The Montgomery Botanical Center (MBC) was named the newest ASHS ­Horticultural Landmark in a ceremony held August 4, 2012, at the center’s grounds in Coral Gables, Florida. The Award was presented to the MBC’s Executive Director Patrick Griffith by ASHS Board Member Mike Arnold, past Horticultural Landmark Selection Committee chair George Fitzpatrick, and ASHS Executive Director Mike Neff.

In addition to several MBC board members, staff, and supporters, many ASHS members were in attendance at the ceremony and reception as that day’s Miami Public Gardens Tour at the end of the ASHS Annual Conference concluded there.

The cast bronze plaque given to MBC reads, in part: “A plant collection begun in 1932 and a botanic garden established in 1959, renowned for a dedicated focus on these living treasures, celebrating decades of commitment to research, conservation, and education.”

The ASHS Horticultural Landmark program was initiated in 1996 by then-ASHS President Don Maynard to commemorate sites of horticultural accomplishments, selected for historical, scientific, environmental, and aesthetic value. The Montgomery Botanical Center joins an elite group of horticultural sites meeting the criteria for this honor.

More information about the HortLandmarks program, honored sites, and how to nominate potential sites, can be found on the ASHS website.

For more about the Montomery Botanical Center, go to www.montgomerybotanical.org

ASHS Board Member-At-Large Mike Arnold makes the formal HortLandmark presentation to Center’s Executive Director Patrick Griffith.

Photo: Montgomery Botanical Center.

Published in the September 2012 ASHS Newsletter.