PROFILE OF ROBERT F. GABELLA - Horticulturist, Author, Photograper, ICNP
I'm an accomplished gardener (or like to think so), Professional Horticulturist and Author, and live in DuPage County, just west of Chicago IL. Though I've killed a few plants along the way that is part of the journey for us all, and I have managed to take local, regional, and national awards for exhibition at Standard Flower and Vegetable shows, as well as at shows sanctioned by the American Iris Society and the American Hemerocallis Society.
Involved in various segments of the commercial Horticulture industry since 1983, I received an AAS in Ornamental Horticulture in 1988, and a BA in Business Management, with a Minor in English Writing, in 1998. An Illinois Certified Nursery Professional, I am also a member of the Garden Writers Association (GWA). My articles have been published in the Species Iris Group of North America quarterly bulletin, and Growing Trends, the magazine of the Illinois Nurserymen's Association, as well as American Nurseryman, Floriculture International and Garden Center Merchandising and Management. Feature articles for Ornamentals and Edibles magazine were published from 2007-2010, and a special feature on Horticultural Plastics Recycling was published by American Nurseryman in 2010. Along with featured covers and photography in Growing Trends, Floriculture International and American Nurseryman, my photographs have appeared in the bulletin of the Siberian Iris Society. I was also a staff writer and photographer for In The Mix, a local (Chicago-area) music and entertainment magazine.
I breed and select Echinacea, reblooming Iris, Hemerocallis (Daylilies), Passiflora (Passion Flowers), and the beginnings of new programs with Roses and hardy Lycoris. For several years I produced and sold container-grown perennials from my home.
GardenOpus®, the book, is a work-in-progress compiling the essays, photography, and artwork of Robert F. Gabella. On the gardenopus.com site, you'll not only find updates regarding the book's completion and publication, but also current information on availability of merchandise such as high quality posters, photography and reprints of previously published works; horticultural presentation and consulting services; timely garden tips and Q&A; and updates on new plant breeding and introduction.
From 2001 - 2007 I was Director of Market Communication and Content Management for Plantware, Inc., a Horticultural Software and Solutions Developer servicing some of the largest commercial young plant and finished plant production facilities ("plant factories" - for the uninitiated) in North America. During this time I managed content and structure of a relational database of Horticultural plants used buy some of the largest production growers in the US. Since that time I have earned an additional Master's Degree and have worked in the areas of cardholder data security, HIPAA data security and ongoing Horticultural Consulting and Project Management as GardenOpus.