Celebrating New American Gardens
Image courtesy of www.usbg.gov
By Amanda McShane
Celebrating New American Gardens, the US Botanic Garden’s modern exhibit, is officially in full bloom. The exhibit showcased gardens from all over America that were either created or renovated within the last five years.
Celebrating New American Gardens showed the changes in American gardens due to the transition of new seasons. Further, it touched on specific public gardens in different states that had been recognized for their garden designs, fostering sustainability and getting people connected with nature. The gallery took viewers through the different gardens in America by explaining their backstory and design, as well as what the gardens have done for either the environment or the community.
All of the gardens have very distinct and fascinating elements to them such as the State Botanical Garden of Georgia that had recently made plans to make a Children’s garden. This garden’s goal is to have children become more involved with agriculture, learning more about the environment and having fun with plants and nature. The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is known for its permanent variety of plant collections and its renowned educational nature lab that was a part of their expansion. The Phipps Conservatory And Botanical Gardens has vastly expanded over the last five years and has had three award-winning projects. Additionally, one of the last public gardens at the end of the exhibit was the Portland Japanese Garden on its 50th anniversary in 2017 presenting its $37 million expansion project called Cultural Crossing. Their new space has more opportunities to experience Japanese culture while still having the Garden’s tranquility that is preserved for future generations to come. The newest addition, Cultural Village, allows visitors to immerse themselves in traditional Japanese Arts through seasonal activities and performances.
This exhibit was in the West Gallery of the Botanic Gardens and was open to the public from January 31 to October 15, 2019. The 21 public gardens featured were from all over the United States. My favorites were the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and their Children’s garden, the Phipps Conservatory And Botanical Gardens, and the Portland Japanese Garden. However, they were all beautiful and serve a great purpose for multiple health reasons. Such as for our health, well-being, learning and helping the environment. The gardens with projects featured in this exhibit are: Adkins Arboretum, Maryland: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, New York; Castle Hill on the Crane Estate, Massachusetts; Chicago Botanic Garden, Illinois; Denver Botanic Gardens, Colorado; Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve, Michigan; Green Bay Botanical Garden, Wisconsin; the Grotto Gardens at the Dayton VA Medical Center, Ohio; Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania; Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Florida; New Orleans Botanical Garden, Louisiana; Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Pennsylvania; Portland Japanese Garden, Oregon; Reiman Gardens, Iowa; San Diego Zoo, California; San Diego Zoo Safari Park, California; State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Georgia; Tohono Chul, Arizona; Tulsa Botanic Garden, Oklahoma; United States Botanic Garden, District of Columbia; Waterfront Botanical Gardens, Kentucky.
