annual awards
The American Public Gardens Association Awards are public horticulture’s best showcase for the most influential, thought-provoking individuals and organizations. These award winners set a professional precedent for other individuals and organizations to follow.
2024 nominations now open
2020 Award Winner
Paul Meyer, Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
Not awarded in 2021, 2022, or 2023
Honorary Life Member
American Public Gardens Association confers its most prestigious award, the Honorary Life Member Award, upon an individual who has provided meritorious service to the Association over a long period of time and has displayed an uncommon devotion to the field of public horticulture. The award is designed to honor an individual who has for many years supported the Association through active committee work, energetic membership, and leadership positions and whose efforts have led to the advancement of the Association. Besides working tirelessly for the Association, this individual is expected to have held leadership positions that further the missions of public gardens. This award is generally given to an individual nearing or in retirement. Given the status of this award, it is not expected to be given on an annual basis.
1958 Beatrix Farrand
1964 Carl W. Fenninger
1973 Dorothy E. Hansell
1976 Fred B. Widmoyer
1977 Walter E. Eickhorst
1981 John E. Voight
1983 Richard W. Lighty
1986 Francis Ching
1987 R. Henry Norweb, Jr.
1988 Mildred E. Mathias
1993 Joseph Oppe
1999 Roy L. Taylor
2004 Judith D. Zuk
2005 C. W. Eliot Paine
2007 Jonathan Shaw
2008 Elizabeth Scholtz
2009 Peter Raven
2013 David Barnett
2013 Gerry Donnelly
2014 Kris Jarantoski
2015 Holly Shimizu
2016 Jane G. Pepper
2017 Eric N. Tschanz
2018 Luke Messinger, Dawes Arboretum
2023 Award Winner
Jeff Epping, Olbrich Botanical Gardens
Award of Merit
The Award of Merit recognizes an American Public Gardens Association member who has performed with distinction in the field of public horticulture and has excelled as a public garden professional at one or more institutions. The recipient’s accomplishments will encompass some combination of botany, horticulture, conservation, gardening, research, extension, education, development, or administration. The intent is that this award be given to an individual during the mid-to-latter part of an illustrious career.
1976 – Mildred E. Mathias, John E. Voight, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
1977 – Hugh Steavenson
1978 – Robert James Hilton, Leslie Laking, Joseph W. Oppe, Henry Teuscher
1979 – George Kelly, Ruth Ashton Nelson, Catherine Sweeney
1980 – Rosalynn Carter, Eugene E. Cline, Richard A. Howard, The Morton Arboretum
1982 – Carlton B. Lees, Russell J. Seibert
1983 – Ernest B. Chew
1984 – Geoffrey L. Rausch
1985 – F. Raymond Brush
1987 – Roy L. Taylor
1988 – Myron Kimnach
1990 – Carl A. Totemeier
1991 – Ann Lyon Crammond
1992 – Brian O. Mulligan, Elizabeth Scholtz
1993 – Robert Ornduff, Freek Vrugtman
1994 – Gurdon L. Tarbox, Jr.
1995 – J. C. Raulston
1996 – Peter H. Raven
1997 – Elizabeth McClintock
1998 – Charles A. Lewis, C. W. Eliot Paine
2000 – John Creech, George Ware
2001 – Charles Lamoureux
2002 – Harrison Flint
2003 – Edward R. Hasselkus
2005 – Gregory Long
2006 – Steven Timbrook
2007 – Barbara Whitney Carr
2008 – Peter J. Olin
2009 – James P. Folsom
2010 – Janet Marinelli
2010 – Patricia Collins
2011 – Brian Holley, Melissa Marshall, Shane Smith
2012 – Carol Line, Eric Tschanz
2013 – Ed Schneider, Paul Meyer
2014 – Bob Lyons, Panayoti Kelaidis
2015 – Don Rakow
2016 – Paul Redman, Chipper Wichman
2017 – Kris Bachtell, Dr. Christopher Dunn
2018 – Clara Curtis, North Carolina Arboretum; Harold Sweetman, Jenkins Arboretum
2019 – Mark Runciman, Royal Botanical Gardens; Mary Pat Matheson, Atlanta Botanical Garden
2020 – Sadafumi Uchiyama, Portland Japanese Garden; Susan Hamilton, UT Gardens
2023 Award Winner
Leigh Taylor, Tulsa Garden Center at Woodward Park
Professional Citation
The Professional Citation recognizes the significant achievements in public horticulture of an American Public Gardens Association member who has excelled in one of the disciplines generally associated with public gardens such as botany, horticulture, gardening, conservation, research, education, extension, development, or administration. Recipients may be at the early-to mid-point of their prestigious career. More importantly, the nominee should embody great skills, innovation, and potential.
