Leslie F. Halleck is a certified professional horticulturist (ASHS) who has spent her 25+ year career hybridizing horticulture science with home-gardening consumer needs. Halleck earned a B.S. in biology/botany from the University of North Texas and an M.S. in horticulture from Michigan State University. The focus of her graduate research was greenhouse plant production using environmental controls such as lighting, temperature, photoperiod, and vernalization. Halleck’s professional experience is well-rounded, with time spent in field research, public gardens, landscaping, garden writing, garden center retail, and horticulture consulting. At the end of 2012 Halleck devoted herself full-time to running her company, Halleck Horticultural, LLC, a green industry horticultural consulting and marketing agency. Halleck’s previous positions include director of horticulture research at the Dallas Arboretum and general manager for North Haven Gardens (IGC) in Dallas, TX. Halleck is now a regular feature on the professional speaking and industry publication circuit, but she continues to offer up commonsense gardening advice and hands-on learning to home gardeners via her Plantgeek Chic blog, public workshops, and consumer publications. During her career, Halleck has written hundreds of articles for local, regional, and national publications as well as taught countless gardening programs for the home flower gardener, edible enthusiast, and backyard farmer. In 2018, she authored The Timber Press release “Gardening Under Lights: The Complete Guide for Indoor Growers” - an in-depth guide to grow lighting and growing just about anything indoors. In 2019, she authored a follow up Timber Press release “Plant Parenting: Easy Ways to Make More Houseplants, Vegetables, and Flowers.”