Cultivating Place

“Ecological restoration is no longer a nicety, it’s a necessity,” proclaims the Blackland Collaborative, a group working to help alter cities so that they are biodiverse and inclusive, and helping heal human communities while restoring vulnerable species. Bridging science and design, the Collaborative brings people and nature home; and they believe in humans’ capacity to improve and protect. John Hart Asher is a co-founder and senior environmental designer with the Blackland Collaborative. And he understands cultivating place well as a process of constantly practicing the art of becoming a cultivator. As we continue this month’s focus on ecological horticulture as it is practiced across the country, we welcome John Hart to the program this week. His work is currently featured in two new ecological-minded books: The Gardens of Texas, by Pam Penick, and Gardenista’s delicious and catalyzing newest title, The Low Impact Garden, by Kendra Wilson, photographed by Caitlin Atkinson. John Hart has over 13 years of