1989 – Victor Gass
1990 – Bernard Jackson
1991 – Lucy Tolmach
1992 – Pierre Bourque
1994 – David Murbach
1995 – Robert Brackman
1996 – Robert Hays
1997 – Rick Darke
1998 – Richard V. Piacentini
1999 – James Folsom
2000 – Jennifer Ceska
2001 – Paul Meyer
2002 – David A. Galbraith
2003 – Christopher Woods
2004 – Scot Medbury
2005 – Cynthia Klemmer
2006 – Sarah Reichard
2007 – Kathleen Socolofsky
2008 – Christine Flanagan
2009 – Maureen Heffernan
2010 – Garry Clarke
2011 – Casey Sclar
2012 – Andrew Bunting, Andrea Kramer
2013 – Patrick Griffith, Sharon Loving
2014 – Chris Carmichael, David Michener
2015 – Michael Dosmann, Sandy Tanck
2016 – Cynthia Druckenbrod
2017 – Scott Stewart, PhD
2018 – Richie Steffen, Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden
2019 – Sarah Hedean, Smithsonian Gardens
2020 – Tara Moreau, UBC Botanical Gardens
2023 Award Winner: Holden Forest & Gardens
Working Woods
2023 Award Winner: Adkins Arboretum
Rooted Wisdom
Program Excellence Award
This award is reserved for an American Public Gardens Association institutional member who has displayed a truly innovative spirit in the development of an original and completed program. Programs can be defined as any activity or experience that provides an opportunity to engage with the public garden and its mission. The committee will take into consideration a garden’s budget when determining the award recipient.
1990 Arboretum School of the Barnes Foundation
1991 University of British Columbia Botanical Garden, Plant Introduction Scheme
1992 The North Carolina State Arboretum, Plant Research, Evaluation and Introduction
1993 Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Youth Education Program
1994 North Carolina Zoological Park, Sonoran Desert Collection
1995 Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Community Landscape Improvement Program
1995 The National Tropical Botanical Garden, Growing Seed: The Wiliwili Project
1996 The Holden Arboretum, Conservation Program
1996 Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Plant Scholars Program
1997 Harold L. Lyon Arboretum, Micropropagation of Endangered Hawaiian Plants
1998 Midwest Public Gardens Collaborative: Chicago Botanic Garden; The Holden Arboretum; Minnesota Landscape Arboretum; Missouri Botanical Garden; The Morton Arboretum
1999 Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s Andersen Horticultural Library
2000 EARTH University
2001 Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden
2002 Marie Selby Botanical Garden
2003 Brooklyn Botanic Garden
2004 Atlanta Botanical Garden
2004 North Carolina Botanical Garden
2005 New England Wildflower Society
2006 Albuquerque Biological Parks
2006 Rio Grande Botanical Garden
2007 Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
2008 Chicago Botanic Garden
2008 Missouri Botanical Garden
2009 Queens Botanical Garden
2010 The Sustainable Sites Initiative
2011 Longwood Gardens, Professional Gardener Training Program
2012 Smithsonian Institution: The Archives of American Gardens (AAG)
2013 The Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance, State Botanical Gardens of Georgia
2014 The Fairchild Challenge, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
2015 – Small Garden: The Water Conservation Garden, Ms. Smarty-Plants; Large Garden: Chicago Botanic Garden, Science Career Continuum
2016 – Small Budget: Jardin Botanico De Cicieana; Large Budget: United States Botanic Garden and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Landscape for Life
2017 – Small Budget: The Hands-on-Nature Anarchy Zone at Ithaca Children’s Garden; Large Budget: The Chanticleer Scholarship in Professional Development
2018 – North Carolina Botanical Garden, “Wonder Connection”; Portland Japanese Garden, Japanese Garden Training Center
2019 – Children at Play Network, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest; Epiphytes of Belize, Marie Selby Botanical Garden
2020 – Windy City Harvest, Chicago Botanic Garden; Bringing Books to Life, Myriad Botanical Garden
2021 – Longwood Gardens, Community Read; Nebraska Statewide Arboretum – Bloom Box
2022 – Forest Project, Wave Hill; ArbNet, Morton Arboretum
2023 Award Winner
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
Award for Garden Excellence
Started in 2003, the Award for Garden Excellence is an annual award given to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices. Selected by its peers, the award recipient is a public garden that has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices. The criteria for this award, which are given to the public garden in their entirety, include:
- The best designed and most horticulturally outstanding display;
- Gardening practices that are appropriate to a local or regional environment and reflect environmentally informed horticulture;
- Maintenance of commitment to plant collections;
- Demonstrated commitment to the national or a regional horticultural community;
- Encouraging students of gardening at all levels through innovative horticultural practices.
