annual awards
The American Public Gardens Association Awards are public gardens’ 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.
Honorary Life Member Award
The Honorary Life Member Award is the American Public Garden Association’s most esteemed award. Presented to an individual who has provided meritorious service to the Association over the length of their distinguished career, the award honors their uncommon devotion to the field of public horticulture. This individual will have supported the Association through active committee work, energetic membership, and leadership positions, through efforts that have contributed to the advancement of the Association. Besides Association involvement, this individual is expected to have held leadership positions that further the missions of public gardens as a whole. This award is generally given to an individual nearing or in retirement. Given its status, the Honorary Life Member Award is not expected to be given annually.
2025 – Ken Schutz, Desert Botanical Garden
2024 – Kathleen Socolofsky, University of California – Davis Arboretum and Public Garden
2023 – Ray Mims, United States Botanic Garden
2020 – Paul Meyer, Morris Arboretum
2019 – Barbara Faust, Smithsonian Gardens
2018 – Luke Messinger, Dawes Arboretum
2017 – Eric N. Tschanz
2016 – Jane G. Pepper
2015 – Holly Shimizu
2014 – Kris Jarantoski
2013 – David Barnett
2013 – Gerry Donnelly
2009 – Peter Raven
2008 – Elizabeth Scholtz
2007 – Jonathan Shaw
2005 – C. W. Eliot Paine
2004 – Judith D. Zuk
1999 – Roy L. Taylor
1993 – Joseph Oppe
1988 – Mildred E. Mathias
1987 – R. Henry Norweb, Jr.
1986 – Francis Ching
1983 – Richard W. Lighty
1981 – John E. Voight
1977 – Walter E. Eickhorst
1976 – Fred B. Widmoyer
1973 – Dorothy E. Hansell
1964 – Carl W. Fenninger
1958 – Beatrix Farrand
2026 Award Winner
Christopher Dunn, Cornell Botanic Garden
The 2026 recipient, Christopher Dunn, is the Elizabeth Newman Wilds executive director emeritus for Cornell Botanic Gardens, and his work history in plant ecology, biology, and public gardens spans almost 50 years.
Dunn has also held leadership positions throughout America (for Morton Arboretum, Chicago Botanic Gardens, and Lyon Arboretum at the University of Hawai’i). In each role, he championed a greater understanding of the science of our profession and a greater awareness of the importance of biocultural conservation (the ability to appreciate and chronicle the stories and significance of how humans interact with each other and all living things).
His journey of service to gardens and conservation, and his impact, is global. Dunn is a peer-reviewed author of many publications, contributor to seminal works, addressing climate change during his leadership with The International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
On the Association board, Dunn encouraged his peers to consider a name change and rebrand in 2006. He inspired tremendous vision for the Association and the impact of collectivity, credited with recruiting ten major public gardens, the Center for Plant Conservation, and the Association to join the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
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 have supported the mission of public gardens in areas such as horticulture/botany, leadership/organizational management, and education/engagement. The intent is that this award be given to an individual during the mid-to-latter part of their career.
2025 – Brian Kemble, Ruth Bancroft Garden
2024 – Jim Locklear, Lauritzen Gardens
2023 – Jeff Epping, Olbrich Botanical Gardens
2022 – Ronnit Bendavid-Val, Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
2021 – Sharon Loving, Longwood Gardens
2020 – Sadafumi Uchiyama, Portland Japanese Garden; Susan Hamilton, UT Gardens
2019 – Mark Runciman, Royal Botanical Gardens; Mary Pat Matheson, Atlanta Botanical Garden
2018 – Clara Curtis, North Carolina Arboretum; Harold Sweetman, Jenkins Arboretum
2017 – Kris Bachtell, Dr. Christopher Dunn
2016 – Paul Redman, Chipper Wichman
2015 – Don Rakow
2014 – Bob Lyons, Panayoti Kelaidis
2013 – Ed Schneider, Paul Meyer
2012 – Carol Line, Eric Tschanz
2011 – Brian Holley, Melissa Marshall, Shane Smith
2010 – Janet Marinelli
2010 – Patricia Collins
2009 – James P. Folsom
2008 – Peter J. Olin
2007 – Barbara Whitney Carr
2006 – Steven Timbrook
2005 – Gregory Long
2003 – Edward R. Hasselkus
2002 – Harrison Flint
2001 – Charles Lamoureux
2000 – John Creech, George Ware
1998 – Charles A. Lewis, C. W. Eliot Paine
1997 – Elizabeth McClintock
1996 – Peter H. Raven
1995 – J. C. Raulston
1994 – Gurdon L. Tarbox, Jr.
