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.

Nate Tschaenn
Glasshouse Specialist

As the glasshouse specialist of the Costa Rica exhibit, Nate is an expert in tropical plant care. He is responsible for maintaining and developing a diverse collection of plants from the New World tropics, including the garden’s orchid collection. Nate’s areas of special interest include epiphytes, gesneriads, and odd aroids. A former manager of the perennial department at a retail nursery, he also has a fondness for herbaceous plants.  Read Nate’s posts

Renata Brown
Associate Director of Education

As Associate Director of Education, Renata Brown is responsible for the hundreds of school groups visiting the Garden yearly, and the development and implementation of teacher professional development workshops. She assisted in the planning and facilitating of a 10-day teacher workshop that traveled to Costa Rica to study biodiversity.
Brown holds a B.A. in Biology from the University of Toledo and an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Bradley University, in Peoria, Illinois. She is also certified to teach grades 7-12 science, and has been active in informal science education since 1993.
A native Clevelander, Renata Brown gladly returned home in 2004 after a 15 year absence and was named the Garden’s Clara DeMallie Sherwin Chair in Education in December 2004. In her own gardens Renata prefers natives and perennials over annuals any day, and is particularly in love with purple coneflower. Read Renata’s posts

Joseph D. Mehalik
Glasshouse Specialist

 Joe started working for the Cleveland Botanical Garden in 2001 as an outside grounds intern. In 2002 he was assigned to grow and maintain new plants as they arrived from Madagascar and Costa Rica during the construction of the Eleanor Armstrong Smith Glasshouse. Once the Glasshouse was in operation, his main responsibilities were caring for the plants and animals in the Costa Rica biome. Joe currently maintains the Madagascar biome, the interior plant collection, and an off-site greenhouse for the outdoor grounds tropical plant collection. He is a member of the Midwest Cactus and Succulent Society and also is in his fourth year of collaborating with the Cleveland Institute of Art, creating botanical plant plates that had their first showing in the Guren Gallery this January.

Joe’s background includes the green industry in retail plant sales for a local nursery, residential landscape design, and retail pet trade including tropical fish, reptiles and amphibians, and ponds.
Read Joe’s posts

Mark Bir
Horticulturist

When he joined the Garden staff in 2009, Mark Bir brought with him fresh perspective and a wealth of horticultural experience, including 10 years at Holden Arboretum. His special expertise is in growing and caring for rhododendrons, azaleas and plants that thrive in shade garden settings. At the Garden, Mark is responsible for the demonstration gardens, White Oak Walk, the lawns and assisting with the Island Bed. He has a BS degree in biology from Cleveland State University.