Mediterranean Garden Society
Mediterranean Garden Society
Candidate Statements for Election to the Administrative Committee 2025-2028
Candidate’s details appear in alphabetical order.
Each MGS member may vote for up to five candidates.
Ann Beisch
Caroline Davies
Steve Entwistle
Katerina Georgi
Andrew Lunt
Sibylle Mattern
James Papageorgiou
Jacqueline Potter
Katrin Schlenzka
Valerie Whittington
Ann Beisch
I am from Los Angeles, California, and joined the MGS ten years ago, by chance. I was invited to visit a newly designed "Mediterranean" garden in Pasadena, The Arlington. Its transformation from an abandoned parking lot to a jewel of a garden and orange grove was inspiring. I joined the MGS, studied the ‘natives’ and made changes in our garden. I joined a community task force in Los Angeles working with our municipal water and power agency in redesigning the landscapes surrounding the pumping stations. The goal was to create a model drought tolerant, water-wise landscape. And with that I published in the MGS Journal, my first of many articles on Mediterranean/native landscapes. Finally my participation in many MGS excursions, all over the world, has been a gathering of friends in amazing places. I am excited to be an active participant in the MGS this term.
Caroline Davies
A passionate gardener, my life would be very empty without plants and I love sharing my interest. For close to thirty years, I led my own garden and wildflower tours within Australia, New Zealand and Europe until 2013. I have a deep feeling for Greece and its flora and have benefited from my membership of the MGS since 1996, especially valuing the many friendships through the annual gatherings, as well as the ongoing acquisition of plant knowledge for our changing climate. I have served twice before as President (2016-2022) and believe even more strongly today in the Society’s relevance with its fine journal, website and online lectures, the work of our branches worldwide, and the unique example of our heartland Sparoza which displays Mediterranean gardening in the harshest environment. I live in Melbourne, Australia and am an enthusiastic member of the Victoria Branch.
Steve Entwistle
My professional life commenced in clinical science, but later evolved into international trouble-shooting and change leadership roles. Later in life, I trained as a landscape designer, though my sole interest has only ever been the design and construction of mediterranean gardens. On joining the MGS in 2017 I immediately took on the role of UK Branch Head, and set-up garden visits, and monthly newsletters. From that time I have represented the MGS at RHS Plant Society Partnership meetings. Prior to lockdown, I facilitated introductions between the Beth Chatto Trust, the RHS and a member of the BBC Gardeners World team, and in discussion with these, and other key individuals and institutions, drafted course outline and content for an international MGS course on sustainable gardening. My core skills are in strategic planning, project management, facilitation and negotiation, and if elected to the AC I will offer these in overcoming the challenges ahead and in furthering the MGS.
Katerina Georgi
I joined the MGS in 1996, the year after its inception, and have been head of the Peloponnese Branch since 2013. I organised the recent AGM in the Peloponnese, and am responsible for the MGS Instagram account. I have dual Greek and British nationality and am a native Greek speaker. I grew up in London where I studied Interior Design, and later Garden Design. Since moving to the Peloponnese in the early nineties, my focus has been the design and renovation of traditional stone houses and water-wise Mediterranean gardens, in the increasingly challenging conditions of the Mani. My own garden, on a sun-baked rocky promontory, has been developed on water wise principles, using mediterranean plants. I believe that, after the recent charter changes, the Society has an opportunity to expand its outreach and attract younger members worldwide, to engage members further afield and to function with increased transparency.
Andrew Lunt
I’m 59 years old and I have lived with my partner in Apokoronas, Chania, Western Crete for almost six years.I consider myself to be a keen amateur gardener, though I studied at Myerscough Agricultural College for 12 months to attain the RHS Level 2 certificate in Horticulture. I have been a member of the MGS for many years and an active participant and supporter of the Crete Branch of the MGS. I hold the MGS close to my heart and can see that it needs balance and consensus to steer it into the future and it is these sentiments that I hope to bring to the AC if elected.
Sibylle Mattern
I am a German national, gardening in my new garden in Andalucia, Spain, since 2020 and for much longer in my old established garden in my hometown of Bad Homburg, Germany. Moving from a garden of four seasons in Germany to the Mediterranean one where seasons are never quite the same and depend much more on the varying and irregular amounts of rain, has been a steep learning curve. I joined the MGS in 2022 to find fellow gardeners and minimize mistakes, and have enjoyed every aspect of the exchanges from joining my first AGM in Athens in November 2022, taking over the Andalucia branch in summer 2024 to the fantastic trip to South Australia and the arid lands north of Adelaide in October 2024. I have met the most interesting diverse set of people on the way who all have in common the love of plants and gardens. I would love to give my experience to the AC and all members of the MGS in support of good gardening and everyone’s efforts for beautiful, sustainable and uplifting environments. Professionally, I have studied biology at university, doing a PhD on the genetics of Streptomyces, soil bacteria with a mycelial growth form that produce a huge variety of secondary metabolites from antibiotics to enzymes for degradation of natural products like cellulose or chitin, to adapt to soil conditions. My husband Frank and I divide our time between our homes in Germany and Spain; we have three adult children.