1993 – Robert Ornduff, Freek Vrugtman
1992 – Brian O. Mulligan, Elizabeth Scholtz
1991 – Ann Lyon Crammond
1990 – Carl A. Totemeier
1988 – Myron Kimnach
1987 – Roy L. Taylor
1985 – F. Raymond Brush
1984 – Geoffrey L. Rausch
1983 – Ernest B. Chew
1982 – Carlton B. Lees, Russell J. Seibert
1980 – Rosalynn Carter, Eugene E. Cline, Richard A. Howard, The Morton Arboretum
1979 – George Kelly, Ruth Ashton Nelson, Catherine Sweeney
1978 – Robert James Hilton, Leslie Laking, Joseph W. Oppe, Henry Teuscher
1977 – Hugh Steavenson
1976 – Mildred E. Mathias, John E. Voight, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
2026 Award Winner
Kara Newport, Filoli
In her decade-long tenure at Filoli in Woodside, Calif., Kara Newport has demonstrated how public gardens, as important society institutions, can become engines of equity, innovation and preservation.
In 2023, Newport lifted all Filoli’s staff pay to living wage, indexed for one of the most expensive counties in the country, with minimum hourly pay of $31, while generating a budget surplus.
Under her leadership, Filoli has grown its annual visitation sixfold to 750,000 annual visitors and its budget four-fold, proving that sustainable careers attract the talent that makes gardens thrive.
2026 Award Winner
Jennifer Ceska, State Botanical Garden of Georgia
The 2026 Award of Merit recipient, Jennifer Ceska, is the founder and statewide coordinator of the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance, a network of more than 100 partner organizations and 300 professionals from gardens, universities, state and federal agencies, and the private sector. Her work has evolved from research exploring how public gardens could support conservation to a sustained movement, coordinating actions for more than 100 imperiled species in Georgia alone and has served as a model across the region.
With an ability to translate public garden expertise into lasting species recovery and policy-relevant impact, Ceska has been an advocate for gardens. She served on Georgia’s State Wildlife Action Plan steering committee to ensure that plant conservation was integrated into statewide biodiversity priorities.
Professional Citation Award
The Professional Citation Award 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 career. More importantly, the nominee should embody great skills, innovation, and potential.
2025 – Britt Patterson-Weber, Naples Botanical Garden
2024 – Jamie Morin Frye, Newfields; Ben Stormes, UBC Botanical Garden
2023 – Leigh Taylor, Tulsa Garden Center at Woodward Park
2022 – Shari Edelson, The Arboretum at Penn State
2021 – Chad Washburn, Naples Botanical Gardens
2020 – Tara Moreau, UBC Botanical Gardens
2019 – Sarah Hedean, Smithsonian Gardens
2018 – Richie Steffen, Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden
2017 – Scott Stewart, PhD
2016 – Cynthia Druckenbrod
2015 – Michael Dosmann, Sandy Tanck
2014 – Chris Carmichael, David Michener
2013 – Patrick Griffith, Sharon Loving
2012 – Andrew Bunting, Andrea Kramer
2011 – Casey Sclar
2010 – Garry Clarke
2009 – Maureen Heffernan
2008 – Christine Flanagan
2007 – Kathleen Socolofsky
2006 – Sarah Reichard
2005 – Cynthia Klemmer
2004 – Scot Medbury
2003 – Christopher Woods
2002 – David A. Galbraith
2001 – Paul Meyer
2000 – Jennifer Ceska
1999 – James Folsom
1998 – Richard V. Piacentini
1997 – Rick Darke
1996 – Robert Hays
1995 – Robert Brackman
1994 – David Murbach
1992 – Pierre Bourque
1991 – Lucy Tolmach
1990 – Bernard Jackson
1989 – Victor Gass
2026 Award Winner
Christy Rollinson, The Morton Arboretum
As a senior scientist leading the Forest Ecology Lab at The Morton Arboretum, 2026 Professional Citation Award Recipient Christy Rollinson’s research has been published in top-tier journals and cited more than 1,000 times. Her work advances our understanding of how climate change and human activity impact trees and forest ecosystems.
Since 2017, she has coordinated the collection of hundreds of thousands of tree phenology observations, contributing invaluable ecological data to the national public database and opening that research to the broader scientific community.
