Category — North American Experience

North American Experience (NAX) 2009 began slightly less than a week ago when we all boarded a plane in Baltimore and headed for Florida.  Our landing in Miami may have been a bit bumpy, and getting our rental van a bit frustrating, but in no way did these experiences serve as a metaphor for our travels ahead.  What we were about to see and experience could never have been predicted by even the best Web site or personal conversation prior to our journey. At each stop along our diverse itinerary, our hosts welcomed us with an enthusiasm for our visit and a genuine spirit of excitement to showcase their institutions… and each shined in doing so.  We all listened carefully wherever we were and we engaged almost every other sense to help us remember each site.  We licked the back of mangrove leaves and tasted unusual tropical fruits, experienced a plethora of fragrances from both flowers and foliage, listened to the sounds of water and wildlife most everywhere we went, experienced a myriad of plant textures, and took tons of photographs. And yet, for reasons likely attributable to our career choice of public horticulture, we would like to return again to add to our experiences!

An abstract view of the outstanding bismarckia palm.

Star fruit...Just some of the fruits we tasted along the way.

The North American Experience does more than showcase plant collections, it showcases people; and if public horticulture leadership can be taught, then leadership by example may be one of the best teaching strategies. At each one of the sites on the NAX itinerary, the staff candidly and openly shared their success stories, challenges, creative approaches to problem solving, plans for the future, and how they viewed themselves as unique amongst other public horticulture institutions.   Our hosts also shared how they “fit” within their neighborhoods and communities, whether in ways to increase their own membership or how they can enhance the educational curriculum of the local school systems. Our hosts were especially interested in the future of public horticulture, and discussed institutional survival and/or expansion in terms of financial, capital, and human resources, which indeed included roles for the students.  We witnessed an infectious optimism everywhere we went, regardless of the size or age of the institutions we visited.  Sources of private and public support were changing but clearly evident, volunteers provided valuable contributions for all staff and departments, and institutional relationship building was alive and well.

Peering through the giant milkweed.

Even the reflections were beautiful at Vizcaya.

We owe much to those who took the time to meet with us during NAX 2009 – South Florida.  We return home with a greater understanding of public horticulture operations and an increased network of professional colleagues who we hope to see again in the future!

Cascading waters at Vizcaya.

Richard Keefe and Carolann Sharkey of Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden

Today we headed to our final destination, Montgomery Botanical Center. Unlike many of the institutions we have visited throughout the week, Montgomery is primarily in the business of research and conservation, with a focus on palms and cycads collected from the wild.

Scenic vista of Montgomery estate house

The site of Montgomery Botanical Center was the private home of Colonel Robert H. Montgomery and his wife, purchased in 1932. After developing a renowned and much visited collection of palms and cycads, Col. Montgomery decided to found Fairchild Tropical Botanical as a public garden for everyone to see. After he passed away, his wife Nell founded the then Montgomery Foundation and continued giving land parcels to the organization throughout her life. When she passed away in 1990, she bequeathed the remainder of the 120-acre property to the Montgomery Botanical Center, along with a substantial endowment.

Director, Dr. Patrick Griffith, telling Fellows about conservation efforts at Montogomery Botanical Center

Today, the Center is open by appointment only and has about 750 visitors annually, many of them visiting scientists from around the world. In line with its collection focus, it holds approximately 400 of the world’s 3000 palm species and 230 of the world’s 300 cycad species. We met with Executive Director Dr. Patrick Griffith, who spent the entire morning giving us a thorough tour of the amazing collections. Ms. Tracy Magellan, Community Outreach Manager, and Dr. Chad Husby, Collections Manager and Botanist, also accompanied us and shared their expertise. We first visited with the Collections Department staff to see their plant database and mapping operations. And we also got a chance to see the Seed Bank operation, overseen by Seedbank Coordinator Judy Kay. Judy pollinates plants, and collects and stores seed and pollen from throughout the garden. Many of the seeds are provided to botanic gardens throughout the world, and a portion is auctioned off to plant collectors. The Center will soon be breaking ground on a new seed bank facility, which will triple the size available.

