Rick Darke

Rick Darke is a landscape design consultant, author, lecturer, and photographer based in Pennsylvania who blends art, ecology, and cultural geography in the creation and conservation of livable landscapes. His projects include scenic byways, public gardens, corporate and collegiate campuses, mixed-use conservation developments, and residential gardens. Darke served on the staff of Longwood Gardens for twenty years, and in 1998 he received the Scientific Award of the American Horticultural Society. His work has been featured in the New York Times and on National Public Radio. Darke has studied North American plants in their habitats for over three decades, and his research and lectures have taken him to Africa, Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Chile, Japan, New Zealand, and northern Europe. His books include The Encyclopedia of Grasses for Livable Landscapes (2007), The American Woodland Garden (2002), and In Harmony with Nature: Lessons from the Arts & Crafts Garden (2000). For further information visit www.rickdarke.com.

You may also be interested in the author's own Web site, www.RickDarke.com.

Awards for Rick Darke

  • American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta Professional Citation
  • American Horticultural Society Horticultural Writing Award
  • American Horticultural Society Scientific Award
  • Perennial Plant Association Garden Media Award

Upcoming events for Rick Darke

  • March 13: Winterthur Bank to Bend lecture

    Rick Darke will present "The Wild Garden in the 21st Century." (time: 11 a.m.; location: Winterthur Museum and Country Estate, Winterthur, Delaware; contact: Chris Strand, 800-448-3883, cstran@winterthur.org)

  • April 10: Rick Darke at Allen Public Library

    Rick will give a special lecture on "Livable Landscapes Through the Lens." (location: 300 N Allen Dr., Allen, Texas; contact: 214-509-4900)

  • April 17: Cape Cod Horticultural Conference

    Rick Darke will give a talk on "The New Wild Garden: Dynamic, Livable, Ecological." (location: Barnstable High School Performing Arts Center, Hyannis, Massachusetts; contact: 508-375-6690)

  • April 17: Rick Darke at the Henry Schmieder Arboretum

    Rick Darke will present "Elements of Creative Gardening: Experience, Observation, and Imagination." (time: 7:30 p.m.; location: Delaware Valley College, Doylestown, Pennsylvania; contact: Barbara Muse, barbara.muse@delval.edu)