David Daehnke, The Gardening Guru

Mahwah, NJ 07430
gardeningguru@juno.com

The Gardening Guru's Bio

 

David Daehnke is currently the Executive Director of The Montclair Foundation and Van Vleck House and Gardens in Montclair, New Jersey, where he is directing the restoration of the gardens and creation of an educational program for children and adults.

Previously he was Executive Director at the Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit, New Jersey.  He brought a number of improvements to the Arboretum, including successfully increasing its staff, creating a Long Range Planning document, and maintaining the Arboretum’s Web site (www.reeves-reedarboretum.org).

Before working at the Reeves-Reed Arboretum, David was the landscape supervisor at the James A. McFaul Environmental Center where he was responsible for the management and operation of a ˝-acre nursery, chief grant writer for horticultural projects, and educator of programs for public and private groups. David also developed and produced the park’s first horticultural newsletter, The Horticultural Harbinger, and designed new gardens and created the largest public collection of ornamental grasses in New Jersey.

David was also general manager of Ramapo Landscape Supply, a wholesale/retail/distributor of horticultural supplies, increasing sales 42% in his three year tenure.

Previously David owned his own successful landscape design, maintenance and build firm for over 10 years.  It was in this experience that he decided to communicate to  people the joys of gardening and how they could accomplish the same results on their own, assisting the growing DIY segment of homeowners in New Jersey.

He received his B.S. Degree in 1984 in Ornamental Horticulture at Delaware Valley College. Currently, he is an advisory board member for the Horticulture department at Bergen Community College in New Jersey.

David is widely known from his radio show “The Gardening Guru” on WGHT 1500 AM, and he is a horticultural consultant on his Internet Web page, www.thegardeningguru.com. He is currently a staff writer for The Gardener News publication, New Jersey's only monthly gardening newspaper.

He lectures at garden clubs, organizations and flower shows communicating his love of gardening and belief in an organic, common sense approach.  David also visits homeowners for personalized, site-specific consultations.  For more information concerning lectures or consultations, please e-mail him at gardeningguru@juno.com .

 

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