Riz Reyes’s Biography
An early curiosity about fruits and flowers turned a young boy from the Philippines into an award-winning garden designer, floral designer, avid plantsman, and book author in the Pacific Northwest. Riz Reyes immigrated to the United States with his family in 1989 and settled in Shoreline, Washington. He grew up watching television to help learn English and discovered public television in his early years; on top of Sesame Street and Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, he discovered the art of Bob Ross, the culinary prowess of Julia Child, and most influential was the gardening series, The Victory Garden.
He collected plant catalogs and familiarized himself with the gardening section of his local public library and grew fond of different types of plants. He set his sights on pursuing horticulture as a future profession. Riz earned a BS in Environmental Horticulture & Urban Forestry from the University of Washington (UW) and worked as a horticulturist for the UW Botanic Garden’s Center for Urban Horticulture from 2007–2015.
In 2013 he designed his first full show garden at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show in Seattle, WA. Riz came away with a gold medal, the Golden Palette Award for the Best Use of Color and Plant materials, the American Horticultural Society Environmental Award, and the prestigious Founder’s Cup as the Best Show Garden. Riz was also a featured panel speaker for the first annual Slow Flowers Summit where he contributed to a discussion on the lack of diversity and people of color in the horticulture and floral industries.
He is currently the gardens manager for the brew pub and hospitality company McMenamin’s Anderson School in Bothell, WA and maintains RHR Horticulture, his own horticultural enterprise where he designs gardens and cut flowers and also teaches and lectures for professional organizations. Riz also authored GROW: A Family Guide to Plants and How to Grow Them, which was illustrated by Sara Boccaccini Meadows. Riz volunteers with the UW Farm spearheading their cut flower program. Other hobbies include caring for a personal collection of rare and unusual plants in his apartment, dancing, figure skating, music, food, and spending time with family and friends.
You can find him online at his website rhrhorticulture.com and on Instagram @rhrhorticulture.
SHOW NOTES
Early experiences with plants in the Philippines
The influence of PBS shows from Sesame Street to The Victory Garden on Riz’s childhood (and mine!)
How plants were an early solace in life
Developing plant skills in the US and becoming a horticulture expert at a young age
Riz’s ability to connect horticulture to his class assignments for better learning
Pursuing a horticulture program at University of Washington
Studying abroad and growing as a horticulturist in Sichuan, China
Sichuan, the mother of all gardens in the world and a funny story about Epimedium
Teaching classes at Edmonds Community College
Work rituals including the use of a whiteboard to organize task priorities and stretching regimens in the morning
Riz’s skills and passion in floral design
My post on the IOC’s decision to eliminate flowers at the Olympics
Inspiration from Hitomi Gilliam and how gardeners make the best floral designers
Where Riz gets design inspiration and beauty in floral “compost”
Floating flowers at Chanticleer (third image down)
How to edit a planting
Dealing with the western drought with mulch, irrigation, and plant selection
Why NOT to use ice cubes to water orchids
How to propagate gardeners by engaging with children, being patient with them, and making gardening simple for them