Our Team
Winnie Creason
HORTICULTURAL HERO
Winnie’s varied career has taken her from Google to Children’s Fairyland, but no matter whether she’s in the boardroom or the greenhouse, she’s always felt the pull of the outdoors and gardening. She’s also worked for a local landscape contractor and architect and volunteered in the Oakland-Based Urban Garden Programs. Winnie knows plants intimately, can speak fluently with computers and robots, and wants to take your garden to the next level. She studied environmental science at the University of Virginia and holds a degree in Landscape Design and Construction from Merritt College and is a Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper. If she’s not making garden magic, you’ll find Winnie cooking heirloom beans, pumping iron, and exploring the West in her camper van.
Phoebe Barkan
PLANT WHISPERER
Phoebe has been experimenting in gardens ever since she could open a packet of seeds. After working in a Spanish olive orchard and a blueberry farm in the Pacific Northwest, she returned to the Bay Area to teach gardening to middle schoolers in Berkeley. She loves connecting people to the potential of their landscapes, and caring for gardens as they evolve with the seasons. Phoebe studied studio art and environmental science at Skidmore College and holds a degree in Landscape Architecture from Merritt College. She’s a member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers and is a ReScape certified professional. When not at work, you’ll find Phoebe baking, biking with her daughter and husband, and teaching her old dog new tricks.
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Ezra Arao
GARDENER/ASSOCIATE DESIGNER
Ezra is a Bay Area transplant from Brooklyn, New York. She has a range of experience working on organic and biodynamic farms, urban gardens, and design/build firms in and around New York City. With certificates in horticulture and landscape design, Ezra wants to create spaces that are both beautiful and biodiverse. In her free time, she loves sleeping in.
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Georgina
CHIEF DIGGING OFFICER
Georgina has been working in Northern California gardens since 2013. She has a fondness for ornamental grasses, zucchini leaves, and local fauna like pigeons and squirrels. Georgina excels at digging holes, catching balls, and enjoying garden life. Her dream garden is full of really slow squirrels.
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Joel Llorens
GARDENER
Joel brings enthusiasm and positivity to everything he does. Joel moved to California from the Bronx, New York to pursue a culinary career. After many years working as a chef, he discovered the magic of gardening in the Bay Area. Joel cares deeply about people, gardens, and the environment. He is a ReScape certified professional member. When he isn’t out in the garden, Joel can be found hanging out with his three dogs and wife.
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Rachel McQueen
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Rachel is a licensed landscape architect with experience in both the private and public sectors and has worked on a wide variety of project types and scales – from tactical urban installations to schoolyards, plazas to private gardens. Community service, youth mentoring and design justice advocacy efforts enhance Rachel’s professional life. In her free time Rachel can be found biking around the bay area, chicken farming, and hanging with her husband and pooch, Reggie.
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Tuan Nguyen
Tuan Nguyen, a native San Franciscan, loves collecting tropical plants, rare plants and recreating/restoring habitats. His passion to connect people with their local environment has taken him into the political consultation, environmental non-profit organization and fine garden design fields. Tuan’s favorite gardens include tropical/palm gardens, living wall installments, water/rock gardens, succulent and xeriscapes. The adventure continues with curating and maintaining gardens with Plant Stars. Whether it’s installing new plants or maintaining existing garden designs, he looks to inspire clients and the public to “live green”. There is magic everywhere and when the Plant Stars align, he creates “living art” with his colleagues!