Experience

Botany Agency

2018 - Present

Vancouver, BC

Owner & Operator

Design and build botanical installations and interior landscapes of varying complexity and size using live, preserved, and artificial plant materials

Manage and oversee all aspects of Botany Agency’s operations from client relations and staffing, to project design, installation, and plant maintenance

Provide consultations to clients and designers in early project stages, allowing them to achieve designs that seamlessly integrate interior landscaping

Consult and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams of designers, fabricators, and other trades experts to achieve distinctive botanical installations

Increase Botany Agency’s portfolio, completing over 20 projects since inception in 2018 with a high level of quality and client satisfaction

ByNature

2015 - 2018

Vancouver, BC

General Manager

Proficient subject matter expert for all things plant-related and acted as the company’s internal resource for all plant related queries

Demonstrated adept and thorough knowledge of interior landscaping, managing the design and execution of the company’s largest projects, including the landscaping for the Botanist Restaurant

Elevated the level of care and quality of plant maintenance and oversaw the expansion of the company’s plant maintenance portfolio

Developed production techniques for preserved plant material, culminating in the development of successful new product lines

UBC Botanical Garden & Centre For Plant Research

2011 - 2013

Vancouver, BC

Horticulturist

Cultivated and maintained scientifically valuable botanical collections with a high degree of care

Worked alongside the curatorial team within each area of the UBC Botanical Garden, including the Nitobe Japanese Memorial Garden

Oversaw the renovation of the David C. Lam Asian Garden’s bamboo collection and the introduction of 12 additional bamboo species

Quebec Centre for Expertise in Ornamental Horticulture (IQDHO)

2009 - 2011

Saint-Hyacinthe, QC

HORTIDATA Database Assistant & Research Assistant

Sourced and recorded content for the HORTIDATA Ornamental Horticulture Production Database, then the largest database of curated horticultural knowledge in the world

Assisted in horticultural research and laboratory work in partnership with Université Laval and the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food Systems (MAPAQ)

Conducted field work and completed entomological identification at the Phyto-Protection Diagnostics Laboratory of the MAPAQ

Knowledge

Institute of Agri-Food Technology

2013 - 2014 &

2008 - 2010

Saint-Hyacinthe, QC

Agro-Environmental Horticulture Production Technologies

Three-year program with a specialization in Ornamental Horticulture

Second year project: Bamboos in Quebec: Horticultural Potential and Propagation Trials

End-of-studies capstone project: In-Vitro Culture Inoculation and Micropropagation of Bamboos

Other plant obsessions

Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture

Research and Development of New Commercial Crops for British Columbia

I am interested in the research and development of agricultural crops that are traditionally imported, yet have the potential for sustainable, commercially viable cultivation in British Columbia. Among the crops with potential, two into which I have begun preliminary work are: the tea Camellia, and cold-tolerant Citrus varieties.

Tea Camellia: I have been successfully cultivating the tea Camellia since 2013 and processing the yearly harvest into green tea since 2016. To my knowledge, there is currently only one small-scale commercial tea plantation in British Columbia, located in the Cowichan Valley.

Cold-tolerant Citrus: I have been cultivating cold-tolerant Citrus varieties since 2017. In 2020 I began writing a review of literature and a document that, once complete, will outline the rationale for funding research and field trials in British Columbia. To my knowledge, there is currently only one outdoor demonstration orchard of cold-tolerant Citrus in British Columbia, located in North Saanich.

The Bamboos

Exploring the Ornamental Potential of Bamboo in Quebec

My interest in bamboo began in 2006, when I first learned of cold-tolerant bamboo species that had the potential to survive the harsh Quebec winters. I acquired a first specimen that year which offered encouraging results by surviving its first winter. Over the ensuing years I continued to research, and with help from the Montreal Botanical Garden, acquired a total of 34 bamboo species with the potential for high cold-tolerance. Much to the disbelief of my horticulture professors and many industry specialists, I succeeded in establishing a recommended list of 14 cold-hardy bamboo species suitable for growing in Quebec.

International Collaborations, Promotion of Bamboo Research, and the Dissemination of Knowledge

From 2012 to 2014, I held the role of President of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the American Bamboo Society. Within this position, I presided over the allocation and distribution of funds to support international conservation and research. Additionally, I regularly travelled throughout the Pacific Northwest region and participated in events to share knowledge and promote the use of bamboos amongst the general population.

In 2013, I organized the importation of 18 bamboo species into Canada, many of which are now featured within the UBC Botanical Garden & Centre for Plant Research.

In 2016, I attended the Third Edition of the Mexican Bamboo Congress. During this event, I had a chance to learn about research that I helped fund, broadened my international connections in this industry, and acquired new knowledge on the manufacturing of bamboo wood products.