The Benjamin Blackburn Scholarship Lecture – The Art of Garden Photography, with Rob Cardillo

Saturday 02-08-25 01:00 pm (Eastern)

Location: Haggerty Education Center - The Snow Date for this program is Sunday, February 9

Join professional garden photographer Rob Cardillo as he illustrates how he crafts sweeping landscapes and compelling plant closeups through a series of engaging stories. Using examples from his many books and magazine projects (including his most recent work, Private Gardens of Philadelphia), Rob will show how he doesn’t always get it right the first time and how perseverance and patience pays off in the end. You’ll leave with new ideas and new techniques to help you find and translate your own vision of Eden, even if you only use an iPhone.

Rob Cardillo has been photographing gardens, plants and the people who love them for nearly thirty years. He’s been credited as the primary photographer for over twenty-five books including Private Edens and Private Gardens of South Florida and The Art of Gardening at Chanticleer, The Layered Garden, Chasing Eden and his most recent work Private Gardens of Philadelphia. Rob’s work is also seen in publications such as Gardens Illustrated, Garden Gate, Flower and The New York Times. Along with his Blue Root Media partners, Rob provides editorial content for an award-winning regional gardening magazine, GROW, published quarterly by the venerable Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Winner of numerous photography awards, Rob was inducted into the Garden Writers Association Hall of Fame in 2015.


Rob lives and gardens in Ambler where he grows a little bit of everything in drifts of one.

The presentation will be followed by a book sale and signing. Light refreshments will be served.


Since 1979, the Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum have supported horticultural education through a scholarship named for Dr. Benjamin Blackburn. Dr. Blackburn was a professor of Botany at Drew University. His involvement with the Morris County Park Commission began with his friendship with Henry and Robert Tubbs, whose property, Willowwood, eventually became the Willowwood Arboretum.


Dr. Blackburn published many articles and wrote a number of books on gardening as well as being the host of a very popular radio gardening program. He generously shared his vast knowledge and deep love for horticulture with many staff members in the Horticulture Division and with his countless fans, members of the Friends of The Frelinghuysen Arboretum and area garden clubs.


Admission fees for this program support the scholarship that is offered to students in the Landscape Technology Program at County College of Morris (CCM). This scholarship allows interested students the opportunity to explore the different horticultural, environmental, and design studies offered through the accredited CCM programs. The increased knowledge the students acquire in the classroom and through hands-on programs at CCM will benefit them as they enter their chosen field in horticulture and landscape design.

The Friends are grateful to Mendham Capital Management for its generous sponsorship of the Benjamin Blackburn Scholarship event.


This program is eligible for 1.0 Rutgers Master Gardener CEU’s.


Not a member?

Click to join the Friends

Members of Friends
$ 55

Non-Members
$ 65

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