ASHS 2015 Annual Conference

Objective(s):
To discuss catastrophes that public gardens sometimes face, how the event affects the garden and community, and what can we learn from these experiences.

This workshop will focus on three gardens and how they have overcome different tragedies. Paul Soniat, Director of New Orleans Botanical Garden, will tell us about their destruction and triumphant rise after Hurricane Katrina. Sabina Carr, Vice President of Marketing at Atlanta Botanical Garden, will discuss a devastating construction accident and the process of moving forward. Finally, Andrew Pulte of the University of Tennessee will describe how The UT Gardens had to evolve after losing 19 large trees during the spring of 2011. There are many impacts to both the people and the gardens with disasters such as these, but they are also oppotunities to learn and improve for the future.