Kathryn Voland

I have been a passionate and inspired gardener for over 25 years. My 'laboratory' has been my private garden in Geneva, Illinois, which was recently featured in the book, Midwest Cottage Gardening by Frances Manos. I am a Master Gardener and am employed by a nursery and design firm in Sugar Grove.

Chicago's finest public gardens have provided me with opportunities for learning. I have studied garden design at the Morton Arboretum and the Chicago Botanic Garden. As a volunteer at Millennium Park's Lurie Garden, I am studying Illinois' native plants and Chicago's natural and cultural history.

Melissa Hyams

Garden coaching combines a life of teaching and studying with a love of gardening. As a former professor of geography and high school history teacher, teaching gardening skills and sharing with clients the beauty and delight in gardening is a natural progression for me.

A native of the concrete landscapes of New York City, my informal education as a gardener began in 1993 in my own garden in England and continues in my garden in Illinois. I have a certificate of landscape design from the Department of Horticulture of the College of DuPage. I am employed at a local family nursery and design firm in Sugar Grove.