Pollinators, Plant Trials, & People: Discovering & Sharing The Best Pollinator Plants

HRI Research • June 26, 2023

Presented by Steve Foltz, Director of Horticulture, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

What happens when you mix a desire to support pollinator health with a passion for growing beautiful, high-performing plants? What if you then added in a commitment to sharing information with and assisting a community of gardeners?

For more than two decades, the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden has trialed plants with the goal of determining what plants work best in the Mid-West region. Over the last three years, they’ve paid particular attention to which plants bring in and support the most pollinators. Their renowned plant trials and expertise, combined with their impressive position within the surrounding gardening community, has created a unique program where gardeners and pollinators work hand-in-hand helping the horticultural industry thrive.

Join us for an exciting look into this unique program, the best pollinator plants, and the people behind it all with the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s own director of horticulture, Steve Foltz.

Inspiring every visitor, every day with plants!

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Nature's Best Hope

By Jennifer Gray • December 12, 2025

Recent headlines about global insect declines and three billion fewer birds in North America are a bleak reality check about how ineffective our current landscape designs have been at sustaining the plants and animals that sustain us. Such losses are not an option if we wish to continue our current standard of living on Planet Earth. The good news is that none of this is inevitable. Choosing the right plants for our landscapes will not only address the biodiversity crisis but help fight our climate crisis as well. Tallamy will discuss simple steps that each of us can- and must- take to reverse declining biodiversity, why we must change our adversarial relationship with nature to a collaborative one, and why we, ourselves, are nature’s best hope.

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Meet the HRI Leadership Academy Class of 2026: Ten Industry Leaders Shaping the Future of Horticulture

By Jennifer Gray • July 23, 2025

COLUMBUS, OH – July 22, 2025 – The Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) and AmericanHort are proud to announce the HRI Leadership Academy Class of 2026, a cohort of accomplished professionals from across the green industry who are poised to take their leadership to the next level. These individuals, representing various industry segments and career paths, were selected for their commitment to horticulture and their desire to help shape the industry's future. The HRI Leadership Academy is a one-year advanced leadership program designed for experienced horticulture professionals looking to elevate their influence and expand their strategic thinking and business skills. Built around in-person classes, peer collaboration, and mentorship, this program prepares leaders to confidently navigate business challenges, drive innovation, and spark positive change in their businesses, the industry, and their communities.