James Papageorgiou
An Athenian with Corfiot origins, a passionate gardener with deep ties to the Mediterranean region—including gardens in Xalkoutsi Oropos, Corfu, and a sprawling veranda in Vyronas, Athens—I understand firsthand the unique challenges and rewards of nurturing green spaces in this climate. My academic background, including a BA and MBA, coupled with extensive financial stewardship experience as Treasurer of a Charity fund in East Lancashire (618 members), has equipped me with the strategic oversight, budgeting expertise, and organisational rigour required for this role. I am particularly drawn to the Society’s mission of promoting Mediterranean gardening , biodiversity, and particularly, to 'the creation of a garden that harnesses the forces of climate and terrain, rather than trying to defeat them'. I would therefore be delighted to support your initiatives through my organisational skills and dedication. Residing and working in Athens, I am ideally positioned to engage actively with the MGS community. Though I became a member in December 2024, my commitment to the society began earlier through repeated volunteer work at the Sparoza garden—an experience that deepened my appreciation for its mission. I am prepared to be the next Treasurer and aim to leverage my financial acumen and collaborative spirit to ensure transparent, sustainable resource management, enabling the MGS to thrive and expand its impact. From optimising membership funds to supporting educational initiatives, I am eager to contribute to a society that bridges my lifelong passion for gardening with my dedication to fiscal responsibility.
Jacqueline Potter
After a dynamic 40-year career in management across several international companies, I have been able, over the past few years, to dedicate more time to my lifelong passion: gardening.
Originally from the Netherlands, I have spent the last 30 years living in the south of France. During this time, my English husband and I developed and cultivated a one-hectare garden, planting a vast array of Mediterranean-zone species over 20 years. As it matured, we opened it periodically to visitors, with increasing frequency. Following my retirement, the property was sold, and in 2022, I embarked on a new journey, creating a much smaller but equally cherished garden. That same year, I was elected as a reserve member of the MGS Administrative Committee, and since 2024 also took on the role as Branch Head for France.
Over the past two years, I have been pleased to see meaningful progress within the Society: all foreign branches now have again leadership in place, member trips are being successfully organised, and practical solutions to streamline Sparoza’s management are underway. While my role as a reserve member did not grant me voting rights, I have actively contributed by supporting and positively influencing various initiatives, always striving to assist the committee in the best interests of the Society. I am eager to continue my commitment to the MGS by serving another term—this time as a full voting member—so that I can further contribute to the Society’s growth and success.
Katrin Schlenzka
I am a German/British national, gardening in my new garden in Andalucia, Spain since 2024 having made the permanent move from London in August 2024 (what a month to move!). Since the move, I have been fully immersed in the challenge and joy of creating a water-wise garden from scratch. My journey with the MGS began in April 2024, and since then, I have been an active member of the newly revitalised Andalucía branch, as well as the recently formed MGS Marketing Committee. My background combines a long-standing passion for garden design with a 30-year career in media and marketing. Training as a garden designer alongside my professional career gave me a deep appreciation for planting design and landscape planning, skills that I have been adapting to my new Mediterranean environment. Initially, I joined the MGS to better understand what to plant and when, translating my UK gardening experience into this more challenging climate. However, what I did not anticipate was the incredible sense of connection and inspiration I would find within the society, particularly through visits to local gardens and discussions with fellow members. I would love to contribute my experience and enthusiasm to the Administrative Committee and help support the wider MGS membership. My professional expertise in marketing, communications, and community engagement, combined with my firsthand experience of transitioning to Mediterranean gardening, could be valuable in strengthening the society’s outreach and member engagement. I would be honored to support the MGS in its mission and to give back to the community that has already given me so much.
Valerie Whittington
I wish to help the society in these challenging times, to work with others, listen to members and be part of making decisions that are in keeping with the aims and ideals laid down in the Charter but which take account of our changing world. I offer commitment, enthusiasm and experience through my working life in education and that of being a hands-on gardener in a mediterranean climate for many years. I believe in the value of the MGS, as exemplified in my leadership as Branch Head in Crete until May 2023 and in an advisory role for Branch Heads’ meetings with the current AC. I have been a passionate member of the MGS since 2006 and have enjoyed the majority of AGMs held in Europe as well as reporting activities experienced during them in ‘The Mediterranean Garden’ (TMG). In 2010, I organised the AGM, held in Chania, Crete, with helped support from Clive (my husband). 120 members attended from many MGS international branches. This was very rewarding and well received. The programme included workshops and talks as well as visits. Following my career in various aspects of education, Clive and I took early retirement and moved to Crete, where we lived for 18 years – during which time I developed two gardens. First, a small village garden, then a garden on a barren, windswept hillside of approximately 4,000 square metres. Over the years I have written various articles about its concept, challenges and development in TMG and have enjoyed many visitors to the garden. I was a committed Branch Head on Crete for 14 years, during which time we developed a regular programme of garden visits, wildflower walks, workshops and occasional presentations from outside enthusiasts/professional gardeners or designers. The passion that drove me to develop my own drought-tolerant garden and share that journey with others still remains with me. The camaraderie and shared experiences throughout the MGS and its events, wherever members garden, is a strength of the Society, we need to use in facing difficult challenges ahead. I am willing to continue promoting the MGS through the work of the AC as either Councillor or Reserve member of the Committee.
THE MEDITERRANEAN GARDEN is the registered trademark of The Mediterranean Garden Society in the European Union, Australia, and the United States of America