Janet Draper is a ‘plant evangelist’
Horticulturist Janet Draper of the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden is profiled in the June issue of Horticulture magazine. She discusses her career as a self-described “plant geek” and explains how the lifelong friends and mentors who provided guidance along the way have inspired her to look at her work as “an opportunity to give back.”
Draper uses an international palette of plants in the Ripley garden, including the unusual, such as the spiny Naranjillo and voodoo lilies, as well as more familiar plants that can withstand the heat and humidity of Washington, D.C., summers.
Although the garden was severely damaged by the crowds who thronged the National Mall for the Obama inauguration, it has surged into full bloom, demonstrating the resilience and restorative power of the natural world.
Draper was the subject of an “On the Job” profile in the November 2006 issue of The Torch.
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Posted: 7 May 2009
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Walking thru the Ripley Garden is the perfect antidote to working in the Ripley Center.
And Janet is as nice as she is creative with her use of plant materials. Anne
When I told my local nursery proprietors that I sometimes chat with Janet in the Ripley garden, the response has been, “That’s like an audience with the Pope!”
♥ Janet!! ♥ The Ripley Garden!!