Dr Eldon Everhart, Author and Horticultural Specialist at Iowa State University.

Dr. Eldon Everhart has helped hundreds of Master Gardeners, college students, and horticulture business people. As a horticulture specialist with Iowa State University, he wrote numerous Extension and research publications, as well as hundreds of articles for gardening magazines and newspapers. He is a well known speaker at garden shows, conferences, and workshops throughout the United States and abroad. Dr. Everhart is currently co-owner of Everhart Horticulture Consulting business. In 2010, he consulted on mechanization of processing tomatoes in Egypt. He helped honeydew melon growers in Azerbaijan and has consulted on aronia berry production in Canada, China, Columbia, Romania, and South Korea. Hundreds of commercial aronia growers in the United States have consulted with Dr. Everhart. He helped start the Midwest Aronia Association and is a charter member.

Maureen Massey, Bonsai Teacher and owner of the Bonsai Shop, Dublin Ireland

Maureen Massey has been running the Bonsai Shop in Dublin, Ireland for over 25 years and has been growing bonsai for even longer. She has gained extensive knowledge on the growing and care of these trees, over the years, as literally thousands have passed through her hands. She has also grown a proportion of the trees herself, with the assistance of her sister, the sculpture, Fidelma Massey.

Maureen has appeared many times on TV showing and talking about bonsai, and has lectured and judged competitions over the years. She is always available for ‘Talks’ in clubs and events. Email: bonsaishopireland at gmail.com

Piet Patings. Owner of Tsubo-en Zen Garden (zen-garden.org)

Piet Patings is the owner of the Tsubo-en Zen garden, a Japanese garden of the karesansui or dry rock garden type in Lelystad, the Netherlands. He is also the author of the associated website and diary. Piet has over twenty five years hands-on experience with Japanese gardening (i.e. Japanese-style but not located in Japan). Experience meaning that he did and still does the design, construction and maintenance of all aspects involved. Piet started to learn about Japanese gardens back in 1983 and in recent years developed a 6-phase method to realize a garden step by step. The method and how it was used to realize the Tsubo-en Zen-garden is fully documented and freely available on the Web.

Lisa Lane. Owner of Koi Pond Guide 

Lisa’s website, Koi Pond Guide provides information about Japanese koi fish in all its aspects to help new and existing koi fish owners to learn more about koi fish.

Lisa’s will be writing articles on Koi and Japanese Gardens. Most suitably how to create that piece of Japan in your garden, the pond and plant life. For more information keeping Koi, visit her web site.

Koi fishes are bred all around the world. In fact, they are considered as the most famous freshwater ornamental fishes that live in ponds. They are also known as Nishikigoi, and they are Japan’s national fish. Koi is a mascot of the said country and it also serves as the courier of Japanese culture. Its name is taken from the Japanese word “Nishiki” which is used in describing a highly coloured piece of cloth and “Goior Koi”, the Japanese term for carp. Putting the two words together, “Nishikigoi” means coloured carp.