Judy Kay, Montgomery Seed Coordinator, with recently collected fruits of Nypa fruticans

Throughout the tour, Patrick pointed out many rare and unusual species, each with its own unique story. One of the rarest palms in the collection was Corypha taliera. There are only twenty of these plants left on the planet, all of them held in botanical collections. Montgomery Botanical Garden holds thirteen of these, which will not flower until they are 80 years old. Once they flower they will die, but they produce millions of flowers and seeds, which will be crucial to the future of this rare plant.

Closeup of palm fruits

Montgomery Botanical Center has three biologists who focus on cycads, palms, and a relatively new collection of tropical conifers. These scientists travel around the world collecting new species, which they will plant and study at the Center. This work has resulted in some new plant discoveries and introductions, such as Syagrus vermicularis. This palm, with its yellow and stringy flower structures, was named after vermicelli pasta, and is native to Brazil.

Closeup of palm flowers

During our visit, Patrick and his staff spoke a lot about hurricane damage, which is a huge threat to these rare collections. We saw several species that were still recovering from Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Many of the species collected from other areas of the world are not very hurricane-tolerant, and the rarest species are distributed throughout the world to protect the few surviving specimens. We did get to see a large Pithecellobium dulce, which was knocked to the ground in 1992 and has continued to grow, sending up new shoots and branches at a 90-degree angle.

Jon Pixler supports a precious palm from the dangerous winds in Miami - What dedication!

We enjoyed our visit to the Montgomery Botanical Garden Center immensely. The staff was welcoming and extremely knowledgeable and the collections amazed us. It was a great way to wrap up our institutional visits in South Florida.

With the forecast calling for storms, we headed to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (FTBG) just down the street from where we are staying in Coral Gables. When we arrived at the Garden, we were greeted by former Longwood Graduate Fellow Ms. Christie Leiva. Recently promoted to Horticulture Supervisor, Christie oversees the maintenance of the Garden’s extensive plant collections, spanning over the institution’s 83 acres.  The FTBG mission is, “…to save tropical plant diversity by exploring, explaining and conserving the world of tropical plants…” Dr. Carl Lewis, the Director, and Christie discussed how this vision is communicated through the institution’s tremendous plant collections, conservation initiatives, and innovative educational and research programs.

Group shot in front of the lakes.

Chihuly glass artwork in conservatory.

The garden was originally designed by William Philips, student of notable landscape architect Fredrick Law Olmstead. Unlike other historical estates FTBG was intended to be just a garden, and never a residential estate. Therefore, Philips’ design was simple and, as Christie explained, follows a traditional museum layout, with long “hallways” of turf leading to gallery-like spaces. Even today this layout holds true, with plant additions placed in the beds like paintings on gallery walls, lining the edges of the turf corridors. The design allows for better plant growth providing ample space and sun exposure for the diverse plant collections.

Close up of the cannon ball tree (couroupita guianensis).

The Garden hosts a wealth of remarkable taxonomic and geographic collections representing species from tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world.  The most significant of all the plant collections at FTBG are palms and cycads, representing over 500 and 120 species, respectively. One palm of particular significance that was highlighted during our tour was a species in the genus Carpoxylon. Through the mid 1980s the species was only known by a single seed that was held in the London Natural History Museum, but had never before been described in the wild. Knowing nothing about the appearance of the plant, researchers pieced together a possible description of what a mature specimen might look like, based only on the single seed in collection. In the late 1980s, the species was finally identified in the wild by researchers on an expedition to Fiji. Remarkably, the description that was developed from the single seed closely matched the plant’s actual appearance.

Shari and Andrew hanging out under the fig tree.

In the end, our visit to the Garden and discussions with staff was a tremendous experience and opportunity. So much so, that we will be returning tomorrow afternoon for round two at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden!

This afternoon, we drove across the state to visit the up and coming Naples Botanical Garden. Brainstormed by local residents in the mid 1990s, the Garden is currently completing construction and will open to the public on November 14th, 2009. Executive Director Brian Holley and his staff graciously invited us to visit the 160-acre site, which was an invaluable experience to learn more about botanic garden creation and construction.

