In this episode we meet Steve Hootman, Executive Director and Curator of the Rhododendron Species Foundation and Botanical Garden, located in Federal Way, Washington. We get a glimpse into the history of this stunning wild garden, we learn how observing Rhododendron in nature provides insights into their cultivation, and we discover that consuming plant knowledge and finding new mountains is an actual career path.
Much like John Muir described in a letter to his sister Sarah in 1873, “The mountains are calling, and I must go, and I will work on while I can, studying incessantly.”