About Lorraine

As an expert horticulturist and hydrangea expert, Lorraine's love affair with plants comes through in her lectures, social media writings, magazine articles and photographs, which you can find in Connecticut Gardener, Edible Nutmeg, and elsewhere.

Lorraine Ballato - Teacher

She is an instructor at the New York Botanical Garden where she is regarded as the resident hydrangea expert. She also teaches classes in the Connecticut Master Gardener Program as well as for the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut.

Lorraine Ballato - Author/Writer

Lorraine is a successful author. Her most recent book, Success With Hydrangeas, A Gardener's Guide is an award-winning international best seller. Via her free award winning hydrangea blog, she continues to write about this fabulous plant. It is also one of her most popular speaking topics throughout the United States.

In the "old days" of print publications, Lorraine's weekly gardening columns ran for over ten years in local newspapers. She reached more than 15,000 homes in northwest Connecticut.

Lorraine Ballato - Speaker

Lorraine's horticultural expertise is the reason she has been a guest on numerous gardening radio programs from Alaska to Connecticut. She speaks at regional symposiums, flower shows, to civic groups and garden clubs. Her talks are instructive and highly entertaining on a broad range of subjects tailored to each audience.

You can find her listed at Great Garden Speakers where you can read the glowing reviews from happy audiences.

Lorraine Ballato - Veggie Gardener

In her role as an Advanced Master Gardener, Lorraine works with a sizable team of gardeners of all levels in a 3000 square foot organic fruit and vegetable garden in Fairfield County, CT. Each season, they grow and donate over 1200 pounds of produce to homeless shelters and food banks. She also helps train master gardener interns and assists the gardening public on a weekly basis. It's work she enjoys immensely.