During his eight-year tenure as Director and Curator of the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden, Richard Hartlage led a comprehensive revitalization and expansion of this celebrated five-acre garden in Seattle’s Puget Sound region.

Richard developed and implemented a long-term Master Plan, established foundational governance and collection policies, and launched the influential Great Plant Picks program—an enduring resource for Pacific Northwest gardeners. Under his stewardship, the garden cultivated one of the most significant collections of rare plants in the region, including the largest Hepatica collection in North America.