Rollinson delivers her research to social media, classrooms, and regional and national media appearances, where she demystifies climate science for all types of audiences. She has earned deep respect across both academic and public spheres.
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. In her honor, this award recognizes outstanding marketing and communications campaigns and/or publications that advance a public garden’s mission. Nominations for this award should demonstrate:
- The campaign or publication’s efficacy in achieving its goals
- The campaign or publication’s contribution to advancing the garden’s mission and values
- Creativity and innovation in engagement, design, and implementation
The size and budget of nominees will be considered in deliberation.
2025 – Huntsville Botanical Garden; Rebranding
2024 – Life Grows at the Leaf – Assiniboine Park Conservancy; Derecho Recovery – Tulsa Garden Center
2023 – The Palm Beaches in Bloom; Mounts Botanical Garden; 100 Years: Growing Strong; Morton Arboretum
2022- “This is the Garden You Made” – Houston Botanical Garden; 2021 Philadelphia Flower Show – Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
2021 – “Everybody’s Garden”; San Francisco Botanical Gardens; Cheekwood, Where Flowers (Virtually) Bloom
2020 – Replant & Regrow, Naples Botanical Garden; Tree Week, Missouri Botanical Garden
2019 – Stoneleigh Gardens: “Save Stoneleigh”; Longwood Gardens, Fountain Restoration”
2018 – Print Communications: Gardens on Spring Creek, “NoCo Bloom”
2017 – Special Exhibit Marketing: Desert Botanical Garden, “Bruce Munro: Sonoran Light at Desert Botanical Garden”
2016– Branding: The Morton Arboretum, “The Champion of Trees”
2015 – Small Budget: The Gardens on Spring Creek, Plant it Forward – Fighting Hunger from the Ground Up; Large Budget: Longwood Gardens, Longwood Meadow Campaign
2012 – Website: Lotusland
2011 – Publication: Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University; Polly Hill Arboretum
2010 – Membership Brochure: 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
2006 – Development Brochures for Capital Campaign: Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens
2005 – Newsletter: The Holden Arboretum, Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, Montgomery Botanical Center, Cox Arboretum & Gardens MetroPark
2004 – Annual Report: Cornell Plantations, The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College
2003 – Garden Website: Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
2002 – Rack Brochure: Highstead Arboretum, Bok Tower Gardens
2001 – Membership Brochure: Garvan Woodland Arboretum, Leila Arboretum, Hatcher Garden & Woodland Preserve
2000 – Garden Guide Map: White River Gardens, Better Homes and Gardens Test Gardens
1999 – Educational Course Catalog: New York Botanical Garden – Continuing Education
1998 – Special Event Announcement/Invitation: Fairchild Tropical Garden, The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Botanical Garden & Arboretum
1997 – Newsletter: Reeves-Reed Arboretum, National Tropical Botanical Garden
1996 – Membership Brochures: The University of Idaho Arboretum & Botanical Garden, National Tropical Botanical Garden,
1995 – Garden Guide Maps: Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, Vanderbilt University, The New York Botanical Garden, Chicago Botanic Garden
1994 – Rack Brochure: Blithewold Mansion & Gardens, Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Highstead Arboretum, Norfolk Botanical Garden
1993 – Newsletter: Callaway Gardens, Georgia Southern Botanical Garden
1992 – Membership Brochure: The Haverford College Campus Arboretum, Powell Gardens, New England Wild Flower Society
1991 – Annual Report: The Haverford College Campus Arboretum, Memphis Botanic Garden, Chicago Botanic Garden
1990 – Map/Brochure: Hoyt Arboretum, Longwood Gardens
1989 – Education Brochure: Chicago Botanic Garden, Haverford College Campus Arboretum
1988 – Membership Brochure: Atlanta Botanical Garden; Newsletter: Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania
1987 – Quarterly Publication: Pacific Horticulture Foundation; Map/Brochure: Huntington Botanical Gardens
1986 – Education Brochure: Massachusetts Horticultural Society; Postcard: National Tropical Botanical Garden
1985 – Single Topic Publication: Huntington Botanical Gardens; Poster: Missouri Botanical Garden
1984 – Annual Report: The New York Botanical Garden; News Release: Brooklyn Botanic Garden
1983 – Membership Brochure: Chicago Botanic Garden; Newsletter: The New York Botanical Garden
1982 – Map/Brochure: Longwood Gardens; Quarterly Publication: The Morton Arboretum
1981 – Postcard: Strybing Arboretum; Single-Subject Guide: University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum
1980 – Press Release: The Dawes Arboretum; Technical Paper: University of British Columbia Botanical Garden
1979 – Newsletter: Missouri Botanical Garden; Map/Brochure: Strybing Arboretum
2026 Award Winner
Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden Find Your True Nature
Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden launched their Your True Nature campaign to tell the story of a garden that is a true, year-round destination and not just a dome. Their use of every channel available (video, print, digital, social, signage, newsletters, a custom magazine, and PR) to reach segmented audiences in personal ways allowed them to encourage every visitor to define “true nature” for themselves and reinforce inclusion.
