Gardening is a hobby-turned-career for Katie Elzer-Peters, one her parents and grandparents nurtured in her since she could walk. After receiving a bachelor’s of science in public horticulture from Purdue University, Katie completed the Longwood Graduate Program at Longwood Gardens and the University of Delaware, receiving a master’s of science in public garden management.
Katie has served as a horticulturist, head of gardens, educational programs director, development officer, and manager of botanical gardens around the United States, including the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle, Washington; the Indianapolis Zoo in Indianapolis, Indiana; the Marie Selby Botanical Garden in Sarasota, Florida; the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC; Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania; Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library in Greenville, Delaware; the King’s Garden at Fort Ticonderoga in Ticonderoga, New York; and Airlie Gardens in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Whether at a botanical garden, or for a garden center, garden club, or school group, Katie has shared her love of gardening by teaching classes and workshops and writing brochures, articles, gardening website information, and columns. While serving as curator of landscape at Fort Ticonderoga, Katie planned and led garden bus tours along the east coast of the United States and Canada.
Today, Katie lives and gardens with her husband and their dog in the coastal city of Wilmington, North Carolina (zone 8a). She loves the year-round weather for gardening but is in constant battle with the sandy soil. Katie manages GreatGardenSpeakers.com, an online speaker directory of garden, design, ecology, and horticultural speakers. She also owns the Garden of Words, LLC, a marketing and PR firm specializing in garden-industry clients.
Katie is the author of Beginner’s Illustrated Guide to Gardening: Techniques to Help You Get Started, also published by Cool Springs Press.