If you haven’t already met Todd Forrest, longtime Ridgefielder and Honorary Chair of the 2025 Ridgefield Garden Tour, here’s your chance. Arthur Ross Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections at The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) and author of the new book, Gardening with Nature at the New York Botanical Garden, Todd Forrest brings an extraordinary vision and perspective to the Tour, and to daily life. Oh, to walk a mile with Todd’s knowledge …
Q: How long have you lived in Ridgefield and did natural beauty, gardening, and history play a role in your choice to be here?
We moved to Ridgefield in 2001 largely because of the charm of its downtown and the remarkable cultural resources it has for a town of its size. We purchased our house, which was built in 1910 as the chauffeur’s cottage for the Lewis estate Upagenstit (at right), because of the grand beech and London plane trees that graced the front yard. We love Ridgefield’s unique blend of historic houses, engaging culture, and accessible nature.
Q: If we walked the sidewalks of Main Street with you, would you be able to approximate the age of the magnificent trees that line the road and have witnessed untold stories, escapades, and history?
There are so many incredible trees in Ridgefield—it is a dendrologist’s dream. I never miss the chance to give a mental fist bump to the golden larch and many other unusual arboreal treats Lewis planted at Upagenstit, the massive sugar maple on Main Street near the Fountain, or the venerable beeches in Ballard Park. The oldest of Ridgefield’s trees could well be more than 150 years old. While they certainly have borne silent witness to remarkable events, I prefer to think of them as adding a touch of grace to the everyday lives of the everyday people who make Ridgefield the convivial place it is.
Q: You joined the NYBG in 1998, a quarter-century ago — what a truly special career and place to be. What are the biggest changes you’ve witnessed to the Gardens — and the Organization — during that time?
NYBG is unique among the world’s great botanical gardens because it combines true nature, carefully curated living plant collections, and well-designed landscapes and buildings from many different eras—all of which work together to inform, delight, and uplift people. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1967 and includes several New York City landmarks. I have been fortunate that my nearly three-decade career at NYBG has coincided with the most active period of restoration, rehabilitation, and enhancement since the original layout of the Garden in the 1890s. We have restored or enhanced about 150 of NYBG’s 250 acres with an eye to revealing and celebrating what has made the Garden special since its founding. We have done an extraordinary amount of work with the goal of making it appear we haven’t done much at all. To quote T.H. Everett, legendary head of Horticulture at NYBG from 1932 until the late 1960’s, “Here, if ever, true art is to conceal art.”
Q: Please tell us about your book, Gardening with Nature at the New York Botanical Garden: what inspired you to write it, did you enjoy the writing process; what do you like most about it, and why might we want to read it?
I imagined the book as an ode to what I love most about NYBG’s historic landscape—its blend of real nature, captivating collections, and innovative design. I am not sure if I quite achieved what I imagined (lyricism is not really my thing), but I loved discovering and sharing the evidence that the Garden’s very prim and proper Victorian founders had a very modern perspective on how essential both nature and culture are to human well-being, particularly in cities. Anyone who has come to nature through gardening or gardening through nature will recognize themselves in NYBG’s story.
Q: What is your favorite part of going on a Garden Tour?
I love learning about, and drawing energy from, the passion of the gardener.
Q: Are you familiar with the concept of “Nominative Determinism” and do you think it played a factor in the trajectory of your life?
I am very familiar with the concept. I am often asked if I changed my name and always answer, “No, but I am considering it.”
Note: You may meet Todd Forrest in person at the Ridgefield Garden Tour Spring Soirèe (June 7); at the Painterly Parterre Garden during the Tour (June 8); or at the Ridgefield Library on April 9 for his Author Talk on Gardening with Nature at the New York Botanical Garden.
