Breezeway Vistas by “Faith B. Kuehn”

Garden description: A breezeway sits between our house and garage, connecting the front and back yards. From there you can view both gardens. It is a calm and convenient place to sit and read or have a little party. When we moved in this house 9 years ago, the yards were only lawn. Now they are alive with flowers, insects and birds from March through October. A majority of the plants are native. Many were either gifts, or planted in honor or in memory of someone. The front yard flowers are shades of pink and purple, plus white, to give a serene look. Those in the back yard are bright colors, red, orange, yellow and purple. There are statues, trolls, and a variety of decorative garden art for accent.
Who are the gardeners: Primarily me, Faith Kuehn, with encouragement and appreciation from my husband Erich. We have 3 cats, and two of the three like to sit close by when I’m working to provide moral support.
Why do you garden: I garden because I love flowers, and I like to make others happy with them. To garden is to be a person of hope, one who believes in the future, and the power of plants to heal. I garden to honor the people and places that have given my life meaning.
How has gardening impacted you during this time: This year gardening has provided much enjoyment and peace in a confusing and unsettled world, something that can be nurtured without fear of getting sick or making someone else sick. Being outside, especially with the absence of truck, car and airplane traffic noise and pollution has brought me closer to the good earth.
What do you have in your garden? Perennials Ratibida pinnata Praire coneflower Silphium perfoliatum Cup plant Phlox paniculata Garden phlox Rudbeckia subtomentosa Sweet coneflower Rudbeckia fulgida Common eastern coneflower Carex plantaginea Plantain-leaf sedge Stokesia laevis Stokes aster Pycnanthemum muticum Mountain mint Vernonia noveboracensis New York ironweed Helenium autumnale Common sneezeweed Monarda didyma Scarlet bee balm Physostegia virginiana Obedient plant, False dragonhead Echinacea purpurea Purple coneflower Geranium maculatum Wild geranium, American cranesbill Thalictrum aquilegiifolium meadow rue, feathered columbine Lychnis (Silene) coronaria Rose campion, Dusty Miller Stachys officinalis’Hummelo’ Betony Agastache foeniculum Anise hyssop Actaea racemosa (syn. Cimicifuga racemosa Bug Bane, Black Cohosh Alcea rosea, Hollyhock Bulbs Allium ornamental onion Oriental lily Lily orienpet Tulips Narcissus miniature narcissus Vines Clematis Athyrium nipponicum Painted fern Shrubs Callicarpa dichotoma Beauty berry Ilex verticillata Winterberry Holly Fruits Heritage red raspberry Victoria Rheum hybridum rhubarb Syringia vulgaris Lilac Hydrangea paniculata Panicle hydrangea Hydrangea macrophylla Annual hydrangea Sambucus canadensis Elderberry Annuals Dahlia Zinnia Marigold Cosmos Sunflower
Do you have any problems with disease or pests? If so, how are you dealing with this problem? Japanese beetles are a chronic problem. My husband loves to collect them and put them in a jar of beer, for one last drink on their way out. I cut out aster yellows. Leafhoppers are a problem in the summer, but I minimize this by thinning plant foliage and spraying them off the plants with a water jet.

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Cultivate Spring Summer 2026

The latest issue of Cultivate is ready for your reading pleasure. This issue highlights our impact in the community and includes our 2025 Fiscal Year Annual Report. Must-read features include growing stronger communities through greening, the success of the 2025 Branches to Chances® graduating class, and program highlights.

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Urban Conservation Corps

The Urban Conservation Corps is a 12-week, paid summer program for young adults ages 18–25, offering hands-on training in horticulture and green job readiness. Participants gain practical experience in urban and community forestry, ecological gardening, and urban agriculture while contributing to community-led greening projects across the city. Through immersive real-world work, Corps members build technical skills, explore career pathways in green industries, and develop the confidence and experience needed to pursue future employment or continued training.

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Rachel Mussaf

Office Manager

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Rachel supports the day-to-day operations and administration of the Delaware Center for Horticulture as Office Manager. With more than 18 years of experience in non-profit administration, education, community engagement, and program management. She enjoys building relationships, keeping things organized, and helping create welcoming spaces where people and organizations can thrive.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Josh, and their two children, Jenna, 17, and Henry, 15. As a family, they love spending time together, exploring new places, and cheering each other on in all of their activities and adventures.

Noah Zeigler

Urban Greening Coordinator

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Noah Ziegler is the Urban Greening Coordinator at DCH where he uses ARC GIS to plot and plan upcoming projects around New Castle County.  He has had a diverse career path that include time with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and DNREC Environmental Laboratory.  Graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in Environmental and Energy Resource Management and is now working towards his master’s in environmental management from University of Rhode Island.  In his spare time, Noah enjoys camping, playing ultimate frisbee, and playing darts.  

