WITH A PASSION for plants that began in his teen years, Dr. Peter Zale earned degrees in horticulture and plant breeding and genetics. He works as Associate Director, Conservation, Plant Breeding and Collections at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pa.
SCOTT BEUERLEIN: You became interested in horticulture at a young age.
PETER ZALE: When I was freshman in high school near Cleveland, we had a leaf collection identification project as a lesson in taxonomy. The teacher gave us a simple key of trees in the area, and we had to assemble 20 herbarium specimens. But, if you found certain rare species, you got extra credit. I’d always loved collecting things, so I became obsessed with looking for these extra-credit trees. I ended up with a lot of extra credit!
After the project ended, I started going to nurseries and planting things in my mom’s yard, and realized I wanted to be involved with plants in some capacity for the rest of my life.
SB: You told me you asked for an Acer palmatum dissectum ‘Viridis’ Japanese maple for your 16th birthday.
PZ: Yeah, that was quite a tree, and I was pretty excited by that. I wish I still had it!
SB: Your horticulture degree is from Ohio State.
I started
