Head Gardener Robin Pydynkowski studied arboriculture and floriculture and founded Cape Ann Tree and Landscape Co. in 1981 with her husband Ron. Their company completed tree and landscape work for the Essex Institute, one of PEM’s predecessor institutions, in the 1980s, and took over design and planting of the Ropes Mansion Garden in 2008. Pydynkowski retired from landscaping in April 2019, but was immediately invited back, and has served as PEM’s Head Gardener since July 2019. She is a board member and legislative committee member of the Massachusetts Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA) and a Certified Massachusetts Arborist emeritus.

Horticulturist Katelyn Sponholtz started at PEM in 2020 after working as a floral design assistant and farmhand. She originally found horticulture in high school through a desire to work with her hands, which led her to pursue a degree in the field and complete it with honors in 2022. Sponholtz is currently working towards her Massachusetts Certified Horticulturist certificate and continuing her studies in landscape design. She strives to be a lifelong learner and to always keep an open mind to new information. She has enjoyed being part of the development of the gardens at PEM, transforming them into wildlife sanctuaries and an arboretum.