2003 – Ganna Walska Lotusland
2004 – Missouri Botanical Garden
2005 – Olbrich Botanical Gardens
2006 – Chicago Botanic Garden
2007 – Chanticleer Foundation
2008 – Bloedel Reserve
2009 – Betty Ford Alpine Gardens
2010 – Smithsonian Gardens
2011 – Bok Tower Gardens
2012 – Springs Preserve
2013 – Sarah P. Duke Gardens
2014 – Longwood Gardens
2015 – Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, Luci and Ian Family Garden
2016 – Crosby Arboretum
2017 – Naples Botanical Garden
2018 – Denver Botanic Garden
2019 – Brookgreen Gardens
2020 – Portland Japanese Garden
2021 – Atlanta Botanical Garden
2022 – Vallarta Botanical Garden
2023 Award Winner
The Palm Beaches in Bloom; Mounts Botanical Garden
2023 Award Winner
100 Years: Growing Strong; Morton Arboretum
Dorothy E. Hansell Marketing Award
The Marketing Award is a tribute to Dorothy E. Hansell, former editor of the New York Botanical Garden’s Garden Journal, the newsletter and bulletin of the Holly Society of America, the American Bonsai Society Journal, and the APGA Bulletin. Hansell’s reputation of excellence in horticultural and botanical journalism was matched by her dedication to developing the discipline within the field of public horticulture. In her honor, this award recognizes outstanding marketing and communications campaigns and/or publications that advance a public garden’s mission. The criteria for this award include:
- The efficacy of the campaign or publication in achieving its goals;
- Advancement of the garden’s mission;
- Creativity and innovation in engagement, design, approach, and/or implementation of campaign;
- Garden’s budget for campaign or publication, including staff and volunteer hours;
- Garden’s overall budget.
1979 – Newsletter: Missouri Botanical Garden; Map/Brochure: Strybing Arboretum
1980 – Press Release: The Dawes Arboretum; Technical Paper: University of British Columbia Botanical Garden
1981 – Postcard: Strybing Arboretum; Single-Subject Guide: University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum
1982 – Map/Brochure: Longwood Gardens; Quarterly Publication: The Morton Arboretum
1983 – Membership Brochure: Chicago Botanic Garden; Newsletter: The New York Botanical Garden
1984 – Annual Report: The New York Botanical Garden; News Release: Brooklyn Botanic Garden
1985 – Single Topic Publication: Huntington Botanical Gardens; Poster: Missouri Botanical Garden
1986 – Education Brochure: Massachusetts Horticultural Society; Postcard: National Tropical Botanical Garden
1987 – Quarterly Publication: Pacific Horticulture Foundation; Map/Brochure: Huntington Botanical Gardens
1988 – Membership Brochure: Atlanta Botanical Garden; Newsletter: Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
1989 – Education Brochure: Chicago Botanic Garden, Haverford College Campus Arboretum
1990 – Map/Brochure: Hoyt Arboretum, Longwood Gardens
1991 – Annual Report: The Haverford College Campus Arboretum, Memphis Botanic Garden, Chicago Botanic Garden
1992 – Membership Brochure: The Haverford College Campus Arboretum, Powell Gardens, New England Wild Flower Society
1993 – Newsletter: Callaway Gardens, Georgia Southern Botanical Garden
1994 – Rack Brochure: Blithewold Mansion & Gardens, Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Highstead Arboretum, Norfolk Botanical Garden
1995 – Garden Guide Maps: Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, Vanderbilt University, The New York Botanical Garden, Chicago Botanic Garden
1996 – Membership Brochures: The University of Idaho Arboretum & Botanical Garden, National Tropical Botanical Garden,
1997 – Newsletter: Reeves-Reed Arboretum, National Tropical Botanical Garden
1998 – Special Event Announcement/Invitation: Fairchild Tropical Garden, The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Botanical Garden & Arboretum
