AHS Cosponsors Webinars with New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL)

The AHS is pleased to announce we’ve joined with New Directions in the American Landscape (NDAL) to cosponsor “Ecology-Based Landscapes,” a series of virtual educational programs that runs from January to March 2021. Developed by award-winning landscape designer and NDAL founder Larry Weaner, the series is organized in categories geared toward two audience groups: 1) landscape practitioners (landscape architects and designers, restoration ecologists, and horticulturists) and 2) home gardeners, educators, youth, and prospective professionals.

Topics to be covered range from natural landscape design and management to green roofs and gardens, community-based landscapes, the use of seed in native landscape and restoration projects, creating biodiverse schoolyards, and fostering native habitats in home gardens. Professional and non-professional audiences alike will be eager to join the room — virtually, of course — as Weaner interviews influential designers such as Piet Oudolf and Darrel Morrison one-on-one in “Prairie-side Chats” —NDAL’s version of fireside chats.

For registration and information, visit ndal.org.

The January/February 2021 issue of The American Gardener magazine will be Digital Only

The January/February 2021 issue of The American Gardener magazine will not be mailed to members but will be available via our digital magazine platform. This cost-saving measure, necessitated by revenue losses resulting from the pandemic, dovetails with the AHS’s goal of environmental sustainability by saving paper, ink, and the fuel used in shipping those magazines to homes around the country. Regular mailing of the printed copy of the magazine will resume with the March/April 2021 issue.

If you are a current member and have not previously accessed the online version of the magazine, you will simply need to create a username and password if you have not done so already. If you cannot remember, try resetting your password first.

If you create a new username and password, you will receive an automated email that tells you it may take up to two business days for us to link your username with your membership. If you do not receive this email, check your spam or clutter folders. If you still need help, contact membership@ahsgardening.org, there may have been a typo when you entered your email address.

If you create a new username and password but you already had one in our system, you will get an email back within two business days telling you the username that you previously created with a prompt to help you reset your password if needed.

Once you have successfully logged in, you will see a screen that says My AHS Homepage. Simply scroll down to the paragraph that begins Because you are a member and the first item you will see is accessing The American Gardener magazine archives. If you do not see this paragraph, it means your username is not connected to your membership, please email membership@ahsgardening.org for assistance.

Happy Reading!

Statement from the American Horticultural Society

 

 

The tragic death of George Floyd, and the heartbreaking stories of so many other Black Americans who have been victims of senseless violence, has been a call to action for all of us to participate in bringing about meaningful societal changes.  The Board and Staff of the American Horticultural Society support efforts to end the chronic cycles of social injustice, systemic racism, and physical violence against Black people. As part of our foundational values, we believe gardening and nature-based experiences connect individuals within and across cultures, communities, and abilities, and in so doing advance human dignity, inclusiveness, and equity. We pledge to do our part by encouraging and facilitating participation in the world of horticulture across cultures and communities; making the settings and systems in which we work more open and inviting; speaking up whenever confronted by racism or bigotry; and putting into daily action the principles of equity, justice, and respect for all people—but particularly marginalized communities.

Remembering J. Landon Reeve, IV

It’s with great sadness we share news of the death of John Landon Reeve, IV, a longtime American Horticultural Society (AHS) Board member and a prominent leader of the horticultural industry in the greater Washington, D.C. area. Landon died Monday, May 25, 2020. He was 79 years old.

Landon’s career in horticulture started in high school with a part-time summer job at a nursery near his home in Baltimore County, Maryland. After graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in ornamental horticulture, Landon founded Chapel Valley Landscape Company in 1968. The company, based in Woodbine, Maryland, now employs more than 450 people and has regional offices in Dulles, Virginia, and Canton, Georgia. Over the years, Chapel Valley has been involved with many notable landscaping projects in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. metro areas including

the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Baltimore Inner Harbor, the National Shrine, and the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial.

In addition to creating a thriving business, Landon sought out a leadership role, serving as the past president to the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (now National Association of Landscape Professionals), the Landscape Contractors Association: MD, DC, VA, and the Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association. He was instrumental in raising the professional standards of the horticulture industry by promoting quality workmanship, training and certifications programs, and safety. Even after retiring from Chapel Valley in 2015, he continued to give back to the community through service on the boards of the AHS and the Friends of the U.S. National Arboretum.

Landon became an AHS member in 1988 and served on the AHS Board of Directors from 2006 to 2019. As the organization’s treasurer for many of those years, he brought a level of great professionalism and upward momentum to the AHS that lives on today. He enjoyed sharing his love of plants and gardens with other AHS members and was a regular participant on the annual AHS President’s Council trips and international travel study program tours and at AHS’s major events throughout the years.

Another way Landon supported the AHS was through his company, Chapel Valley, which has been providing invaluable landscape maintenance at the AHS’s River Farm headquarters for many years as an AHS Corporate Member. He took great pride in contributing to River Farm’s care and was always supportive of events such as the annual Spring Garden Market, the Great American Gardeners Awards celebration, and the annual Gala. Earlier this year, Landon was named the 2020 recipient of the AHS’s Meritorious Service Award, which recognizes a past Board member or friend of the Society for outstanding service.

Our hearts go out to Landon’s family. It’s impossible to overstate Landon’s leadership and contributions over the years to the horticultural industry, but those of us who worked with him closely will always remember his passion for plants and the people who work with plants, his commitment to his family and community, and his generosity.

Because of restrictions related to the pandemic, a memorial service will be scheduled at a future date. Landon’s obituary can be seen here. We are humbled that the Reeve family has designated the AHS as one of the nonprofits to receive charitable memorial gifts, in lieu of flowers.

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Erich E. Veitenheimer
Board Chair
American Horticultural Society