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Documen)nglivingcollec)ons:Astudyofcurrentplantrecordsprac)ces,challenges,andsolu)onsforhistoricgardensEmilyDetrick,MPSHor)culture2016,CornellUniversity

Methods

Results&DiscussionBackground&Objec)ves

ReferencesBGCI.Partnershipsandcollabora)onsforconserva)on.RetrievedSeptember28,2014,fromhQp://www.bgci.org/resources/ar)cle/0690/Galbraith,D.&WyseJackson,P.ExSituConserva)onontheInterna)onalStage.ThePublicGarden:JournaloftheAmericanPublicGardensAssocia8on.2004(3):12-13,35-36.Guthe,C.E.1.(1970).Documen8ngcollec8ons:museumregistra8on&records([Rev.ed.].)Nashville:AmericanAssocia)onforStateandLocalHistory.Hohn,T.C.(2008).CuratorialPrac8cesforBotanicalGardens.Plymouth,UK:AltamiraPress.

AcknowledgmentsSupportprovidedby:DouglasDockeryThomasFellowshipinGardenHistoryandDesign(GardenClubofAmerica&LandscapeArchitectureFounda)on)AtkinsonCenterforaSustainableFutureAcademicTechnologyCenter

Throughamixedqualita)veandquan)ta)vedesign,thisexploratoryprojectfollowedtheinduc)veprocessofGroundedTheoryMethodologytoobserve,collectdata,thencodeandsortthemesdescribingcurrentplantrecordsprac)ces,challenges,andsolu)ons.Filmedinterviewswereconductedon-sitewithstaffof10preserva)ongardenslocatedacrosstheUnitedStatesinthesummerandfallof2015.Fivecuratorialexpertswerealsointerviewedconcerningoverarchingthemesofplantrecordsprac)cesandchallenges.Resultsofinterviewsinformedthedesignofana<onal,web-basedsurveyofapurposivesampleofpreserva)ongardens(n=61).Datawasanalyzedbycrosstabula)ngquan)ta)veandqualita)veresponsestorevealsubstan<vesignificance,convergence,anddivergenceofthemesinordertodevelopgroundedtheoryaboutprac<ce.

Criteriaforselec<onofgardens•  Originallyprivateestatesthathavetransi)onedtopublicgardens•  Maintainwebsitesexpressingmissionandinforma)onaboutplantcollec)ons•  Affilia)onswithoneormoreofthefollowingorganiza)ons:AmericanPublicGardensAssocia)on,BotanicGardenConserva)onInterna)onal,TheGardenConservancy,TheTrusteesofReserva)ons,orTheNa)onalTrustforHistoricPreserva)on

Addi)onally,asagroup,theinterviewedgardenswereselectedtorepresent:•  Diversegeo-poli)calregionsacrosstheUnitedStates(varietyofstates,neararangepopula)ondensi)es(urbantorural),ecosystemtypes,andclimatezones)

•  Arangeofannualopera)ngbudgets,landscapesizes,andyearsopentothepublic•  Diversecollec)onfoci(naturalareas,rareplants,regionalna)ves,etc.)

Target8oftheGlobalStrategyforPlantConserva<onistosecure“atleast75%ofallthreatenedplantspeciesinexsitucollec8ons,preferablyinthecountryoforigin,andatleast20%availableforrecoveryandrestora8onprograms”by2020.

In2013,220ins<tu<onswithlivingplantcollec<onsworldwidecontributedinforma)onabouttheircollec)ons(BGCI,2013).Therearenearly800botanicgardensintheUnitedStatesthatcouldpoten)allycontributetothiseffort,buttheirabilitytodosoiscon)ngentontheirdocumenta)onprac)ces.

Alivingplantcollec)onisthephysicalmanifesta)onabotanicgarden’smission,andcomprisesthecri)calmaterialthatins)llstheseins)tu)onswithrelevanceandpurposeinoursociety.Valueliesnotonlyintheplantsthemselvesbutalsointheinforma)onthataccompaniesthem(Guthe,1970).Myworkfocusesontheplantrecordsprac)cesinhistoriclandscapesoftheUnitedStatesthathavetransi<onedfromprivateestatestopublicgardens(termedpreserva'ongardensbyTheGardenConservancy).Thesecollec)onsomenincluderareplants,heritagecul)vars,andunusualtaxathatmaynotberepresentedelsewhereincul)va)onorinthewild,offeringuntappedpoten)alforconserva)onandresearch.Preserva)ongardensfaceauniquesetofchallenges,andresourcesdetailingappropriatebestprac)cesfordocumen)nghistoriccollec)onsarenotreadilyavailable.

