A passionate life-long horticulturist, Paul Gellatly joined the Toronto Botanical Garden as the new Director of Horticulture on March 9, 2020. Previously, Paul was the Curatorial Gardener for one of Canada’s largest tropical plant collections at the Toronto Zoo.

He also worked on the zoo’s pollinator meadows and revitalization plan to control invasive plants in the core woods while proactively reintroducing native ephemeral, and understory trees.

Many online garden lovers may know Paul through his  strong online presence as the Tattooed Gardener, with social media posts reaching 7 million people per month.

He is an avid plant collector of rare and unusual plants in addition to being an experienced hybridizer of daylilies, with 18 registrations with the American Hemerocallis Society.

Paul was previously a gardener at the City of Toronto which provided him with a great deal of exposure to the plant species that thrive in our geographical area and allowed him to develop his knowledge and skills.

Conrad Richter is president of Richters Herbs in Goodwood, Ontario.

He has been involved with Richters since its inception in 1967 when he was still a child, helping in the greenhouses and in the fields after school and on weekends.

His interest in herbs took flight when he helped his father prepare the first Richters herb catalogue in 1970. He has worked on every Richters catalogue since.

Through his efforts many herbs new to gardeners in North America have been introduced for the first time. Conrad is responsible for the introduction of famous Richters varieties such as Orange Spice™ Thyme and Profusion® Chives.

Conrad has a Master of Science degree in botany from the University of Toronto.

Ben is a fourth-generation gardener, food-entrepreneur and occasional gardening media personality.

Ben is a graduate of the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus where he completed a Diploma in Agriculture.

After working in agriculture, Ben headed east where a Bachelor of Commerce from Dalhousie University in Halifax eventually led him into the food industry.

Ben’s most recent endeavours have been the launch of a book with his father, Escape to Reality: How the world is changing gardening, and gardening is changing the world (Nimbus Publishing, 2018) and Cullen’s Foods, a food business which seeks to connect consumers more directly with farmers.

You can find Ben and his Dad Mark every Saturday in the New Homes and Condos section of the Toronto Star. 

Ingrid Janssen is a horticulturist, speaker, blogger and master gardener. She has been gardening for most of her life and is a passionate, some would say “crazy gardener”.

She is an inspirational speaker who has appeared on Rogers TV Durham and has spoken at Canada Blooms several times.

She has both ornamental and food production gardens on her country property and has been a dedicated native plant enthusiast for over 30 years.

Ingrid received her Horticulturist Diploma from the University of Guelph and is an active member of several horticultural and plant societies. She has been a member of the Durham Master Gardeners since 2012.

Karen has been with the Durham Master Gardeners since 2011 and has a Certificate in Horticulture from the University of Guelph. Her passion for gardening began early.

She grew up on a farm in southwestern Ontario where she learned how to grow, harvest and preserve a large variety of fruits and vegetables. She has carried this tradition on in her own gardens, growing many heirloom vegetables and a wide assortment of herbs.

In the last number of years, her focus has expanded into the area of naturalized gardens and a love of native plants. She has become increasingly aware of how essential it is to provide habitat for birds and pollinators in an urban setting.

As a master gardener, Karen has enjoyed the opportunity to help new and experienced gardeners learn how to grow their own food and create pollinator friendly gardens.

Gini Sage has over 30 years of gardening experience in urban and country settings. She graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry, and earned a diploma in Landscape Design from the University of Guelph.

Gini is an active Master Gardener, volunteering with Master Gardeners of Ontario for over fifteen years, as well as being a member of several local garden societies.

Her primary interests are expanding the use of native plants in the urban landscape, incorporation of vegetables and herbs in ornamental gardens and the development of creative solutions for landscape problems.

 Pam (Love) Clarke has been an active member of the Durham Master Gardeners for over 14 years, and has served on the Board of the Master Gardeners of Ontario Inc.

Pam has a Horticultural Certificate from the University of Guelph and describes herself as a “generalist” gardener.

Following a long banking career, Pam gained practical gardening experience operating her own gardening services business until 2014. Now Pam concentrates on sharing her gardening knowledge and finding ways to enjoy and make her garden easy to manage.

Cori has been with Durham Master Gardeners since 2013, and has loved gardening and caring for nature and the environment since childhood.

After a career in teaching she is enjoying spending her days outside volunteering and working at a stable, farm and native plants nursery

A Master Gardener in training, Kelly is completing her educational component of the program at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

Kelly is presently gardening in a new subdivision in Durham and has lots of practical experience to share.