Alexis Bacon

Education Coordinator

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Alexis Bacon is the Educational Coordinator at DCH where she assists with supporting preexisting programs like Branches to Chances and the Urban Conservation Corps and developing additional programming for adult and child education. She has worked in horticulture and sustainability for over ten years, primarily in the public garden world with internships at Scott Arboretum, University of Delaware Botanic Garden, and a variety of roles at the American Public Gardens Association. She received her bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Temple University and a master’s degree in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development from Virginia Tech. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, picnicking, hiking, and camping. 

Ana Pavón

Advancement Coordinator

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Ana is the Advancement coordinator at DCH, where she supports the planning and execution of fundraising and donor engagement activities including fundraising efforts related to DCH’s programs and projects through events, membership, donor stewardship, and community engagement. With several years of experience supporting municipal and non-profit organizations, she brings a strong background in fundraising and membership work, focused on deepening community engagement, building meaningful relationships, and supporting grassroots giving.

Ana holds a B.A in Sustainability and Certification in Environmental Education from Arizona State University. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, home renovation projects, and traveling.

Julia Ehrhardt

Ecological Landscapes Manager

Julia Lo Ehrhardt is the Manager of Ecological Landscapes and Greening where she works with plants and people to create healthy communities that are beautiful, thriving and regenerative. A self-proclaimed plant nerd, Julia has over twenty years of experience in horticulture, conservation, education, visitor services, and volunteer program management. She possesses a BSc. Agriculture, MS Public Gardens Administration (Longwood Graduate Program) and an MPS in Sustainable Food Systems from the Culinary Institute of America. Her career has taken her to the New York Botanic Garden, Longwood Gardens, Mt Cuba Center, and Tyler Arboretum.

In her spare time, Julia grows a multitude of vegetable varieties, dreams up container combinations and incorporates more plants into her 1/3 acre property in Oxford, PA. She shares this space with her car guy husband and his super garage. Julia also expresses her creativity through knitting, cooking and making fermented foods (kimchi and kombucha). She also volunteers with the Chester County Food Bank and the Oxford Area Environmental Advisory Council.

Kesha Braunskill 

Community Forester

Kesha Braunskill is the Community Forester for the DCH, focusing on Wilmington’s greening efforts and fostering lasting partnerships. With experience at the U.S. Forest Service and the State of Delaware, she has engaged communities and municipalities statewide, emphasizing the significance of trees in both traditional and innovative ways. Kesha is an ISA certified arborist and holds a BS from the University of Maryland and a MS from Delaware State University. Kesha is excited to work with the communities in and around Wilmington to encourage a healthy urban forest. Outside of work, she is an artist and wildlife rehabilitator. 

Ann Mattingly

Director of Horticulture

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Ann Mattingly serves as the Director of Horticulture at the Delaware Center for Horticulture, returning to DCH and Wilmington with over twenty years of experience leading horticulture, public space stewardship, and community-centered greening. Her career has woven together the care of plants, places, and people—guiding urban landscape projects and nurturing partnerships that support neighborhood health and connection. Her earlier work helped establish the E.D. Robinson Urban Farm and launch the Delaware Urban Farm and Food Coalition, both of which continue to advance food security and justice today. She brings a steady, collaborative vision to nurturing the city’s green spaces, strengthening the places where people gather, grow, and find connection

Adrienne Spencer

Urban Farm Coordinator

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Adrienne plans and implements the production, sale, and marketing of fresh vegetables and fruits at DCH’s E. D. Robinson Urban Farm at 12th & Brandywine, interacting with visitors and customers at the farmer’s market. She holds a B.S. in Communications from Howard University and is a longtime Wilmington resident. Adrienne is a member of PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture) and the 2016 Recipient of the Nancy Caroon Travel Scholarship.

 

Jamie Shanklin-Spencer

Urban Agriculture Manager

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As Urban Agriculture Manager, Jamie leads DCH’s efforts to expand equitable food access and sustainable growing practices through urban farming, education, and community partnerships. She manages farm sites, youth programs, and food justice initiatives across Wilmington and beyond.

Jamie is the founder of Messiah’s Market Herbs & Horticulture Inc., where she has developed healing garden spaces, Agri-STEM youth programs, and a year-round farmers market. She currently serves as Chair of the Urban Farm Committee for the Delaware Urban Farm and Food Coalition (DEUFFC) and as Delaware Director for the Mid-Atlantic Black Farmers Caucus. She is also a certified Delaware Master Gardener, as well as Permaculture Design Specialist.

When she’s not growing food or building community, Jamie enjoys homeschooling her children, creating herbal remedies, and restoring connection to land and culture through storytelling and the soil.