Inevitably, this nod to the Patient Many is the last thing an author writes before submitting a manuscript, and this is intentional. It’s a risky business—the fear of making lists of people causes even veteran writers to quake. None of us lives in a bubble, even if we retire to them occasionally. The balance of our work is influenced by countless people, and this list is a snapshot of those who’ve made this book, and the passion documented herein, possible.
Tom Fischer—the single most patient editor I’ve ever known. Thank you, really.
Benjamin Futa—whose phone call back in September 2011 was the tipping point for a wave of important thoughts that coalesced in this book. Words cannot thank you enough for calling that day, dear friend!
Dan Heims—my sensei and close friend, whose vision and taste for “wow” plants will always inspire me. As the original, self-proclaimed hortiholic, he’s had a great influence on my career, and thus, residually, on this book.
Elvin McDonald and Ken Druse—wise counselors, whose garden writing always seems to be the right thing I need to hear at the right time.
Joseph Tychonievich—my gardening best friend and a tour de force in his own right, for his input, critiques, and general good humor when it comes to listening to me ramble for hours about sundry subjects.
Lindsey Smith-McCartney—my best friend and “family” editor, who often answers phone calls from me that begin with “I need an adjective …”
In addition to the aforementioned, all the modern plantsmen and plantswomen that I look up to in pursuit of plants, whose work motivates me to carry on in this tradition of bringing great plants to the attention of passionate gardeners—Panayoti Kelaidis, Dan Hinkley, Tony Avent, Jim Ault, Stephanie Cohen, Steve and Caroline Bertrand, Roy Diblik, Allen Bush, and so many others noted throughout the text. As another generation of young horticulturists rises in their work, it’s my hope that the knowledge and advancements of the last fifty years carries forward with verve and energy in pursuit of even more great plants for great gardens.
To all my friends, colleagues, and family who at some point listened to me kvetch about this project over the course of its long genesis. I’m sure it got old.
Finally, to the team of passionate people that I have the pleasure of working with every day at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, led by luminary President and CEO Stephanie Jutila. If I weren’t surrounded by such talented and dedicated people, I would surely be less in my profession. A special shout-out to “Botany’s New Boys,” as the New York Times described them—Winston Beck, Tyler Johnson, and Josh Schultes—along with Leslie Hunter and Nenad Tatalovic.