Wes Dempsey is Emeritus Professor of Biology from California State University, Chico, where he taught for 44 years. He is an active advisor to the City of Chico on tree management in Bidwell Park, and he helped to develop the extensive 2nd and 3rd editions of the Campus Trees Map and Guide for the CSU Chico Arboretum. Currently referred to as the Arboretum Field Director, Wes regularly leads tours through the arboretum. His discussions are full of ideas for the home gardener on how to choose the right tree for your space as well as how to take care of the trees you have.

I first met Wes when I attended one of these tours late last fall. At 81, he deftly rode his bike to the tour and happily walked the group of 15 or so attendees around the campus grounds for more than two hours talking about the many different trees - handing us leaves and seeds pods, discussing how to plant, how to propagate, what to expect from and how to take care of each tree as we went; he took the time to explain tangential pieces of information, for instance why 2007 was such a good – or “mast” - year for acorns. But that’s another story.

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I grew up in a small Colorado community in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at about 8,000 feet above sea level. Ponderosa Pine and Aspen forests, as well as high altitude grass meadows surrounded us. My mother was a professional gardener – not an easy endeavor at that altitude - and an accomplished florist. My father is a wildlife biologist. My sisters and I spent a lot of time helping in the garden and listening to plant and animal names and histories.

I have always loved to garden. I designed my first little garden – an herb garden – in my mother’s much larger fruit, vegetable and perennial garden. And I have always loved to write. I received my undergraduate degree in literature from Harvard University in Boston and went on to work as an arts and literature editor and writer. I wrote my first garden article profiling a local garden for a small community newspaper in Seattle, Washington. After writing my second garden article, I knew that this was my calling. I have since written about gardens and gardeners all over the world for international, national and regional publications.

I have gardened in such diverse places as Wilder, Vermont; Seattle, Washington; Bristol, England; Loveland, Colorado; and now Chico, California. I have worked as a plant and garden consultant to other home gardeners and to landscape architects. I can give horticultural and design advice, but I am not actually a horticulturalist, a botanist, a garden designer or a landscape architect. I am a garden writer.

What is a garden writer, people ask. Some focus on how to garden, some focus on garden design, others focus on plant types, and so on. I am a garden writer who gives voice to the stories of other gardens and gardeners.

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