Irwin Richman is Professor Emeritus at the Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg and currently the Director of Research and Development for the Heritage Seed Project at the Landis Valley Museum near Lancaster City. His special interest areas are Pennsylvania German culture, American art, and horticulture. He has lived in Lancaster County for over 35 years.

Michael B. Emery is the site administrator of Cornwall Iron Furnace. Irwin Richman works with the Landis Valley Associates, a private group dedicated to forwarding the aims of the Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum. They have each authored many books about art, culture, and tradition.

Michael Emery and Irwin Richman's latest exploration of American culture is both a historical and visual masterpiece. As someone who is a third-generation grower of the rose, "the queen of the garden," this book provides an important niche in the literature of gardening. It is a book that will always have me thinking of spring and summer. Peter Swift Seibert, executive director, Education, Research, and Historical Interpretation Division, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation