Tabar Gifford is the Partnership Cultivator for American Meadows and High Country Gardens, where she's built relationships with gardeners, media, and community organizations since 2009. She earned her Master Gardener certification through the University of Vermont Extension in 2012 and holds a degree in Environmental Studies from UVM's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, bringing hands-on horticultural expertise to everything from small-space container gardens to large-scale waterwise landscaping. Tabar has also earned recognition as a Certified Pollinator Steward through Pollinator Partnership, a national nonprofit dedicated to pollinator conservation.
A self-described "plant geek," Tabar gardens in Vermont's Zone 4 and is a regular contributing expert to national outlets including Martha Stewart, Homes & Gardens, The Spruce, and HGTV. Her work often centers on sustainable practices, from reducing lawn footprints to supporting pollinators, that reflect both brands' shared commitment to sustainability.
Tabar spearheads American Meadows and High Country Gardens' 0% organic waste initiative, which finds new homes for the companies' unsold plants each season rather than sending them to landfill. The work earned an Innovation and Inspiration Award from VBSR (Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility). In 2024, she partnered with gardening expert Kathy Jentz to bring Jentz's idea for Reduce Your Lawn Day to life at American Meadows; the movement has since grown to nearly 20,000 pledges across all 50 states and received a 2025 GardenComm Gold Laurel Media Award.
When she's not in the garden, you can find Tabar channeling her creative side into fantastical costume-making or following her favorite bands.
FEATURED APPEARANCE
Tabar presented on pollinator-friendly gardening at this year's festival - watch her full talk.
It’s hard for me to pick favorites (I’m often overheard saying “that’s my favorite!” several dozen times each season), but there are some flowers I plant every year and always look forward to. I garden both for my own enjoyment and to steward spaces for the many creatures who live in or visit the place I also call home. There are cycles I look forward to each planting season, and I’m also always trying new things, particularly if they’ve got a whimsical Seuss-like vibe. Starting in the Spring, I can’t live without Zinnias, Cosmos and Sunflowers which I plant from seed. I also simply must have Gladiolus and Dahlias too, I vary the colors and varieties by year but always am planting at least a few of each. In the fall I am wild about Alliums, Daffodils and Hyacinths, they are easy to add and rewarding too. I have too many beloved perennials gems to name, but most of them are also favorites of the hummingbirds and butterflies such as Penstemon, Ascelpias and Salvias. You can follow my gardens on Instagram to see what my current favorite of the week is (it’s generally what’s in bloom).
