PRESIDENT'S COLUMN

Public Gardens are Leading the Way

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Autumn brings a colorful show to mark the end of summer and signal the seasonal transition to cooler weather and shorter days. It is a season that compels one to pause a bit longer, take a breath and look with awe on the incredible beauty of the natural world.

It is also a reminder to me that as a public garden leader it is my job and commitment to share this beauty with all people and inspire even more advocates for the living world around us.

Combined, the Cleveland Botanical Garden and The Holden Arboretum form one of the largest public gardens in the country. The responsibility that comes with being a leading public garden is significant, especially as the impacts of climate change become even more urgent and we consider heightened understanding of the physical and mental health needs that can benefit from communing with nature.

I recently facilitated a conversation with three of my colleagues who lead public gardens from across the country – Chicago, Denver and Fort Worth. We considered questions around the increasing relevance and changing role of public gardens and arboreta. I hope the discussion excerpt in this issue provides valuable insights into the ways that public gardens benefit the community as we work to ensure the long-term health of the planet we share.

A dedicated team of horticulturists, arborists and curatorial staff care for HF&G’s expansive living collections that range from forested gardens at the Arboretum campus to ornamental display gardens at the Garden campus.

A dedicated team of horticulturists, arborists and curatorial staff care for HF&G’s expansive living collections that range from forested gardens at the Arboretum campus to ornamental display gardens at the Garden campus. Not only can you read and learn more about their work from a behind-the-scenes perspective, but we encourage you to visit both campuses this fall to see their work first-hand.

The reimagined Green Corps program for high school students continues to expand in both the number of participants and number of sessions, which now run in the spring, summer and fall. This summer teens from the Cleveland School of Science and Medicine, the Cleveland School of Arts, Rhodes High School and Shaw High School were exposed to multiple green industry career paths. In nonprofit, for-profit and public sectors, there is a wide gap between the number of individuals needed to fill jobs and the pipeline of people selecting green industry jobs. Green Corps is just one way HF&G is working to address this critical gap and support workforce development needs in Northeast Ohio.

We are also delighted to introduce you to an exceptional volunteer who works tirelessly to advance the mission by caring for the plants and trees at the Garden. He describes the joy of discovering “the possible” every day at HF&G. Lastly, if you haven’t already discovered the libraries, our new Librarian looks forward to introducing you to the library collections at the Arboretum and Garden or welcoming you back to explore.

Please take some time to enjoy the beauty that the autumn season brings to Northeast Ohio. We would love to see you in Woodland Gardens at the Cleveland Botanical Garden or at the top of the Kalberer Emergent Tower at The Holden Arboretum.

JILL KOSKI President and CEO