Sleepy Cat Farm: The Making of a Garden – A Four-Part Virtual Program, Part IV

Planning and Perfecting with the Future in Mind

with Kristi Wright, Head Horticulturist at the Sleepy Cat Farm Foundation

December 11, 2025

2 PM – 3 PM EST

Our final episode in the story of Sleepy Cat Farm’s evolution looks to the future with Kristi Wright, who succeeded Alan Gorkin as Head Horticulturist in 2024. Kristi likes to think of the garden’s design as a stage set on which the scene continually changes according to the season, the gardener’s hand, or on occasion, the whim of Mother Nature. She seeks to maintain the design integrity of each of the garden’s features when it’s time to edit an overgrown area; reassess sun/shade issues, introduce unusual species, or face the challenges that climate change presents. Another objective is creating opportunities for Sleepy Cat Farm to serve the wider community. Local food banks rely on Sleepy Cat’s vegetable garden and orchard for produce. A six-month internship program is in the works, and a volunteer program is a possibility for the future. Kristi hopes to create a plant list on the garden’s website in order to share the staff’s horticultural knowledge with gardeners everywhere. For now, however, Kristi, her team, and Fred Landman can’t wait to show off to the next wave of Open Day visitors all the wonders that Sleepy Cat Farm has to offer.

Tickets can be purchased now through The Garden Conservancy website.

Open Garden Days 2026

Dates not yet announced.

Parking information located in email received after purchasing tickets. Tickets are to be purchased through the Garden Conservancy website. We do not sell tickets through Sleepy Cat Farm. For ticket questions or concerns, please contact the Garden Conservancy directly. Thanks!