The new (and colorful!) Visitor Center at the Naples Botanical Garden

A view of the entrance garden with its beautiful mosaic wall and lively plantings

A close-up of the Naples Botanical Garden's mosaic wall

While a typical South Florida rainstorm passed by, we had the opportunity to hear the perspectives of Jill Barry, Director of External Affairs, and Joyce Zirkle, Chief Operating Officer. We then boarded golf carts to get an overview of the site, stopping to see the progress on some of the notable garden locations, including the Children’s Garden, the Brazilian Garden, and the pond system. We had the expertise of Brian Galligan, Horticulture Manager, who pointed out some of the notable plant specimens along the way.

Executive Director Brian Holley telling Dan and Andrew an exciting tale

Dan on the boardwalk near the Caribbean Garden

Both Brians then sat down with us to discuss the garden structure and history. The purpose of this garden is to reflect landscapes and cultures within 26 degrees of the Equator, and there are already locations for future Asian and African inspired garden areas. We all agreed that this will be a fantastic new botanic garden and a great resource for tropical horticulture.

Before heading back to the east coast, we couldn’t resist stopping to dip our toes in the Gulf of Mexico, and arrived just as the sun was about to set. It was a good thing we stopped, or Bob never would have met his feisty dolphin friend.

Behold: the Gulf of Mexico!

Bob training for the Dolphin Rodeo

This morning the Fellows traveled to the edge of Biscayne Bay in Coconut Grove, Florida to visit The Kampong, of the National Tropical Botanical Garden. Upon arrival, the Fellows met Director, Ms. Ann Parsons, and Head Horticulturist, Mr. David Jones, who provided an overview of The Kampong’s unique past. The history of horticulture on this property can be traced back to Dr. David Fairchild, who purchased the property in 1916 and named it The Kampong – a Malay word for a village, or a cluster of dwellings for an extended family.

Curator David Jones shows Bob, Andrew, and Keelin a unique seed

At the time, Fairchild was serving as Head of the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction of the United States Department of Agriculture. In this position, he traveled extensively throughout the world in search of plants suitable for introduction into the United States. In particular, Fairchild was interested in new varieties of economic plants, such as mangos, Mangifera sp., and avocados, Persea americana, whose unique characteristics might make them especially valuable. He developed The Kampong as an “introduction garden” for the plants he collected on these expeditions, many of which remain on the grounds today. Although he lived in Washington, D.C. most of the year, Fairchild also built a house on the property and made it his permanent home upon his retirement in 1928.

Dan and Keelin hiding behind some seriously jumbo-sized elephant ears

This little guy is just checking the sprinkler head!

Almost 10 years after Fairchild passed away, Dr. Catherine Sweeney took over as the guiding voice of The Kampong in 1963. She had the financial means and the scientific expertise to preserve Fairchild’s unique plant collections. In 1984, Sweeney entered The Kampong into the National Register of Historic Places and, later that same year, gifted The Kampong to the then Pacific Tropical Botanical Garden. This organization was primarily based in Hawaii and, with the addition of The Kampong as its only mainland property, was renamed the National Tropical Botanical Garden in 1988. The mission of the National Tropical Botanical Garden is, “to enrich life through discovery, scientific research, conservation, and education by perpetuating the survival of plants, ecosystems, and cultural knowledge of tropical regions.”

The mask of a woman gazes out from the aerial roots of a banyan tree

The Kampong is in the midst of an interesting transition from private family estate to public garden and, during a tour of the grounds, the Longwood Fellows learned about some of the inherent challenges. For several years, the staff has been making a concerted effort to add landscape amenities to enhance the visitor experience. There has also been a stronger focus on documenting the collection through mapping and accession records. Today, much of the emphasis at The Kampong is education and each year the institution holds a variety of educational programs for college professors, physicians, and others using its living collections as an outdoor classroom. During their tour of the plant collections, the Longwood Fellows saw and sampled a number of famous “Kampong” introductions, including some unusual fruits such as Antidesma bunius, a member of the Phyllanthus family, that has dark purple, juicy, edible berries. The group concluded its tour with a relaxing walk from the heritage collections, through Fairchild’s research laboratory and home and out to the eastern edge of the property. Enjoying the view over the Bay, the Fellows were able to reflect on the unique history of The Kampong as well as the expert information and hospitality of their hosts.

Sampling some tasty fruits off a specimen bignay, Antidesma bunius, in the Kampong's collection

A view of Biscayne Bay from a bluff on the Kampong's grounds