At Cleveland Botanical Garden, we’re proud to have some of the most respected horticulture experts in the region. What do they all have in common? They are passionate about horticulture and love to share that passion with others. When they’re not sitting in front of their computers blogging, they’re probably busy tending to their “real jobs.” Here’s a look at our team of bloggers. 

Cynthia Druckenbrod
Director of Horticulture & Conservation

As director of horticulture, Cynthia Druckenbrod is responsible for Cleveland Botanical Garden’s ten acres of award-winning outdoor gardens and other plant collections, including the 18,000 square-foot Eleanor Armstrong Smith Glasshouse. Cynthia’s many areas of expertise include orchids, daylilies, home and popular gardening and even insects. Although she’s the director of horticulture, Cynthia is actually an entomologist and began her career in 1993 operating tropical butterfly exhibits. Read Cynthia’s posts.

Ann McCulloh
Curator of Plant Collections

Ann McCulloh relishes nearly every moment of a 15-year career spent caring for plants. As curator of plant collections at the Garden, she is responsible for keeping tabs on the indoor and outdoor collections, monitoring and improving their quality and diversity, and sharing information about them with colleagues and visitors. Given her lifelong love of nature, you may not be surprised to learn that Ann studied horticultural science at The Ohio State University. What you may not know is that she’s just as much of a natural in the kitchen as she is in the garden. She once worked in the world of professional cooking and cake decorating. If you ever have the opportunity to take one of Ann’s guided tours through the Garden, be sure to introduce yourself and say hello. Read Ann’s posts.

Josh Steffen
Hershey Children’s Garden Manager

Josh cultivates the half-acre wonderland that is Hershey Children’s Garden. A lover of broad vistas and intricate flowers, Josh works with diverse theme gardens including pond, woodland, prairie, vegetable and small fruit gardens. Josh’s eclectic horticultural interests include urban greening, home grown organic gardening, gardening tools, historic landscape design and the civic role of public horticultural institutions. Though a trained horticulturist, Josh firmly believes that his grandmother knew more about soil and leaf than he ever will. Read Josh’s posts.

Bob Rensel
Gardener

After 20 years working as a certified public accountant, Bob Rensel started a second career in 2005 as a gardener at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. The lure of working in a paradise-like setting while getting daily exercise was too much to resist. Bob manages the Gateway Garden in front of the building and coordinates the Geis Terrace displays throughout the year. And since the Geis Terrace has an 80-foot pool, Bob has dived into learning about aquatic plants as well. Bob also works with fellow members of The Gardeners of America club on community service projects related to therapeutic garden design and installation. Read Bob’s posts.