Support Us
2021 Spring Garden Conference
Seeds of Sanity

Thank you to all of our speakers, vendors and participants! We had a fantastic two days filled with knowledgeable speakers and great botanical themed entertainment. We are working on uploading the recordings and will email those to participants as soon as they are ready.

meet our 2021 speakers

Emily Becker

Emily Becker is President of the Alaska Master Gardeners Anchorage and a founder of the Alaska School Garden Network. She lives and gardens in Anchorage’s Airport Heights neighborhood.

will criner, Gail Hoefler & DR. MARILYN BARKER

Will Criner is ABG's  Garden and Facilities Manager. This 2021 season will be his 9th at ABG. Will went to Murray State University were he earned a BSA in Horticulture. He has worked in many different aspects of Horticulture for the past 16 years, from florist to farm. Will enjoys spending his free time on a bike or on skis. You can find will outside anytime of year!

Gail first stepped foot in the Alaska Botanical Garden in 1992, shortly after relocating to Anchorage from the East Coast.  While filling various roles over the many years, happily, her involvement continues to this day.  A lifelong gardener and a plant scientist by education, Gail is excited to work alongside the staff to develop, establish and nurture ABG’s Meconopsis Collection.  

Marilyn taught botany classes at the University of Alaska Anchorage and at Anchorage Community College. She is well-known for her classes on mosses and lichens, and on spring wildflowers- which she still teaches, for the Alaska Botanical Garden, in May. She is a founding member of the Alaska Native Plant Society and continues to speak and lead field trips for members throughout Alaska.

Gina Dionne

Gina Dionne has been growing fresh, organic food in an urban setting for over 20 years. She specializes in container and indoor gardens and has grown everything from bountiful chef gardens on her back deck to fresh herbs and juicy tomatoes right in her kitchen.

SASKIA ESSLINGER

Saskia Esslinger is a certified Permaculture Designer and Teacher residing in Homer, Alaska. Through her business, Teach Gardening, she has taught over 500 people how to grow more food with less work. A lifelong Alaskan, Saskia grew up in Anchorage eating garden veggies and wild game. She believes in the transformational effect gardens can have on people and the planet, and she is doing her part to cultivate a garden revolution.

tORI gINGRAS, aRT nASH AND dEsHANA yORK

Tori Gingras has been with Assistive Technology of Alaska (ATLA), a non-profit organization helping enhance Alaskans' quality of life through assistive technology for over 10 years.
Art Nash, for nearly a decade, has provided education for Alaskan residents around accessible modifications informed by Universal Design. He is the statewide Associate Professor/Energy Specialist at University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension.
DeShana York, AgrAbility Director, has worked in various outreach positions at the University of Alaska for two decades. Currently she is working on a variety of special projects at University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service connecting Alaskans' with resources across several disciplines.

DEBBIE HINCHEY

Debbie Hinchey has been a professional gardener since 1974 that is always learning something new.  She has an Interdisciplinary Master of Science in Horticulture and has been a professional gardener since 1974.  She's always learning something new. 

claire kaufman

Claire Kaufman is the owner of Boreal Bioscapes, a garden/landscape design and maintenance firm in Anchorage. She is a Master Gardener and has instructed University-level courses in environmental and soil sciences. Claire has gardened for as long as she can remember and loves experimenting with new plants and design techniques.

JESSICA THOMPSON

Jessica is a new gardener and microbrew enthusiast. She put her passion into play this year by starting a hop garden in her backyard! She learned a lot along the way this year with her first hop garden which contained 6 hop varieties and is excited to share her experiences.

ELLEN VANDE VISSE

Known in some parts as the Compost Queen, Ellen obsesses over all things decaying and rotten. In her advancing age she’s also quite keen on compost short-cuts like cover crops and compost tea.
Rumor has it that she has become crazy about microbes AND seen taking deep dives into soil, making her a ground nut, or most certainly a dirty nerdy.

cYNDIE WARBELOW

Cyndie has operated and sold two greenhouse nursery businesses in and around Fairbanks. She now does garden design consulting and just finished a book on perennial garden design, Northern Garden Symphony, being published by UA Press and coming out in May 2021.
We know two days of Zoom workshops will be a lot for everyone! We've got some fun entertainment intermingled between each of our speakers to give everyone a brain break!
If you would like to join us in making some cocktails during our "social hour" have a look at the recipes included here and have your simple syrup already prepared and your ingredients on hand. It's going to be delicious!
Patrick Ryan is an Education Specialist at the Alaska Botanical Garden and an Alaskan Master Gardener. Patrick will be providing live music and entertainment during the Conference!
Lindsay Clark is a member of the Alaska Botanical Garden’s horticulture team. Over the years, Lindsay has worked in organic agriculture, food justice, floral design, and goat husbandry.  She moonlights (winterlights?) as Coddle & Cosset, making treats out of the seed paste of Theobroma cacao, a tropical evergreen in the Malvaceae family.  Prepare yourselves for a chocolate mystery!
Matt Iverson has worked in the wine & spirits world for over a decade, from winemaking in the Willamette Valley to spearheading Crush Bistro's highly-regarded cocktail program. Bringing his background in wine/spirits and wild edibles together for events like this is just about his favorite thing in the whole wide world.  Cocktails and mocktails are in our future!

Check out the VENDORS AT THIS YEAR'S CONFERENCE

Anchorage Waterways Council- mission is to protect, restore, and enhance the waterways, wetlands, and associated uplands of Anchorage- https://www.facebook.com/anchoragewaterways/
Brie’s Botanical Garden Tours- offering guided tours of ABG- https://www.briestours.com/
Don Roller Studios, LLC- Fine art - original oil paintings, notecards and crane mobiles.  Conference special:  Spring Conference attendees buying 2 or more original paintings, receive 25% discount off price- https://donrollerstudios.com/
Hatcher Pass Dahlias- specializing in dahlia tubers and stems- https://www.facebook.com/hatcherpassdahlias/
Homework Helpers LLC- tele-tutoring services that can help children K-12 with academic support and concepts- www.homeworkhelperak.com
Opa’s Garden-  180 peony plants for sale- www.opasgarden.com
Simply Susan- manually plasma cut and welded garden art- https://www.facebook.com/SimplySusanInAK
Soul Sisters Basketree- handmade baskets and instructional classes- 907soulsistersbasketree@gmail.com
Tall Trees- Tree  Health Care: Tree Removal, Pruning, Stump Grinding, Planting, Soil Injections, and Spruce Bark Beetle Spray, Firewood, Holiday Lighting- talltreesalaska@yahoo.com