JACK MCCOY BIO

Jack McCoy designs residential and commercial landscapes in Knoxville, the Southeast United States, and beyond through his practice, Jack McCoy Garden Design Company. His work reflects a deep understanding of plants, shaped by global experiences in some of the world's most renowned gardens.

Jack's horticultural journey began in landscape construction as a teenager, followed by earning an Undergraduate Degree in landscape design and construction from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville in 2012. He furthered his design education at Inchbald School of Design in London, UK, where he received a Postgraduate Garden Design Degree.

In 2016, Jack volunteered at Great Dixter, the iconic garden of Christopher Lloyd and then returned as the Christopher Lloyd North American Scholar which is supported by Chanticleer Garden in Pennsylvania to train under head gardener Fergus Garrett. This marked the start of a transformative time at both Great Dixter and Chanticleer where he refined his design skills and plant knowledge.

Jack then received a fellowship at The Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, managing Israel’s rare and endangered plant species. He credits this experience with deepening his understanding of plant ecology and survival. To expand his propagation expertise, Jack worked at Plant Delights Nursery in Raleigh, North Carolina, known for its rare and unique perennials.

In 2022, Jack returned to Knoxville to focus on garden and landscape design, drawing from his diverse experiences to create gardens that are both beautiful and enduring.

You can learn more about Jack on Instagram at @jackmccoygardendesign, where he shares updates on his projects.

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!

Grow your gardening skills with Dr, Jared's Botanic Bootcamp! 

SHANNON CURREY BIO

Shannon Currey is a horticultural educator with Izel Native Plants. After starting a career in social science research and education, she transitioned to horticulture in 2003, training in horticultural science and landscape design at North Carolina State University. She worked short stints at a local landscape design firm and at Niche Gardens, a pioneering native plant nursery in North Carolina. In 2007 Shannon joined Hoffman Nursery, a wholesale grower specializing in grasses, sedges, and other graminoids where over the next 15 years she developed a deep understanding of these specialized plants.

In 2022, Shannon joined Izel Native Plants, an online retailer for native plants, to expand their education and outreach efforts. Since joining Izel, her ongoing interest in native perennials has blossomed, as she researches, writes, and talks about their role in managed landscapes. A sought-after speaker, Shannon has shared her knowledge in nationally published articles and traveled throughout the country speaking to professional organizations, community groups, and at public gardens.

Shannon enjoys being involved with plants at a broader level and served on the Boards of the Perennial Plant Association and the Perennial Plant Foundation. She currently serves on the North Carolina Plant Conservation Program Scientific Committee, the Advisory Committee for the University of Georgia’s Landscape Architecture Short Course, and the Legislative Committee of the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association (NCNLA). She was recognized by NCNLA in 2021 with the Libby Wilder Award for her contributions to the North Carolina plant industry.

Shannon lives in Durham, North Carolina and finds inspiration exploring the native flora in natural areas and cultivated gardens wherever her travels take her. You can learn more about Shannon on the Izel Plants blog, on Instagram @sscurrey, and LinkedIn.

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!

Grow your gardening skills with Dr, Jared's Botanic Bootcamp! 

BEN O'BRIEN BIO

Ben O'Brien is the owner of Wild by Design, a naturalistic garden design business in Prince Edward County in Ontario that specializes in artfully crafted, richly planted, lovingly tended gardens. For the past decade Ben's passion for plants has informed a wide range of projects, from small town gardens to large rural properties and urban public spaces. Ben's trial garden research explores innovative ways to create beautiful, biodiverse and resilient designed plant communities. 

Ben has presented a webinar specifically focused on his trials for Garden Masterclass (UK), and appeared on their popular "Thursday Garden Chat" interview series. He has been a speaker for horticultural societies and professional landscape audiences across Ontario, and has written articles for the Ecological Landscape Alliance, the American Society of Landscape Architects' Professional Practice blog and Ground Magazine, published by the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects. You can learn more about Ben by visiting his instagram Wild by Design and his website Wild by Design, where he has multiple resources about grit gardening and the plant list.

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!

BOTANIC BOOTCAMP

Grow your gardening skills with Dr, Jared's Botanic Bootcamp! 

LUCY BELLAMY BIO

Lucy Bellamy spent five years as editor of Gardens Illustrated magazine, during which she grew its print and digital readership to over 50,000—its highest level ever. In 2018, she won the British Society of Magazine Editors Editor of the Year award and has written three books.  Her most recent book A Year in Bloom is an illustrated insider’s guide to the best flowering bulbs for beautiful garden plantings throughout the year.  She showcases a wide-ranging selection of more than 150 bulbs, each presented with informative text, expert planting advice, and striking photography by Jason Ingram.

She has also authored Brilliant and Wild (winner of the Garden Media Guild Practical Book of the Year, 2018) and Grow 5: Simple seasonal ideas for small outdoor spaces with just five plants.

