AHS Partners with Heygo to bring live garden tours direct to you!

This August, Heygo is going full bloom with interactive live-streaming tours of the world’s best gardens. Even better, they’re guided by the expert gardeners who grew them and will field your questions as you go. From Gaudi’s green oasis in Barcelona, to a hidden bamboo temple in Kamakura, Japan – Heygo is bringing the wonders of the natural world straight to your screen with the Botanical Gardens Festival. All August on Heygo.com.

Join AHS RAP Gardens Toronto Botanical Garden and Gamble Garden in Palo Alto, CA for tours of their stunning grounds.

At Toronto Botanical Garden, Dianne—a pharmacist by training and a volunteer with the Toronto Master Gardeners—will walk you through their fascinating history starting with the ice age, through to the early settlers of Toronto and now with the creation of award-winning gardens. Tour will be held August 12 at 10:00 AM EST and August 13 at 8:00 AM EST.

Over at Gamble Garden, take in their magnificent collection of heritage apple trees and have all your burning apple questions answered by their in house experts. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a sneak peek into Elizabeth Gamble’s historic home all decked out in apple-themed decor. Tour will be on August 14, at 8:30 AM PST.

More tours from gardens participating in the AHS Reciprocal Admissions Program are coming soon, stay tuned as tours at these gardens and more get scheduled:

Goodwood Museum and Gardens, FL
Hatcher Garden & Woodland Preserve, SC
Snug Harbor, NY
Trinity Eco Prayer Park, SD

Dig into the Garden Festival!

AHS Announces New Sponsorship With Cultivating Place Podcast

The AHS is proud to sponsor the popular Cultivating Place podcast with host Jennifer Jewell from July through September. Each episode of the podcast will feature thoughtful conversations with growers, gardeners, naturalists, scientists, artists and thinkers.

Tune in via Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher or online at www.cultivatingplace.com. A new episode launches every Thursday!
Happy Listening!

About Cultivating Place:

Gardens are more than collections of plants. Gardens and Gardeners are intersectional spaces and agents for positive change in our world. Cultivating Place: Conversations on Natural History and the Human Impulse to Garden is a weekly public radio program & podcast exploring what we mean when we garden. Through thoughtful conversations with growers, gardeners, naturalists, scientists, artists and thinkers, Cultivating Place illustrates the many ways in which gardens are integral to our natural and cultural literacy. These conversations celebrate how these interconnections support the places we cultivate, how they nourish our bodies, and feed our spirits. They change the world, for the better. Take a listen.

2021 Great American Gardeners Award Winners Announced

American Horticultural Society 

Announces 2021 Great American Gardeners Award Winners 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (March 18, 2021) — The American Horticultural Society (AHS) today announced the distinguished recipients of the 2021 Great American Gardeners Awards. Individuals, organizations, and companies that receive these annual awards represent the best in American gardening and horticulture. Each has contributed significantly to fields such as plant research, garden communication, landscape design, youth gardening, horticultural therapy, and teaching.  

Among this year’s winners is Lucinda McDade, PhD, of the California Botanic Garden, who is receiving the AHS’s highest honor—the Liberty Hyde Bailey Award—for her lifetime accomplishments as a scientific researcher, plant explorer, professor, author, and public garden administrator. The AHS applauds all of this year’s recipients for their passionate commitment to American gardening and their outstanding achievements within their area of expertise. 

This year’s Great American Gardeners Award recipients are:

* LIBERTY HYDE BAILEY AWARD – The American Horticultural Society’s highest award, the Liberty Hyde Bailey Award is given to an individual who has made significant lifetime contributions to at least three of the following horticultural fields: teaching, research, communications, plant exploration, administration, art, business, and leadership.   

Lucinda McDade, PhD, Executive Director & Judith B. Friend Director of Research, California Botanic Garden, Claremont, Calif. 

* EMERGING HORTICULTURAL PROFESSIONAL AWARD – Given in the early stages of an individual’s career, this award recognizes significant achievements and/or leadership that have advanced the field of horticulture in America. 

Keith A. Mearns, Director of Grounds, Historic Columbia, Columbia, S.C.  

* GARDEN STEWARDSHIP – Given to a public garden that embraces and exemplifies sustainable horticultural practices in design, maintenance, and/or programs. 

North Carolina Botanic Garden, Chapel Hill, N.C. 

* HORTICULTURAL THERAPY AWARD – Recognizes significant contributions to the field of horticultural therapy.
Naomi A. Sachs, Assistant Professor, Plant Science & Landscape Architecture and 

Founding Director, Therapeutic Landscapes Network, College Park, Md. 

* LANDSCAPE DESIGN AWARD – Given to an individual whose work has demonstrated and promoted the value of sound horticultural practices in the field of landscape architecture. 

Larry Weaner, Principal & Founder, Larry Weaner Landscape Associates, Glenside, Pa. 

* B.Y. MORRISON COMMUNICATION AWARD – Recognizes effective and inspirational communication—through print, radio, television, and/or online media—that advances public interest and participation in horticulture.   

Perla Sofia Curbelo-Santiago, Garden Podcaster and Radio Show Host, San Juan, P.R.  

* FRANCES JONES POETKER AWARD – Recognizes significant contributions to floral design in publications, on the platform, and to the public.
Lisa Waud, Floral Artist, Detroit, Mich. 

* TEACHING AWARD – Given to an individual whose ability to share his or her horticultural knowledge with others has contributed to a better public understanding of the plant world and its important influence on society. 

Rowen White, Founder and Creative Director, Sierra Seeds, Nevada City, Calif. 

* JANE L. TAYLOR AWARD – Given to an individual, organization, or program that has inspired and nurtured future horticulturists through efforts in children’s and youth gardening.   

