Margaret Roach, Copake Falls, NY

“Gardening offers a lens into all dimensions of science, not just botany, but also geology, ornithology, entomology, and on and on. It is a brilliant teacher. It also leaves no doubt who is in charge (hint: not you).”

Thirty years ago, journalist Margaret Roach began gardening on a steep 2.3-acre site in the rolling Taconic Mountains. She has been sharing her wide-ranging curiosity and growth as a gardener and naturalist ever since, leading the way out-of-doors for many Americans. In her inspiring green universe, A Way to Garden, which includes her award-winning public radio show, podcast, website, and books, Margaret explains, “I’m all about the horticultural how-to and ‘woo-woo.’” Just like Open Days! Featured on Open Days since 1998, Margaret’s garden is impossibly chic, lovingly tended, and alight with life and ideas year round. She considers what her plant choices do visually (she loves plants with great foliage) both within the garden and from her house (important in climates like the Northeast). She also selects plants for wildlife interest and their impact on her garden as a habit, and grows most of her own food. She always says “no to chemicals and yes to great plants.”