About Linda

Linda Langelo is an Area Extension Specialist in Horticulture with Colorado State University Extension, serving the Eastern Region’s Golden Plains Area with expertise in garden and landscape education. With more than 40 years of experience in horticulture, landscaping, public garden leadership, and education, Linda has dedicated her career to helping people better understand, care for, and connect with the plant world around them.

Her horticulture career has spanned both the East and West Coasts, where she has taught students, homeowners, professionals, and community members of all ages through classroom instruction, public programs, hands-on workshops, and community outreach. Linda has designed both public and private landscapes and has served in a variety of leadership roles, including grounds supervisor, Assistant Director of Horticulture, and Arboretum Director.

As Assistant Director of Horticulture at Salisbury State University, Linda helped implement a campus-wide arboretum that continues to thrive today. She later served as Director of Adkins Arboretum during its early development, where she helped increase its visibility in local and regional communities and through involvement with the American Public Gardens Association.

Today, Linda continues to educate and inspire gardeners through Colorado State University Extension, her writing, her podcast, and her growing digital platforms. She is the author of Plants Are Speaking. Are You Listening? and the creator of The Relentless Gardener podcast and column. Her work has appeared in national and regional publications including MarthaStewartLiving.com, The Spruce, DenGarden, Parade Home & Garden, House Beautiful, AARP Colorado and Maryland guest blogs, and the Oregon Nursery Association. She also contributes to national horticulture education standards through her work with NOCTI, helping rewrite the national test for entry-level landscape technicians.

Linda connects with gardeners through multiple platforms, including her Garden the Plains Facebook page, Plants Are Speaking. Are You Listening? on YouTube, Pinterest, and Patreon, and Instagram at @akalagh11k. Whether she is writing an article, recording a podcast, teaching a program, answering horticulture questions, or encouraging gardeners across the High Plains and beyond, Linda’s mission remains rooted in making horticulture practical, approachable, and meaningful.

Her work has been recognized with several honors, including the Colorado State University Eastern Region Excellence Award for Community/Partner Engagement, the Garden Communicators International Laurel Award for The Relentless Gardener column, and the Lois Woodward Paul Memorial Award for outstanding horticultural achievement.

Linda has also devoted years of service to horticultural and community organizations. She currently serves with Plant Select, a collaborative program developed by Denver Botanic Gardens and Colorado State University, and has held leadership and board roles with the Phillips County Arts Council, Julesburg Garden Club, Prairie Family Resource Center, and the American Community Garden Association.

Through every chapter of her work, Linda has remained a passionate educator, writer, advocate, and lifelong learner — encouraging people to listen more closely to plants, landscapes, and the living world just outside their door.