Volunteer Spotlight: Edie Slezak

By Kaitlyn LaBelle

Phipps is well-known for our beautiful gardens, seasonal flower shows, pioneering sustainability initiatives, informative educational programs and community outreach. None of our work, however, would be possible without the knowledge and dedication of our volunteers. In this series of profiles, we meet some of the people who give their time to make Phipps possible.

Edie Slezak has always been passionate about gardening and has been visiting Phipps for many years. In 2010, her friend recommended she take a class to become a docent, and she has been volunteering at Phipps ever since. On a normal day at Phipps, Edie gives tours to both adults and children, creates the name tags for plants/flowers and helps to construct props for flower shows. She recently worked on the 117-foot dragon prop for Fall Flower Show: Japanese Inspirations.

Her interest in gardening began when she was a child; her uncle, who was also her godfather, introduced her to his garden. He planted both vegetables and flowers, but her interest lay mostly in the flowers. Besides her passion for gardening, Edie also loves to cook, decorate, and volunteer at her church.

Edie’s favorite things about Phipps are the people and the plants. She particularly enjoys being able to see people’s reactions when they see the exhibits for the first time and hear the “oohs and ahs” when they walk into the room.

Edie has always felt incredibly appreciated while volunteering and shows no signs of stopping. “I hope to volunteer here until I can’t walk anymore!” she says with a bright smile.