Host Chris Stafford is joined by Sir Peter Crane, the President of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, and Rachel Heslop, Senior Projects Coordinator at Oak Spring.  In separate interviews with Chris, Peter and Rachel discuss the origins of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation; some of the foundation's current projects and objectives, while also and shedding light on Mrs. Mellon's vision for the Oak Spring property and the historical precedences of the site.

Sir Peter Crane FRS is President of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation in Virginia. He joined Oak Spring after seven years as Dean of the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies - the Yale environment school. Originally from Kettering in the United Kingdom, Peter trained and worked at the University of Reading before moving to Indiana University in the US in 1981 for his postdoctoral studies. In addition to Yale, his career since the early 1980s has included positions at the Field Museum in Chicago, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and The University of Chicago.  Peter is a specialist in the diversity of plant life, including its fossil history, evolution and conservation. Peter and his wife Elinor, who works as a volunteer at the foundation, came to Oak Spring in 2016. Peter was attracted by the opportunity to create new programs focused on plants, gardens and landscapes that also honor the legacy of Mrs. Mellon. 

Rachel Heslop is the Senior Project Coordinator at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation. Originally
from the UK, Rachel holds a BA in Archaeology and History of Art and an MA in Egyptian Archaeology, both from University College London. After a decade in the rare book trade, she studied for a new career in the horticultural industry. Upon moving to the United States, Rachel worked for the landscape architecture firm Oehme, van Sweden in Washington, DC and was part of the project team that led to the renewal of the White House Rose Garden in 2020. More recently, she conducted research on the history and evolution of the Oak Spring gardens as part of a cultural landscape report.

Host: Chris Stafford
Oak Spring website: https://www.osgf.org/
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