“Mr. Norris sees the new botanical garden as the place to demonstrate that horticulture is culture.”
—The New York Times
Kelly has a motto:
Just keep planting.
In our own way and time, planting is one of the most important actions we can take to cultivate greater abundance and complexity in the landscapes we call home.
Kelly is on a mission to plant the world, to make places beautiful and ecologically vibrant. His award-winning planting studio brings life to residential, commercial, and public landscapes across North America.
Profile
Kelly D. Norris is one of the leading horticulturists of his generation. In his interdisciplinary studio, he explores the intersections of people, plants, and place through ecological, site-specific design and art.
An award-winning author and plantsman, Kelly’s work in gardens has been featured in The New York Times, Better Homes and Gardens, Martha Stewart Living, Fine Gardening, Garden Design, and numerous television, radio, and digital media appearances. His latest book Your Natural Garden from Cool Springs Press launches in late 2024.
He’s the founder and curator of The Public Horticulture Company, an emerging ecological landscape startup based in Des Moines, Iowa. The studio also produces the New Naturalism Academy, a virtual school for enthusiastic designers, as a commitment to continuing education and lifelong learning.
He is the former director of horticulture and education at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, where for eight years, he directed efforts in design, curation, programming, garden, and facility management after serving as the owner’s representative to nearly $20 million in capital projects.
Kelly travels widely to explore and study plants in nature. He lives and works at Three Oaks Garden (Des Moines, Iowa), a creative refuge and planting field on a hill above the Des Moines River.