Washington Youth Garden, Washington, D.C. 

For more information on this year’s recipients, please visit our 2021 Award Winners. Photographs of the award winners and additional information about the awards program are available upon request by contacting Katherine Somerville at ksomerville@ahsgardening.org or calling (703) 768-5700, ext. 121. 

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How Green is Your Garden? Take our quiz!

Take our 10-question quiz then click on the link on your results page to learn how you can #growagreenerfuture with sustainable gardening practices.

If you’re ready to #growagreenerfuture, sign up for regular email updates from the American Horticultural Society.

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!

Full STEAM Ahead: Introducing Youth to Careers in Horticulture

When you picture someone who works professionally with plants, gardeners, plant breeders, and landscape designers probably come to mind. However, digging a little deeper, you’ll find that green-collar careers (those in the environmental sector of the economy) can be found in the art, science, technology, and business of plants. In partnership with Seed Your Future, the American Horticultural Society (AHS) recently assembled a group of individuals representing careers that are not exactly top-of-mind when one thinks of plant-related work. As pre-teens and teens begin to consider post-secondary education and career possibilities, it’s important that they see the range and diversity of positions that combine STEAM skills with an appreciation for plants, nature, and the environment.

The panel discussion, convened as part of the AHS’s National Children & Youth Garden Symposium, introduced outside-the-box plant-related positions and the paths that led our panelists to them. Do you know a child who likes climbing trees and tinkering with mechanical parts? He or she could grow up to be a drone pilot like Colby Borchetta at the Morton Arboretum’s Center for Tree Science. Maybe you know someone who likes digging in the dirt, but also has a fierce sense of style. Abra Lee is a horticulturist and designs her own line of garden attire. Aurélie de Rus Jacquet combined a love of plants with an education in biology to become an ethnopharmacologist. She studies the traditional uses of plants as medicine in her quest to find a cure for Parkinson’s disease. Brad Austin grew up loving flowers and had a strong eye for color and design. He is an Emmy award winning floral designer whose work can be seen in over 60 films and 25 TV shows. From chefs to urban planners to sports turf managers, there are so many entry points into the world of plants and for every interest, skill set, and personality, there is a corresponding plant job.

Unsurprisingly, each panelist described taking different, and sometimes winding, pathways to arrive at their current position. These types of jobs probably wouldn’t be any child’s immediate answers to that favorite adult question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” So how do you as a parent, educator, or caregiver help expand a young person’s notion of what green collar careers look like? Here are some ways:

• Do you or someone you know work with plants? Adults who love their jobs may be interested in talking with or mentoring young people. The Seed Your Future website has a list of over 100 plant-related careers.
• Tune in together to the Morton Arboretum’s podcast Planted: Finding Your Roots in STEM Careers or have young people take their Canopy Career Chronicles quiz to find out which career path is best suited to their interests and skills.
• Does your local school have a club for students that are interested in horticulture, agriculture, or the environment? The National Junior Horticultural Association, 4-H, Junior Master Gardener, and National FFA are just a few national examples.
• Look for opportunities to volunteer on local environmental projects such as community garden tending, clearing invasive species, or participating in a Citizen Science project.
• For the highly motivated teen, check out horticulture-themed summer camps and internships on the Seed Your Future website.

Keeping organized with DIY garden markers

You’ve started your seeds indoors in your tiny DIY pots and prepped your soil with a hearty offering of compost. Congratulations! You are well on your way to a productive garden this season. Before you transfer any seedlings or direct sow any seeds into the ground, take time to create the tools that will help keep your garden organized. Keeping track of plantings in a very small garden may be simple, but if your plot contains several different plants (and even more so, different varieties of the same type of plant) an organizational system becomes key. 

Garden markers are a great tool that can identify your plants, track growing information, assist in weed identification, and add a little color or style to your garden beds. Here are some ideas for DIY garden markers, ranging from straight up functional to arts and crafts project.

Aluminum tags – Avoid purchasing pricy plant labels by creating your own long-lasting tags from aluminum beverage cans. A can, a razor blade, and tin snips or old scissors are all you need, although a straightedge will help keep your labels uniform.  Be sure to wear eye protection and cut resistant gloves!  Etch your info into the front of the aluminum, or for a more finished look, etch it from behind.  Attach labels to stakes or plants with wire.

Painted found materials – Every good shed or garage has materials lying around that can be turned into garden markers. Bricks, smooth rocks or cut stone, or even broken terra cotta pots will work. Use any acrylic craft paint to label and decorate your marker and, once thoroughly dry, cover it with a clear UV-resistant waterproof topcoat. For the potshard labels below, we used industrial paint markers, which do not need additional weathering treatment. Bright colors look right at home in a family garden plot but this style can be elevated or, with large surfaces or fine-tip paint markers, accommodate additional planting information.

Stakes – These are the horizontal version of the painted rocks above – a simple label sticking upright out of the ground that made from a variety of materials. Natural materials, including branches and logs or bamboo fit nicely in a rustic garden bed. For a more modern look, roll air-dry clay into a ¼” slab and slice into ¾” stakes. Rubber alphabet stamps make the lettering uniform and markers or paint add a pop of color.  

Tips and tricks:  

• Paint markers work best on smooth surfaces. If you are writing on rough surfaces, consider buying extra replacement tips for a fraction of the cost of new markers.
• Paint markers contain solvent that can smudge painted materials.  Use only on unpainted surfaces.
• Topcoat your creations with UV resistant clear gloss spray paint to extend the life of your masterpiece.

Share your #GardenMarkerCreations with us on Facebook and Instagram.