Speaker Bio
Bill McLaughlin
American Plants, Straight Up and With a Twist
Bill McLaughlin is Curator of Living Collections at the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, DC, where he has worked since 1986. After years of working with a range of tropicals and subtropicals, the purchase of his first home in 1994 reignited an interest in outdoor gardening and native plants. In 1996 he was placed in charge of plant selection and design review for the new three-acre National Garden, a joint public-private partnership, which finally debuted in 2006, featuring roses and Mid-Atlantic native plants. Prior to the re-opening of the newly renovated conservatory, Bill was asked to redraw the planting plans for one of its two courtyards. The garden, “Southern Exposure,” opened in 2003. In 2005 he was named Curator of Plants, allowing him oversight of all of the Botanic Garden’s plant-based content.