Between Soil and Self - A conversation with John Sonnier

This week, Cultivating Place host Abra Lee explores diplomacy and gardens. She’s in conversation with John Sonnier, Head Gardener at the British Ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C. There since 2009, John focuses on organic and sustainable methods of care AND he has created one of the United State’s most significant historic orchid collections. Orchids are known for their extraordinary forms, relationships, and resilience and John, a distinguished horticulturalist, artist, and self-taught orchidist, brings us into that world – sharing what it means to grow them, care for them, and stay curious about them over time. We consider how the environment we cultivate – from gardens to shared community spaces – shape our thoughts and our lives. Listen in! Cultivating Place now has a donate button! We thank you for listening over the years, and we hope you'll continue to support Cultivating Place. We can't thank you enough for making it possible for this young program to grow and engage in even more conversations like these. The show is available as a podcast on SoundCloud and iTunes. To read more and for many more photos, please visit

You can listen to Between Soil and Self - A conversation with John Sonnier online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Between Soil and Self - A conversation with John Sonnier is an episode from Cultivating Place by Jennifer Jewell / Cultivating Place.

This episode is 00:53:49 long.

This episode was published on Apr 23, 2026.

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