October Meeting - Paul Gellatly - Tropical Treasures

What is the most you’ve spent on a tropical plant? 

$50…$100…$250… How about $12,000?

Previously the Curatorial Gardener for one of Canada’s largest Tropical Plant Collections, and the former Director of Horticulture for the Toronto Botanical Garden; Paul Gellatly has a personal collection of 800+ tropical plants, including many rare and unusual specimens sourced from collectors worldwide. He has followed the recent surge of Tropical Plant Collectors, from imports to auctions, and will share with you the history, the trends, the opportunities, and a glimpse into his personal plant collection. 

A passionate life-long horticulturist, Paul Gellatly was featured on the new television documentary series ‘Visionary Gardeners’. Paul has affiliations with the Toronto Botanical Garden as the former Director of Horticulture and The Toronto Zoo as former Curatorial Gardener managing one of Canada’s largest tropical plant collections.

Many online garden lovers may know Paul through his strong online presence as The Tattooed Gardener, with social media posts reaching 30-35 million people per month. He is an avid collector of rare and unusual plants with a personal collection of over 800 tropical plants. As an experienced hybridizer of daylilies, with 50 registrations with the American Hemerocallis Society. Paul is the recipient of the 2023 Douglas Lycett award.

Although gardening has been a life-long passion, (He was a Director of the Waterloo Horticultural Society at 16 years old); he entered horticulture as a profession just over a decade ago. Paul started part time at Plant World in their perennial department. He then accepted a position as gardener / grower for the City of Toronto, maintaining historical gardens in the west end of Toronto, (Sunnyside Pavilion / James Gardens) He also spent time as an estate gardener for a Trillium award-winning garden in Carlisle, Ontario. Paul’s podcast ‘Life in the Garden', can be listened to monthly on Focal Point E-News, in addition to his guest appearances on Podcasts and Radio shows, in Newspapers and Magazines. His home garden, which held an eclectic mixture of plants, is featured in Tara Nolan’s book: Gardening Your Front Yard: Projects and Ideas for Big and Small Spaces.

MEETING LOCATION: