Allyson Levy is co-founder and co-director of Hortus Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in New York’s Hudson Valley. The garden began as a source of inspiration and raw materials for her art. Over time her interest in growing a wider selection of plants expanded until the garden encompassed 21 acres and became her primary passion. Along the way Allyson and co-founder Scott Serrano began planting a vast diversity of plants, both edible and ornamental. This grew into an extensive collection of cold-hardy cactus, magnolia trees, viburnums, and grafted fruit trees, with a focus on rare, underutilized plants. The arboretum is now a nonprofit organization and level II arboretum.