Kirk Ryan Brown, Lehigh Valley native and Parkland Garden Club member, received the “Exceptional Horticulturist Award 2023” from the Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania recently, in recognition of his experience, education and the sharing of his knowledge of horticulture.

His great-grandmother Annie Jones introduced him to gardening when he was 4-years-old.

Brown has gone on to become an award winning gardener, author, public speaker and dramatist.

He has taught the National Garden Club’s Landscape Design School for 25 years.

He was the recipient of Pennsylvania Nursery and Landscape Association Green Achiever Award, for advancing horticulture in Pennsylvania.

His personal garden in Orefield was recognized with a design award from the International Perennial Plant Association and an Excellence in Landscape Design Award by the Pennsylvania Landscape and Nursery Association.

The gardens he designed for Asbury United Methodist Church, have been recognized with a Pennsylvania Green Award by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and the Pennsylvania Green Commission.

Brown has served as a judge of major exhibits for the Philadelphia Flower Show, Penn Allied Nursery Show and the Allentown Flower Show.

His articles have appeared in Homestyle and Gardening, American Nurseryman, Green Scene, From the Ground Up, Pleasure of Gardening, to name a few.

Local newspapers including the Parkland Press and the East Penn Press have printed his articles.

In 2021, Brown was named to the Hall of Fame for International Garden Communicators.

He has delivered hundreds of keynote addresses, guest lectures, teaching symposia and certified instructions.

Brown has traveled the country and internationally to give live impersonations of historic horticulturists and international dignitaries such as John Bartram, Carl Linnaeus, Mark Catesby, Peter Kalm, Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Law Olmsted.

He has entertained and educated audiences of business owners, garden clubs and history lovers with his energetic, passionate, horticulture related presentations.

Brown has given multiple hands-on container planting classes with Gayle Ganser at Eagle Point Farm Nursery, Trexlertown.

He also presented a container planting workshop for Parkland Garden Club members while there.

On Jan. 26, he gave a talk, in character as Frederick Law Olmstead, at the 2024 Winter Conference “The Evolution of Landscaping” hosted by Planted Earth landscaping company.

This year, he will be teaching National Garden Club’s Landscape Design School I and IV, Gardening School, Environmental School and will be leading a native plant symposium to be held in Maryland.