Lucy was the founding editor of Modern Gardens magazine and writes about gardening for national publications such as The Guardian and The Sunday Times. She lives in Bristol with her partner, multi-award-winning garden photographer Jason Ingram. You can learn more about Lucy and A Year in Bloom from her Instagram page and her Substack Garden and House.

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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BOTANIC BOOTCAMP

Grow your gardening skills with Dr, Jared's Botanic Bootcamp! 

LIS MEYER BIO

This month’s episode of The Plantastic Podcast is Lis Meyer, a senior lecturer in the Dept. of Horticultural Science at NC State, where she has taught for the past 14 years. She currently teaches several courses in Plant Propagation, her favorite horticultural topic! As a native of North Carolina, she is grateful for the opportunity to pursue her passion for teaching at the best university in her home state.

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!

PATRICK CULLINA BIO

Patrick Cullina is an award-winning horticulturist, landscape designer, photographer, lecturer, and organizational consultant with more than twenty-five years of experience in the landscape field. He runs a design and consulting business that is dedicated to the innovative and sensitive integration of plants and materials into a diverse range of compelling designs, drawing inspiration from the both the natural world and constructed environments alike.

Previously, he was the founding Vice President of Horticulture and Park Operations for New York City's High Line; the VP of Horticulture, Operations & Science Research at Brooklyn Botanic Garden; and the Associate Director of The Rutgers University Gardens in affiliation with the school's Department of Landscape Architecture.

Throughout his career, he has served as a consultant and advisor to an array of public and private clients and projects and has lectured throughout the U.S. and abroad for universities, public gardens, garden clubs, horticultural organizations, museums, libraries and professional organizations on the subjects of plants, living environments, horticulture, landscape design, landscape maintenance and the urban experience.
His consulting work provides services to a host of private, municipal, corporate and conservancy clients and to a number of leading landscape architecture and architecture firms. His work in horticulture has been recognized by organizations like the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Garden Club of America (Zone Horticultural Commendation, 2010), and the Garden Club of New Jersey (Gold Medal, 2005).

You can learn more about Patrick Cullina through his website and on Instagram @pjctwo.

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!

ERIN PRESLEY BIO

A lifelong Wisconsin girl, Erin Presley grew up in the rural center of the state and has a bachelor’s degree in Horticulture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has worked as a boots-on-the-ground gardener for more than two decades, both in the private sector and as a horticulturist at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison since 2014. Her interests include native woodland plantings, sedges, low-maintenance and drought-tolerant gardening styles, recycling woody debris, and all things related to herbs, vegetables, and cooking. In addition to teaching at Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Erin loves talking plants and collaborating with herb societies, master gardeners, and local community organizations. Never shy when it comes to sharing the joy of gardening, she has appeared on the nationally syndicated podcast Cultivating Place and Wisconsin Public Radio’s Garden Talk and is a contributor publications such as Fine Gardening and Edible Madison. Learn more about Erin by visiting her Instagram @presleyspreferredplants, listening to her interview on Cultivating Place, interviews on Garden Talk with Larry Meiller, the PBS presentation with Rita Peters, and visit Olbrich Botanical Gardens

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! 

GARY LEWIS BIO

Gary Lewis has had a life-long interest in plants and gardening. His retail and mail order nursery, Phoenix Perennials, located in Richmond, BC, offers more than 5000 different plants. Gary authored The Complete Book of Ground Covers: 4000 Plants that Reduce Maintenance, Control Erosion, and Beautify the Landscape and has written for various garden magazines including Fine Gardening and has been a frequent guest on local and regional radio and television stations in British Columbia. He speaks regularly to garden clubs around BC and the Pacific Northwest and has presented at conferences across North America. In 2013 he was selected as Communicator of the Year by the BC Landscape and Nursery Association and in 2014 as one of Canada’s Top 10 Horticultural Professionals under 40 by Greenhouse Canada magazine. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Perennial Plant Association and is a committee member of Great Plant Picks.

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!

POLLY NICHOLSON BIO

Specialist flower grower and tulip expert, Polly Nicholson is the owner of Bayntun Flowers in Wiltshire – growers of organic flowers cultivated in walled gardens and a one-acre field at the foot of the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire. Nicholson holds the National Collection of Tulipa (Historic) with Plant Heritage, and has been featured on BBC Gardener’s World, Radio 4, in Gardens Illustrated, Country Life, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, The World of Interiors, and House & Garden.  Learn more about Polly through her book The Tulip Garden, her Instagram @bayntunflowers, and her website Bayntun Flowers.

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!

PRESTON MONTAGUE BIO

Preston Montague is a landscape architect and artist working to strengthen relationships between people and the natural world. His eponymous studio focuses on creating a flow between the arts, horticulture, and landscape architecture in the pursuit of building places that have meaning and ecological depth. When not in the studio, Preston enjoys teaching landscape architecture at North Carolina A&T University and hiking the wilder places. You can connect with Preston Montague via his website, Instagram, or LinkedIn.  Learn more about Polly through her book The Tulip Garden, her Instagram @baintonflowers, and website Bayntun Flowers provide more information about her work.

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!