2025 National Speaking Tour with Ngoc Minh Ngo (The Ebell)

An illustrated conversation between Ngoc Minh Ngo and Joseph Marek begins at 11 a.m. followed by a reception at 12 p.m. 

After three thousand years of cultivation, the rose continues to seduce. This is the subject of acclaimed photographer and writer Ngoc Minh Ngo’s newest and most personal book yet, Roses in the Garden. Join Ngo and Garden Conservancy board member Joseph Marek for a conversation about Ngo’s passion for roses and photography, and how these passions developed for Ngo as a Vietnamese refugee growing up in California. The talk will include discussion of the nature and culture of the rose and the horticultural art it has inspired, and Ngo's favorite rose gardens in various locations spanning the globe; preeminent gardens in England, France, Italy, Spain, Morocco, and Japan, as well as the United States. 

Ngoc Minh Ngo is a celebrated photographer and the author of Bringing Nature Home, In Bloom, and Eden Revisited. She is the recipient of the New York Botanical Garden Larry Lederman Landscape Photography Fellowship and the Land Place Spirit Award from Longhouse Reserve. Ngo has a degree in landscape design from Columbia University. Her images have been published in The World of Interiors, T Magazine, Architectural Digest, Cabana, and House & Garden UK. Ngo’s new book, Roses in the Garden, was featured in the March 2025 issue of Vogue.

Joseph Marek is a landscape architect based in Santa Monica. For the past decade, Joseph has served on the Garden Conservancy’s board of directors and currently chairs the board’s Open Days Committee. Joseph’s design work is rooted in his early exposure to gardens, and he continues to be inspired by visits to gardens around the world. He has been a passionate rose enthusiast since childhood - participating in rose shows since high school, designing rose gardens for both himself and his clients, and enjoys hybridizing new rose varieties. 

The Ebell of Los Angeles

741 South Lucenre

Los Angeles, CA 90005

Note: National Speaking Tour events are listed in local time.