The REAL State Botanical Gardens of Georgia
In Athens, Georgia there is a quaint and quiet, hustling and bustling preserved land that that allows the growth of beauty and of conservation. Discover what is behind all the flowers at the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia.
We’re not out of the woods yet!
50 years! The State Botanical Gardens of Georgia is celebrating its 50th year anniversary. 50 years ago, the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia would not stand out on a map. Everything that you could see was dark luscious green foliage for miles and miles. Today, the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia is the only green patch left as development encroaches on its borders. If the rate continues, will ownership and laws protect our environment?
The State Botanical Gardens of Georgia holds so much more importance than the pretty flowers they grow. Current program director, Jeni Cruse Sanders, declares that she ”thinks the Botanical Gardens are a great place to teach the public about how valuable nature is in their life, and how to safely enjoy and experience [it]”. Being a mix between a National Park, playground, and a community venue for events and education, this place uniquely shows how important conservation of species and land is locally and nationally. It is a place that has been successful in the commercialization of sustainability, conservation, and mostly of education to anyone who cares about the future of our environment. Unless we change our mindset on the general public nature scene, then there will be nothing left to ponder.
There is no nature area that is nearly as popular as The Gardens in Athens, not even Tanyard Creek. Jeni Cruse-Sanders, the current Directors of the Gardens, says the Gardens are huge and the future is looking bigger and brighter. Visitation in the Gardens is about 240,000 people a year, and she says they will grow by at least 50,000 annually with the opening of the Children’s Garden early April. This Children’s Garden is full of places to play and plants to explore. The Gardens are planning more physical growth with the addition of “Living Collections”. This project will feature art in nature and as nature. Sanders says that the “goal is to create a space where are visitors and maybe new audiences can come and look at art inspired by nature and then go out into our living Collections and experience nature for themselves.”
She also expressed that in a world where people can feel such a disconnect, that the new additions to the Gardens will create a space where they can reconnect to nature and themselves. Are people missing the real outdoors when they mistake this Last Garden Standing as our environment?
Educationally, UGA students can take horticulture classes, forestry, and ecology classes that feature special trips to the Gardens. In addition to the college connection, there is more than getting a grade. There is a program called “Learning X Leading”. The Learning by Leading model is one that where the students participate and they can register for credits, and they go up a leadership ladder hopefully on to internships with The Gardens partners. This initiative paves the way for future leaders of conservation here at UGA and some other programs across the country.
As these future leaders help with the Environment, Sanders says “that this generation is one of the first generations to see the effects of the environmental changes happening in the world and are one of the last generations to do something positive for the future, so the time is now to be working together.” They will be spearheading the conservation of our planet.
The State Botanical Gardens of Georgia are 314 acres of precious Georgia ecosystem given a place to thrive. Even though around thirty-five of their acres are cultivated, that leaves over 200 acres to simply have areas reserved for the environment. Jennifer Ceska, the Conservation Coordinator for the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia, creates a call to action for Georgia natives. She “needs people to know that plants are not optional. Plants are essential.” For some of the species we are trying to recover we have thirty years.
Her work is conservation and working on the recovery of critically imperiled plants Georgia botanical gardens with my colleagues.
They are a place to learn about plants from around the world and all the stories of plants of economic importance, and plants that are important to our daily lives that are native to Georgia. The gardens cultivate stories of culture, parody, farming, conservation, pollenation, ecology, and medicinal plants. All these good stories are woven throughout the gardens. “If you like birds you should plant native plants”.
Since 1995 The State Botanical Gardens have been coordinating with Network professionals for the recovery of rare plants in the community. These amazing people who were experts in pollination and were nephrologists are all working together to save the rarest of the rare in Georgia at the Gardens. Today she’s more worried. There’s 11 other partners within Georgia that are planting for recovery and putting them back on the land, but is it enough. Ceska says “For some of the species we are trying to recover, we have thirty years, so we gotta get busy.”
The lack of green spaces to cultivate the plants are our main problem. Most of the land in Georgia is privately owned, so to improve conservation efforts it is imperative to be able to work with the individual person. The Gardens are getting really good at teaching how people can plants native plants for recovery, and they are getting really good at working with the green industry to raise native plants in their greeneries for Gardens for distribution for the public. Ceska says anyone and everyone can own a native plant. Even with a small property you can put a display or a little garden bed at your home. “We could be sad curl up and cry, but actually it’s doable. We just gotta get a lot of people busy.”
One way to continue to support the Gardens is becoming a “friend” where you pledge your support for the growth of the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia in exchange for exclusive discounts and invitations for events held there. As a student, it only costs fifteen dollars. In addition to being a friend to the Botanical Garden, just being a friend to any nature space is a step forward in allowing the Earth to thrive.