The Your True Nature campaign results were measurable and historic, driving the highest visitor numbers in the Garden’s history, with nearly 43,000 attendees across 10 signature events.
Program Excellence Award
The Program Excellence Award is presented to 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 for audiences to engage with the public garden and its mission. The committee will take into consideration a garden’s budget when determining the award recipient.
2025 – The Morton Arboretum; Chicago Region Trees Initiative and Springs Preserve; Nuwu Pahsats
2024 – Missouri Botanical Garden Green Business Project; UC-Davis Arboretum and Public Garden, Learning by Leading
2023 – Working Woods, Holden Forest & Gardens; Rooted Wisdom, Adkins Arboretum
2022 – Forest Project, Wave Hill; ArbNet, Morton Arboretum
2021 – Longwood Gardens, Community Read; Nebraska Statewide Arboretum – Bloom Box
2020 – Windy City Harvest, Chicago Botanic Garden; Bringing Books to Life, Myriad Botanical Garden
2019 – Children at Play Network, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest; Epiphytes of Belize, Marie Selby Botanical Garden
2018 – North Carolina Botanical Garden, “Wonder Connection”; Portland Japanese Garden, Japanese Garden Training Center
2017 – Small Budget: The Hands-on-Nature Anarchy Zone at Ithaca Children’s Garden; Large Budget: The Chanticleer Scholarship in Professional Development
2016 – Small Budget: Jardin Botanico De Cicieana; Large Budget: United States Botanic Garden and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Landscape for Life
2015 – Small Garden: The Water Conservation Garden, Ms. Smarty-Plants; Large Garden: Chicago Botanic Garden, Science Career Continuum
2014 – The Fairchild Challenge, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
2013 – The Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance, State Botanical Gardens of Georgia
2012 – Smithsonian Institution: The Archives of American Gardens (AAG)
2011 – Longwood Gardens, Professional Gardener Training Program
2010 – The Sustainable Sites Initiative
2009 – Queens Botanical Garden
2008 – Chicago Botanic Garden
2008 – Missouri Botanical Garden
2007 – Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
2006 – Albuquerque Biological Parks
2006 – Rio Grande Botanical Garden
2005 – New England Wildflower Society
2004 – Atlanta Botanical Garden
2004 – North Carolina Botanical Garden
2003 – Brooklyn Botanic Garden
2002 – Marie Selby Botanical Garden
2001 – Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden
2000 – EARTH University
1999 – Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s Andersen Horticultural Library
1998 – Midwest Public Gardens Collaborative: Chicago Botanic Garden; The Holden Arboretum; Minnesota Landscape Arboretum; Missouri Botanical Garden; The Morton Arboretum
1997 – Harold L. Lyon Arboretum, Micropropagation of Endangered Hawaiian Plants
1996 – The Holden Arboretum, Conservation Program
1996 – Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Plant Scholars Program
1995 – Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Community Landscape Improvement Program
1995 – The National Tropical Botanical Garden, Growing Seed: The Wiliwili Project
1994 – North Carolina Zoological Park, Sonoran Desert Collection
1993 – Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Youth Education Program
1992 – The North Carolina State Arboretum, Plant Research, Evaluation and Introduction
1991 – University of British Columbia Botanical Garden, Plant Introduction Scheme
1990 – Arboretum School of the Barnes Foundation
1989 – Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Children’s Garden
2026 Award Winner: New York Botanical Garden Branch Out
Launched in 2022, Branch Out is NYBG’s signature employee engagement program, designed to help staff thrive. Throughout the year, the program offers monthly gatherings for wellness activities, skill-building, and creative experiences. The centerpiece is an annual multi-day celebration that turns the Garden into a campus of discovery with behind-the-scenes tours, career development workshops, staff-led innovation panels, and social events that build real connections across departments.
