Shelagh Fritz’s primary job is curating and preserving the Alcatraz garden as it was planted decades ago. She identifies plants in photographs and researches them through a lens of sustainability. She enjoys combining research with being on the ground and doing the work.

“It’s a cultural landscape versus a natural one,” Fritz said. The aim is re-creating a garden that is reflective of its original time period – and of the stories of the people who worked it before her.

“Plants are one thing that join people, no matter where you’re from,” Fritz says. “There’s a common appreciation for beautiful plants.”