Sustainability and Stewardship – A Conversation with Brent “Fig” Figlestahler
From Cultivating Place by Jennifer Jewell / Cultivating Place
May 28, 2026 · 1h 5m
About this episode
A conversation about the role of public gardens and the importance of stewardship in urban landscapes.
This week on Cultivating Place, public gardens as living classrooms, the quiet power of trees in city life, and how tending landscapes can cultivate resilience, curiosity, and belonging. Host Abra Lee is in conversation with Brent “Fig” Figlestahler, horticulturist, landscape architect, educator, and devoted steward of public green spaces from the cultivated collections and urban woodlands of Cylburn Arboretum Friends, to classrooms, community gardens, and neighborhoods across the city of Baltimore, Maryland. Fig shows what it means to care deeply for plants — and for the people and places connected to them. Listen in! Cultivating Place now has a donate button! We thank you for listening over the years, and we hope you'll continue to support Cultivating Place. We can't thank you enough for making it possible for this young program to grow and engage in even more conversations like these. The show is available as a podcast on SoundCloud and iTunes. To read more and for many more photos, please visit www.cultivatingplace.com. ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF Brent Figlestahler, All Rights Reserved.
People in this episode
Host: Abra Lee
Guest: Brent “Fig” Figlestahler
Topics covered
- sustainability
- stewardship
- public gardens
- urban landscapes
- community engagement
- resilience
Keywords
- sustainability
- stewardship
- public gardens
- urban woodlands
- community gardens
- Baltimore
- landscape architecture
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Cylburn Arboretum Friends
Places: Baltimore, Maryland
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