1999 – Educational Course Catalog: New York Botanical Garden – Continuing Education
2000 – Garden Guide Map: White River Gardens, Better Homes and Gardens Test Gardens
2001 – Membership Brochure: Garvan Woodland Arboretum, Leila Arboretum, Hatcher Garden & Woodland Preserve
2002 – Rack Brochure: Highstead Arboretum, Bok Tower Gardens
2003 – Garden Website: Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
2004 – Annual Report: Cornell Plantations, The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College
2005 – Newsletter: The Holden Arboretum, Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, Montgomery Botanical Center, Cox Arboretum & Gardens MetroPark
2006 – Development Brochures for Capital Campaign: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
2009 – Wayfinding/Guide Maps: Haverford College Arborteum Association, Norfolk Botanical Garden, Website: Lurie Garden – Millennium Park, North Carolina Botanical Garden, Wave Hill, Electronic Newsletter: Franklin Park Conservatory
2010 – Membership Brochure: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
2011 – Publication: Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University; Polly Hill Arboretum
2012 – Website: Lotusland
2015 – Small Budget: The Gardens on Spring Creek, Plant it Forward – Fighting Hunger from the Ground Up; Large Budget: Longwood Gardens, Longwood Meadow Campaign
2016– Branding: The Morton Arboretum, “The Champion of Trees”
2017 – Special Exhibit Marketing: Desert Botanical Garden, “Bruce Munro: Sonoran Light at Desert Botanical Garden”
2018 – Print Communications: Gardens on Spring Creek, “NoCo Bloom”
2019 – Stoneleigh Gardens: “Save Stoneleigh”; Longwood Gardens, Fountain Restoration”
2020 – Replant & Regrow, Naples Botanical Garden; Tree Week, Missouri Botanical Garden
2021 – “Everybody’s Garden”; San Francisco Botanical Gardens; Cheekwood, Where Flowers (Virtually) Bloom
2022- “This is the Garden You Made” – Houston Botanical Garden; 2021 Philadelphia Flower Show – Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
2023 Award Winner
New Hanover County Arboretum
Operational Sustainability Award
Public gardens have a unique ability to demonstrate leadership in the promotion of sustainability because of their recognized expertise in plants, biodiversity and ecosystem health — elements of the natural world dependent on public opinion and behaviors.
This award is given to an American Public Gardens Association member garden, in recognition of their outstanding dedication and achievements in promoting sustainability through their programs, operation, facilities and/or research. Factors in selecting an award winner include influence, innovation and applicability to the public garden world and beyond. The committee will take into consideration budget when determining the award recipient. Self-submission is welcome and encouraged.
2016 – Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
2017 – Missouri Botanical Garden
2018 – Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
2019 – New York Botanical Garden
2020 – Bok Tower Gardens
2023 – New Hanover County Arboretum
2023 Award Winner
Mary Brinegar
Service Award
This Award is reserved for an individual who has shown selfless service to the organization through work that advances the Professional Communities, service on an Association Committee, and/or the Association’s Board of Directors.
2006 – George Briggs
2007 – Rick Lewandowski
2008 – Gerry Donnelly
2009 – Don A. Rakow
2010 – Mary Pat Matheson
2011 – Richard V. Piacentini
2012 – Rick Colbert
2013 – Nancy Bechtol
2014 – Linda Eirhart
2015 – Barbara Faust
2016 – Dr. Richard Lighty and Sally Lighty
2017 – Nicola Ripley
2018 – Catherine Hubbard
2019 – Dr. William E. “Bill” Barrick
2020 – Paul Redman
2021 – Tom Smarr
