Whitt Van Tassell Principal Garden Designer | Director of Horticulture | Partner
he/him
Whitt began his career training at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in their horticulture program. He designed and built home gardens in Brooklyn, NY for 4 years before heading to Chanticleer, a pleasure garden, in Wayne, PA for their highly sought after season-long internship. Whitt has a B.A. in Art History from NYU that informs his garden design. At home, Whitt has a vast collection of indoor plants, including orchids and carnivorous plants. Several of his plants have been awarded at the Philadelphia Flower Show. He is a member of MetroHort, the American and Mid-Hudson Orchid Societies, and the American Horticultural Society. He holds an OSHA 10 certification for General Industry.
@2hydrogen1oxide
Ash Santoro Gardener | Nursery Specialist | Partner
they/them
Ash first started gardening with Whitt in Brooklyn 4 years ago. During that time, Ash cultivated relationships with many regional nurseries which we use to source our material at the best available prices. Ash honed all aspects of garden building from hardscape to herbaceous planting working in and building gardens. Ash has spent a year as a white-glove gardener in Manhattan and Brooklyn, specializing in rooftops and terrace gardens as well as indoor house plants. Ash is a big lover of birds and jumping spiders. They consider the endless opportunities to spot these creatures to be a perk of working outdoors.
@ashree00
Katrina Duffie Director of Finance | Partner
she/her
Katrina spends most of her time as a benefits consultant to welfare and pension plans at Segal. Thankfully, she also has time to help the team with finances and occasionally in the garden, which she also enjoys. Katrina, who holds a B.A. in Mathematics from NYU, is a valuable member of our team and allows Whitt and Ash to focus on what they do best, which involves more leaves than numbers.
Whitt digging a hole for a dry well
Ash at Chanticleer
Whitt and Ash on the way to the Philadelphia Flower Show 2025
Whitt with one of his orchids
Whitt in the cutting garden. Photo by Lisa Roper, Chanticleer
Ash with a Monarch butterfly