Operational Sustainability Award
The Operational Sustainability Award is presented to an American Public Gardens Association member garden in recognition of their outstanding dedication and achievements in promoting sustainability through their programs, operations and/or research. Nominations for this award, which is given to an organization in its entirety, should demonstrate innovation and applicability to the public garden world and beyond. The size and budget of nominees will be considered in deliberation. Nominations for this award should provide evidence of the organization’s commitment to the attributes represented in the Public Garden Sustainability Index.
2024 – Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
2023 – New Hanover County Arboretum
2021 – Duke Farms
2020 – Bok Tower Gardens
2019 – New York Botanical Garden
2018 – Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest
2017 – Missouri Botanical Garden
2016 – Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
2026 Award Winner
Queens Botanical Garden
In 2025, Queens Botanical Garden diverted over 88,000 pounds of organic waste from landfills, engaged over 23,000 school children in environmental learning, and supported over 1,200 biodiverse species of plants and wildlife.
Garden Excellence Award
The Garden Excellence Award is presented to an American Public Gardens Association Institutional Member who demonstrates and is committed to the highest standards of achievement in horticulture, conservation, education, and sustainability. Nominations for this award, which is given to an organization in its entirety, should demonstrate regionally appropriate plant collections, a collections policy that preserves biological diversity and avoids invasive species, accessible education and outreach programs that connect people to plants, and a commitment to sustainable practices in maintenance and management of the public garden.
The size and budget of nominees will be considered in deliberation. Given the status of this award, it is not expected to be given on an annual basis.
2025 – San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
2023 – Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
2022 – Vallarta Botanical Garden
2021 – Atlanta Botanical Garden
2020 – Portland Japanese Garden
2019 – Brookgreen Gardens
2018 – Denver Botanic Garden
2017 – Naples Botanical Garden
2016 – Crosby Arboretum
2015 – Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, Luci and Ian Family Garden
2014 – Longwood Gardens
2013 – Sarah P. Duke Gardens
2012 – Springs Preserve
2011 – Bok Tower Gardens
2010 – Smithsonian Gardens
2009 – Betty Ford Alpine Gardens
2008 – Bloedel Reserve
2007 – Chanticleer Foundation
2006 – Chicago Botanic Garden
2005 – Olbrich Botanical Gardens
2004 – Missouri Botanical Garden
2003 – Ganna Walska Lotusland
2026 Award Winner
Colorado Springs Utilities
Colorado Springs Utilities Water Wise Demonstrate Garden was selected as a living testament to ecological stewardship, horticultural artistry, and civic responsibility. The Garden’s free programs connect people of all ages and backgrounds to the value of a living landscape.
The Garden’s impact extends far beyond Colorado Springs as the staff leads major statewide initiatives, including development of the Colorado Native Grass Guide and Working Group and the Landscape Education for Water Conservation effort, which identified 72 essential skills for water-efficient landscape management.
Brian Vogt 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.
In 2025, the award was renamed in honor of Brian Vogt.
2025 – Brian Vogt
2023 – Mary Brinegar
2021 – Tom Smarr
2020 – Paul Redman
2019 – Dr. William E. “Bill” Barrick
2018 – Catherine Hubbard
2017 – Nicola Ripley
2016 – Dr. Richard Lighty and Sally Lighty
2015 – Barbara Faust
2014 – Linda Eirhart
2013 – Nancy Bechtol
2012 – Rick Colbert
2011 – Richard V. Piacentini
2010 – Mary Pat Matheson
2009 – Don A. Rakow
2008 – Gerry Donnelly
2007 – Rick Lewandowski
2006 – George Briggs
2005 – Cheryl Lowe
2026 Award Winner
Bill LeFevre
In addition to his transformational leadership at Duke Gardens, Bill LeFevre has dedicated time and attention to the entire field of public gardens. He cares deeply about the people who work in it and about the role of public gardens in the world. LeFevre served on APGA’s’ Executive Committee for 12 years and held numerous offices.
Please note: Gardens are encouraged to self-nominate for the Garden Excellence, Program Excellence, Dorothy E, Hansell, and Sustainability Awards. Standing Association Board Members and Members of the Awards Committee are not eligible for Honorary Life Member, Award of Merit, or Professional Citation awards.
The Brian Vogt Service Award is awarded by the Board of Directors.
