work for folks in the Birmingham, Alabama area and beyond. With this studio, Molly is most interested in the intersection between people and places. She loves designing gardens for "hands in the dirt" gardeners, focusing on how design is not just a masterplan on a piece of paper, but an ongoing dialogue between a person and a place... often with a spade in hand!

Up through July 2023, she was the Associate Director of Gardens Support for the Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens for 5 and a half years. There she was actively involved in the horticultural and design development of the 26 unique gardens that make up Birmingham Botanical Gardens. One of her top honors is that she spent 10 months living in the UK, sinking her hands into the soil at some of the top gardens across the country as the Garden Club of America's 2016–2017 Royal Horticultural Society's Interchange Fellow. You can learn more about Molly by visiting her website Roots and Ramblings and by following her on Instagram @mollshendry.

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!

Discount link for Botanic Bootcamp.

PAM PENICK BIO

Pam Penick is a Texas garden writer, speaker, and advocate for climate-resilient design. She’s the author of Gardens of Texas, Lawn Gone!, and The Water-Saving Garden, and the voice behind Digging, her influential website about gardening in a hot climate. A former landscape designer, Pam now tends her own garden under live oaks in northwest Austin, keeping an eye out for screech owls and foxes but wishing for fewer deer. She also leads Garden Spark, a speaker series that brings bold ideas in design and ecology to the Austin gardening community. For more info, visit Digging at penick.net.

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!

Discount link for upcoming webinar Layer by Layer on Monday September 29 at 6 pm CDT.

LUKE DAHLBERG BIO

With over twenty years of experience in propagating midwestern native plants, Luke Dahlberg turned his passionate backyard hobby into a career. Luke earned his degree majoring in Ornamental Horticulture and a minor in Business from the University of Wisconsin - Platteville. After working in the commercial nursery trade for several years, Luke landed his current position as Conservation Seed Program Manager at Citizens for Conservation, an organization that he started volunteering at in 2004 and became part of the organization's staff in 2018 where he continues CFC's mission of restoring and educating others about the ecosystems of the Chicago area. Collaborating with Lake County Forest Preserves, Luke was able to use their greenhouse to propagate rare native plants and learn from germination trials the best practices to use to reintroduce them into the wild in preserved plant communities. Luke loves to share what he has learned in plant propagation with others through his Instagram page, and had had opportunities to speak at the Wild Things Conference in Chicago, teach native plant propagation classes at The Morton Arboretum, and speak at a TEDx event and posts on the Grassland Restoration Network blog. In his spare time, Luke enjoys photographing birds and wildflowers and spending time with friends and his family.

You can learn more from Luke by visiting his Instagram page @seedtech_luke and Citizens for Conservation at citizensforconservation.org.

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!