January Speaker Meeting Riz Reyes

"Revisiting Old and Discovering New Perennial Favorites: A new chapter in Heronswood Garden.

Join us as we welcome horticulturist, Riz Reyes, for an update on the famed Heronswood Garden. The former garden of plant explorer, Dan Hinkley, learn about the exciting plants that the garden made famous and the direction the garden is growing (now being owned and operated by the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe). Heronswood is one of the few, if not only, botanical gardens owned and operated by a native indigenous tribe. Riz will discuss their efforts in preserving the gardens, acquiring the perennial plants the garden introduced and making the gardens more accessible to the general public. 

Riz's Bio: 

Rizaniño (Riz) Reyes is a horticulturalist, speaker, and educator. Growing up in the Philippines, Riz spent his childhood on a fruit plantation managed by his father before moving to the Pacific Northwest at age seven. After arriving in the United States, Riz learned the names of the new and strange flowers and continued to nurture his love of horticulture. He sought out every opportunity to learn everything he could about the field of horticulture and earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Environmental Horticulture and Urban Forestry from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA. Riz also travels both near and far in search of extraordinary garden plants. He continues to expend his garden whether it's from a neighbor's garden or collected in the wild overseas; from a local neighborhood plant swap to the world's greatest flower show, explore and to learn about not only the cool plants he encounters, but also the fascinating people he's met over the years that have influenced and inspired his broad plant palette. Riz currently serves as the Assistant Director of Heronswood Garden in Kingston, WA where he seeks to inspire the gardening community with its plant collections and charismatic landscapes, to educate them on the connections between plants and people, to encourage them to protect plants and their natural habitats, and to appreciate the great diversity of plants and the people who care for them.  Riz has also published a children’s non-fiction book released in March 2022 titled Grow: A family guide to plants and how to grow them in the hope of inspiring the next generation of gardeners.