This week, in continuing celebration of Black History Month and looking forward to Women’s History month, CP Guest Host Abra Lee is in conversation with Wambui Ippolito.
Abra writes: For those of you who aren’t all that familiar with Wambui, you are in for a treat today! I am able to interview her from such a lovely and unique perspective. To me, she isn’t just a leader, horticulture extraordinaire, and visionary. She is a beautiful poet, she is a designer and most importantly for me, she is my sister and friend.
Wambui is also an award-winning landscape designer, lecturer, and
horticulturist in both commercial and residential landscape design. She is known for pouring her heart and soul into her work and truly living life actively and not as a bystander.
From childhood, she has been heavily influenced by Kenya's Great Rift Valley, its wide vistas and spatial organization that really shine in her work—work which spans from Africa to New York, NY to Richmond, VA. I can't wait to share the Wambui I know and love with the Cultivating Place community, Lets jump in!
In 2021, Wambui’s garden design “Etherea”, based on a reimagining of her native African grasslands, won best in show at the Philadelphia Flower Show and that same year Veranda Magazine named her one of the top “11 revolutionary women landscape designers and architects everyone should know.”
Wambui’s journey was one we at Cultivating Place knew would be such a beautiful story for you as our listeners to hear and we are so grateful to her for sharing her story, her experiences, and her love for gardening with us today.
Follow along with Wambui Online:
And on Instagram:
All Photos courtesy of Wambui Ippolito, all rights reserved.
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JOIN US again next week, when guest host Ben Futa kicks off Women's History Month - and the front edge of spring, in conversation with Minnesota-based gardener Margaret Funk, also known online as Flora & Frost. Margaret's ethos brilliantly combines gardening, science, and a lot of laughter ... That's right here, next week. Listen in!
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supporting initiatives that empower women and help preserve the planet through the intersection of environmental advocacy, social justice, and creativity.
Thinking out loud this week...
Hey, y'all, it's Abra-
My take away this week from my conversation with Wambui is to really take stock in the place you have been planted to grow. For Wambui that was East Africa, that was France and that was GLOBALLY.
But as she has told us today, we can grow right where we are planted, even if it's in good ole Atlanta Georgia in my case.
I have had so much fun hearing about the horticulture, the gardening, and the robust life Wambui has lived in all these different places across the globe, and I hope you have enjoyed it too!
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