Allyson Levy and Scott Serrano are both exhibiting visual artists who co-founded Hortus Arboretum and Botanical Gardens in New York’s Hudson Valley. Over two decades ago they began gardening as a source of inspiration and raw materials for their art. Scott grew plants for insects, such as moths and dragonflies, Allyson cultivated plants for seeds, flower petals and unusual leaf forms. Over time their interest in growing a wider selection of plants expanded until the garden encompassed eleven acres and became their primary passion. Along the way they began planting a vast diversity of plants, both edible and ornamental. This grew into an extensive collection of cold-hardy cactus, magnolia trees, viburnums, and grafted fruit trees, with a focus on rare, underutilized, and endangered plants. The arboretum is now a nonprofit organization and level II arboretum with a total of 21 acres.