The American Public Gardens Association Annual Conference in Miami was an amazing and educational experience for the Longwood Graduate Fellows and a fitting send-off for the Class of 2016. The conference theme, Changing Perspectives: Planting for the Future, was well supported with panels, presentations and workshops.
Erin Kinley and Tracy Qiu before setting off on a wet hike in Big Cypress National Preserve
Highlights included incredible tours of local gardens, two thought-provoking keynote presentations, and a round of Plant Jeopardy hosted by Association President, Casey Sclar.
Casey Sclar (aka Alex Tree-bec) hosts a stimulating game of Plant Jeopardy
The Emerging Professionals Student Presentations illustrated the thoughts of the next generation of public horticulturists. Documenting, verifying and protecting our living collections was one theme featured by Emily Detrick (“Documenting Living Collections”, Cornell University), Ben Stormes (“Verification of Identify in the Living Collections”, Cornell University), and Fran Jackson (“Managing the Risk of Water Shortage”, Longwood Graduate Program). Another theme was the connection of gardens with the community, exemplified by Mackenzie Fochs (“Culinary Connections at Public Gardens”, Longwood Graduate Program), Michelle Gluck (“How Green are the Greenest Blocks?”, Pratt Institute), and Stephanie Kuniholm (“A comparison of Public Garden Membership Programs”, Longwood Graduate Program).
Fellows from the Class of 2015 (Sarah Leach-Smith), 2016 (Stephanie Kuniholm), and 2017 (Elizabeth Barton) came together at Vizcaya
Thank you to the American Public Gardens Association, the host gardens, and to all the conference attendees for making this a week to remember!