Phil Douglas

Where are you from?

I grew up in Northern Kentucky along the Ohio river, just south of Cincinnati, in a small town called Ludlow.

What is your professional background?

Throughout my public horticulture career I have worked for institutions with significant oak collections. I began my career working at the historic Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum in Cincinnati, Ohio. The grounds there have several 400-plus-year-old oaks including some of the largest Quercus macrocarpa, Q. alba, and Q. muehlenbergii in the area. From there I became the director of horticulture for Gainesway Farm in Lexington, KY, which held an impressive collection of nearly 90 oak species. My last 6 years have been spent at Chicago Botanic and now Denver Botanic Gardens. In these roles I have been able to conduct a great deal of plant exploration and travel—much of it centered around conserving oak species around the world.

How did your interest in oaks start?

When I first got into plants, a friend gifted me Oaks of North America by Miller and Lamb. I was hooked after reading about the amazing diversity of species existing right in Kentucky.

How did you come to join the IOS?

I joined the IOS after I started working at Gainesway Farm. We were an institutional member, and I wanted to network with other organizations that were focused on growing oak collections. I was encouraged to attend the IOS Conference in 2015 and was lucky enough to be able to network with an amazing group of people.

Which is your favorite oak?

I have always had a fondness for Quercus macrocarpa after spending years working amongst these giants of the savannah in Kentucky and Illinois. The diversity of species supported in the ecological web of these trees is incredibly fascinating to me, and the character of old statuesque burr oaks reminds me of home.