DANIEL J. HINKLEY rose to fame in the plant world through his plant-collecting expeditions, which brought numerous beguiling introductions to the trade, and through Heronswood, the Seattle-area destination and mail-order nursery that he developed throughout the 1990s. Today he and his husband, Robert Jones, garden at Windcliff, whose story and plants Dan chronicles in his latest book, while nearby Heronswood operates as a public garden.
SCOTT BEUERLEIN: How did you get started in horticulture?
DAN HINKLEY: From the earliest I can remember, I was fascinated by seeds. I can remember sowing gourd seeds, taking orange seeds from my mom’s kitchen and sowing those and watching them germinate, and just watching those cotyledons coming out of the ground. That was just something that thrilled me beyond compare. And I’m happy to say I have that same feeling when I watch the soil lift in a pot and you know something is happening. I’ve never gotten over that.
I was the family vegetable gardener growing up. And then I went on to Michigan State for horticulture, much to my parent’s disappointment. They didn’t think I was going to launch, I can tell you that much! Then I went on to teach in the secondary system of vocational horticulture before I moved out to the West Coast and got my Masters.
But I was never that person you would say was completely obsessed with plants. I’ll tell you the truth, I’m still not that person. And there’s a certain part of me that is okay with that. I’m never going to be that person who is always plants, all of the time. I know that you know people like that, and I’m glad they exist, because I can learn from them, but I’m not one of those people.
SB: But you are all but universally considered one of the world’s top plant experts. If you’re not obsessed with plants, how?
Well, I think a lot of it is due to myth. (Laughs) A lot of it has to do with people saying that I am and then it gets repeated. I’m not trying to be overly modest, but my botanical abilities are much overstated. Maybe the reason that I’m often put in that position is that I was able to communicate to a certain degree
