Montgomery and Local Gardens host Largest Botanic Garden Conference

Attendees check out coconuts at MontgomeryMontgomery Botanical Center was happy to co-host the 2016 American Public Gardens Association Conference in Miami along with 12 other gardens: Block Botanical Gardens, Kona Kai Botanical Garden, The Preston B. Bird & Mary Heinlein Fruit & Spice Park, The John C. Gifford Arboretum, Miami Beach Botanical Garden, Mounts Botanical Garden, Naples Botanical Garden, National Tropical Botanical Garden, Pinecrest Gardens, USDA-ARS, Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, and Wertheim Conservatory of Florida International University.

The conference brought together over 750 individuals from around the world and embraced its theme “Changing Perspectives: Planting for the Future” and made plants a priority. The Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association donated five “Fresh from Florida” plants for guests to take home with them and many of the conference talks focused on getting to the root of public garden issues.

American Public Gardens Association Changing Perspectives, Miami 2016, Planting for the FutureMontgomery Botanical Center hosted two tours. A Plant Collections Management Study Tour with the USDA-ARS Subtropical Horticulture Research Station and a Host Garden Tour of Montgomery Botanical Center. Both tours were well received and all participants were able to experience a taste of the tropics and see important tropical and subtropical conservation collections.

Photo of a lecture on the World List of CycadsPatrick Griffith, Michael Calonje, and Tracy Magellan from Montgomery Botanical Center attended the conference and gave six talks:Host & Conduct a Successful Red List Workshop: Case Studies & Lessons Learned, Collecting for Collections: The Public Garden Role in Tree Gene Conservation, Climate is Changing Collections Management, Using Living Collections as an Unparalleled Resource for Research in Plant Conservation, Beyond Lists & Labels: Integrating Date for Curation & Research, and Identifying Vulnerabilities & Taking Action Toward Climate Resilience.

MBC would also like to thank the many local volunteers who helped us at the InterContinental hotel and during the various tours throughout the week. We could not have done it without your help! Conference attendees and organizers said it was one of the best-organized and fun conferences. Miami shined!