Al Valuch

Hi everyone! My name is Al Valuch, and my pronouns are they/them/theirs. I’m from just outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but I’m living in Madison now to study horticulture at UW. I’m a Pisces, which will make a lot of sense as you get to know me! I’m super excited to be taking the apprenticeship role at the Garden because it’ll be a great way for me to get acquainted with the niche I hope to occupy post-grad. I’m really passionate about public green spaces, and it’s a long-term goal of mine to eventually manage some kind of public garden/greenhouse/conservatory. I’m especially happy to be at ACG because it means so much to me. It’s been a refuge for me ever since I started at UW-Madison, and I love to be able to contribute to it in any way possible. While I can’t narrow favorites down to a specific plant, I will say that I have quite the soft spot for anything in the family Begoniaceae. I think my favorite thing about them has to be their lopsided leaves, and I love how varied (and gorgeous) their foliage can be from species to species.