Growing up on a farm outside a small town in central Pennsylvania sparked Buzz Baldwin’s lifelong connection to nature—a connection that would shape both his professional life as a landscape architect and his creative journey as an artist.

Although neither of his parents were farmers—his father a dentist, his mother a nurse—they believed in the value of rural life and the lessons it offered. Buzz fondly recalls helping his father in the garden, where he first witnessed the quiet magic of growth—seeds sprouting, blossoms forming, fruit ripening—and spending hours exploring the fields and woods of their 72-acre property. These early experiences fostered his enduring fascination with the natural world.

Encouraged by his parents, Buzz began developing his artistic interests at an early age. At nine, he took oil painting and ceramics classes from a local art teacher, nurturing an early love for creative expression. Though he set art aside during his formative years, the pull of drawing and design would later resurface in unexpected ways.

Unsure of his path after high school, Buzz enrolled at a small college in Pennsylvania to study Ornamental Horticulture. Two years later, he discovered the field of Landscape Architecture—a discipline that perfectly married his appreciation for plants with his aptitude for design and drawing. Eager to pursue this newfound passion, he packed up his 1964 Volkswagen Beetle and drove south to Louisiana State University, where he earned his professional degree in Landscape Architecture.