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SPEAKERS AT THE FORUM ART OF GARDENS 2026
STEFANO MARINAZ (UK) / The Garden Design Journey: From Idea to Implementation
Stefano Marinaz is a landscape architect leading award-winning studios in the UK and the Netherlands. His work has received international recognition, including the Perennial Plant Association’s “Award of Excellence” and the Society of Garden Designers’ “Garden Jewel,” and he is featured in House & Garden magazine’s Top 50 UK garden and landscape designers. Stefano’s designs blend clear structure with naturalistic, minimalist planting to create beautiful, biodiverse spaces that reconnect people with nature.
Ig @stefano.marinaz
RASA LAURINAVIČIENĖ (LT) / Planting a Naturalistic Garden. Pretend You’re in Control
Rasa Laurinavičienė, a pioneer of naturalistic landscaping in Lithuania and a landscape designer, has been involved with plants for nearly 30 years. After graduating from Vilnius University with a degree in biology, she is currently pursuing a PhD in ecology and environmental studies.
Over the years, Rasa has trialed and amassed a large collection of perennial herbaceous plants, eventually finding herself involved in challenging planting projects. She studied under Piet Oudolf, the world-renowned Dutch designer of naturalistic gardens, and gained practical experience working on several of his projects in the US. The designer, who is introducing the culture of naturalistic greenery in Lithuania, is the creator of urban green space projects at the MO Museum and Business Garden Vilnius in Vilnius, as well as several residential landscaping projects.
Ig @rasalaurinaviciene
HENRIK SJÖMAN (SE) / Science-Based Selection of Trees and Shrubs According to Site and Function
Henrik Sjöman is an associate professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Scientific curator at Gothenburg Botanical Garden and an honoree research associate at Royal Botanic Garden Kew in UK. His work is mainly focusing on developing knowledge of site adapted plant use for urban environments including private gardens as well as public parks. How the capacity of different trees will vary in context to its environment and in delivering important ecosystem services has become the prime driver in Henrik’s work and as such how to extend the knowledge of diversifying our treescapes in parks and gardens.
Ig @henrik.sjoman.botaniska
LINDA ZAĻĀ / Victory of Victory Park
Linda Zaļā is a landscape architect with 25 years of professional experience in designing public and private outdoor spaces. As the founder and director of Zala Landscape Architects, she has created more than 350 landscape concepts and projects.
In collaboration with many well-known architects in Latvia, Linda has developed various public outdoor space projects in Riga, such as the General Radziņš Embankment Square, the Press House Quarter, the Konventa Courtyard, the transformation of Dzirnavu Street near the AC Hotel Riga, the Riga Panorama Wheel area, the Riga Motor Museum and CSDD outdoor space, the Dr. Mauriņa Clinic outdoor space, the VERDE business quarter, the new Skanstes kindergarten outdoor space, and many others. However, the most significant achievement is undoubtedly the renovation of Uzvaras Park, which has earned the recognition of both professionals and the public for its sustainability, balance, and respect for the spirit of the place, and for which it received the 2025 Latvian Landscape Architecture Grand Prize.
Fb @linda.zala
BAIBA BIRZNIECE / When Light Shapes the Garden. A Garden Photographer’s Perspective in Garden Design
Founder of Let it Bloom, Baiba Birzniece brings together garden design and photography, using light to shape both how gardens are created and how they are experienced. Her photographer’s eye reveals the influence of sunrise, sunset and the rhythm of the day on garden composition, atmosphere and spatial planning.
In this lecture, Baiba will share how gardens can be designed to reveal their beauty across changing light conditions, creating spaces that feel emotionally rich in everyday life and compelling through the lens.
Ig @_let_it_bloom_
AIVARS ZVIRBULIS (Čiris) / Large-Scale Landscape Transformations – The Amatciems Experience
Čiris is the author and creator of the Amatciems idea—a unique life and landscape concept that has become one of the most recognizable environmental development projects in Latvia and abroad. As a residential village, Amatciems has earned international attention as an example of how it is possible to combine landscape, architecture, and human lifestyle in a single, harmonious space.
His approach differs significantly from traditional territory development—it is based on a deep sense of landscape, intuition, and long-term thinking. His work proves that landscape is not just a backdrop for buildings, but the foundation for the entire quality of life.
Čiris is one of the rare examples in Latvia where one person's vision has been able to transform over the long term into an internationally recognized cultural landscape that continues to develop and inspire both professionals and the wider public. His approach is based on long-term thinking, a sense of landscape, and the courage to go against standard development models.
For his contribution to the formation of the Latvian environment and cultural landscape, Aivars Zvirbulis has been awarded the Order of the Three Stars.
Ig @amatciemslv
ASNĀTE UN JĀNIS AVOTNIEKI / The Story of Abgunste Manor. A Garden for Family and Celebrations
Asnāte and Jānis Avotnieki are bold visionaries and the heart of Abgunste Manor. Their family story is a powerful affirmation to how determination, creativity, and respect for history can shape one of the most remarkable cultural destinations in Latvia.
They will share the practical challenges and creative solutions involved in sustainably and authentically revitalizing both the manor and its gardens, with a deeply human and inspiring approach.
Ig @abgunste
AGNESE PRIEDE / Meadow in the Garden: Complex Simplicity
Agnese is a nature expert with a master’s degree in Environmental Science and a PhD in Physical Geography. For over 20 years, she has been actively working in nature conservation and plant biodiversity. Her particular passion lies in wild plants and terrestrial ecosystems—especially meadows, forests, and wetlands—and their restoration.
In her “Meadow Workshop,” Agnese collects and distributes seeds from natural meadows, exploring ways to bring these ecosystems into gardens. Her perspective on meadows as part of the landscape reveals just how delicate yet fundamental the balance is between the natural world and human creation.
Fb @agnese.priede.100
ININ NINI / THE SACRED ART OF PLANTS – How Shamans Create Inspired by Plants
ININ NINI — Plant mystic and medicine woman. For 13 years she has been working with Sacred Plants both locally and in the Amazon. She is the author of several books about plant wisdom and communication with Plant Spirits.
Ig @by_inin_nini
ANSIS BIRZNIEKS / Myths and Truths in Garden Design
Ansis Birznieks, founder and head of GALANTUS, has extensive experience in garden planning and construction. He understands what truly works in practice and what only looks good on paper, paying close attention to detail, functionality, and long-term solutions, while maintaining a creative and emotional perspective on the garden.
In his lecture, Ansis will invite participants to look at gardens from a different perspective, sharing his vision of various garden elements and solutions that are often the subject of bold or radical claims, encouraging deeper analysis, understanding, and discussion.
Ig @ansisbirznieks
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