FEATURE ARTICLES
Plant Collection Guidelines: where do I start? Emma Bodley, Chair of BCARM and Botanical Records & Conservation Specialist, Auckland Botanic Gardens
In December 2020, the BGANZ Collections and Records Management group (BCARM) held a workshop to find out what challenges horticulture staff face in their roles. A few people highlighted the lack of guiding documents that help structure and
Emma Bodley
drive the content of individual plant collections. We decided to interview staff at one garden who have recently reviewed their plant collection guidelines to get an understanding of the process they went through to write such a document, as well as how useful it is in practice to horticultural staff. There are many ways to create these guidelines. I interviewed my colleagues to find out how they developed their Plant Collection Guidelines (PCG). I hope this might spark further discussion within the BCARM community about how you might develop your own document, as well as to prompt the use of the toolkit available through the BGANZ website. I interviewed Bec Stanley, Curator, about the process she used to create the PCG and Angela Anstis, Collection Curator of edibles and natives, about the usefulness of the PCG in her work. Let’s first find out from Bec Stanley what the Plant Collection Guidelines are all about and how they were written. EB: Auckland Botanic Gardens has Plant Collection Guidelines – what are they and what is their purpose? BS: The Guidelines set out our plant collection policies, as well as the ways we work, such as plant documentation and sustainable horticultural practice. But the largest part of the Guidelines are the statements for each collection/garden which outline why we have that garden and what research, conservation and education roles it plays. The Guidelines give a Bec Stanley, Curator, Auckland Botanic Gardens. 26
gardener a clear direction in terms of what is expected of them, guiding them on plant acquisition and horticultural standards. They also ensure
THE BOTANIC GARDENer | ISS 56 WINTER 2021
