Cricket Riley

About the Author

Cricket Riley is the Design Servies Director at the Ruth Bancroft Garden (RBG) where she has worked since 2017. In this role she leads a team of landscape designers helping homeowners embrace regionally climate appropriate gardens. She is also the primary instructor for RBG's Dry Garden Design Certificate Program which she co-created with Alice Kitajima in 2020. She has an AA in Landscape Architecture from Merritt College, a BA in History from University of California, Santa Cruz and an MA in Near Eastern Studies and Broadcast Journalism from New York University. 
 
Alice Kitajima's profound connection to gardens and landscape design started at an early age, thanks to the influence of her father, who immigrated to Los Angeles to install Japanese-style gardens. She has worked at various botanical gardens and arboreta around the U.S. after finishing her forestry and music studies at University of California, Berkeley. As the Program Director at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, overseeing the education department, her greatest passion is connecting and deepening people’s connections with plants.
 
When not digging in her own laboratory-like garden, designing thoughtful gardens for clients, or lecturing on various gardening topics, Bay Area native Kier Holmes is a contributing writer and content creator for Gardenista and Sonoma Magazine. Kier has also contributed to numerous other publications including Martha Stewart, Sunset Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, National Geo for Kids, Edible Marin and Wine Country, and Marin Magazine, plus is the author of The Garden Refresh: How to Give Your Yard Big Impact on a Small Budget.