Primaryobjec<ve:Inves)gateanddescribecurrentplantrecordsprac)ces,challenges,andsolu)onsatpreserva)ongardens.

Secondaryobjec<ve:Basedonfindings,developrecommenda)onsforplantrecordsprac)ces,withtheinten)ontobothimproveinternalorganiza)onandincreasepoten)alforhistoricgardenstocontributetolarger-scaleeffortsbysharingdatawithresearchers,otherins)tu)ons,andthepublic.

Fig.1Loca)onsofpreserva)ongardensiden)fiedforinterviewsandsurvey(plusJuneau,Alaska).

Thesurveywasdesignedtocollectdatain3keyareas:thegeneralprofileofpreserva<ongardens,thetransi<onperiodfromprivatetopublicrela<vetoplantrecordsprac<ces,andcurrentplantrecordsprac<cesandchallenges.Surveyresponsewas62%(n=60).

1.ProfileofPreserva<onGardensGeographically,preserva)ongardensareprimarilylocatedontheeastandwestcoasts(fig.1),echoingthelargerpopula)onofAPGAmembers.Plantsintheircollec)onshavesignificantpreserva)onandconserva)onvalueinaddi)ontodisplayvalue(fig.2).Themajorityofthegardenssurveyedoperateonlessthan$1millionannually(fig.3),againechoingthelargerpopula)on:75%oftheins)tu)onalmembersoftheAmericanPublicGardenAssocia)onhaveannualbudgetsoflessthan$1million(APGA,2016).Preserva)ongardenshavetypicallysmalllandholdings,with50%cul)va)ng6acresorless,butsomegardenmorethan200acres(fig.4).Plantsthatareclassified

bystate,regional,orna)onalstandardsasrare,endangered,orthreatened(40%)

Plantsthatthegardenconsiderstobeofuniquehistoricsignificance(90%)

Plantsthathaveanothertypeofconserva)onvalue(31%)

50%

3%

17% 14%

9%

5% Fig. Characteristics of Surveyed Gardens: Budget, Acreage, Years Open to the

Public (n=58)

Largest Smallest Mean Median

Budget Over $2 million (18%)

Less than $1 million (74%)

Less than $1 million

Less than $1 million

Acreage of cultivated gardens

200+ acres 1 acre 30 acres 6 acres

Years Open 150+ years 2 years 40 years 40 years

Fig.4Characteris)csofsurveyedgardens:budget,acreage,yearsopentothepublic.

Fig.3Annualopera)ngbudgetofsurveyedgardens.Fig.2Livingcollec)onsholdings:preserva)on&conserva)onvalues

2.Transi<onPeriodGardensthattransi)onfromprivateestatestopublicgardensundergouniquesequencesofeventsthatinfluencetheirorganiza)on’sabilitytomaintainplantrecords,artudetowardtheprac)ce,andprotocolsfordoingso.Surveyedgardensdescribedwhatworkedwellfortheirgardensduringthe)meoftransi)oninregardstoplantrecordsprac)ces(fig.5).

CauseforsuccessDescrip<on1. Preservation of historic records 57%

● Paper documents scanned and data manually input into database; original paper documents saved and archived

● Presence of historic photos ● Original directors of horticulture established methodical records practices and

passed on knowledge of early record attempts in the garden ● Grant obtained to support digitization of handwritten records and oral histories ● Founders involved in development of database ● Founders happened to be detail oriented: kept lists and records well organized,

preserved, and passed on with estate ● Relatives, friends, and staff of former owners available to answer questions ● Historical societies curate archives of family correspondences and history and

makes available as needed ● Ownership of/access to records was transferred during transition

2. Records systems (methods, protocols, database) developed by skilled and knowledgeable personnel 37%

● Original directors of horticulture, landscape designers, and/or founders trained in curatorial practices, established methods

● Curator and founder developed database jointly ● Adoption of selected packaged database software well-received by staff, usable ● Skilled staff developed system to verify plant ID when no labels present, map,

and assess ● Staff or volunteers exercise innovation, adaptability, time, and patience ● Successful transition from older, simpler database to newer, more sophisticated

package; migration supported by software company

3. Planning documents developed 17%

● Design Management Guide described plantings in terms of character and community

● Map of Garden Maintenance Zones developed by graduate student created the structure for digitally recording inventories

● Historic Landscape Report undertaken ● Coincided new record keeping system with a garden redesign ● New plantings strictly adhere to original planting plans

4. Inventories taken at time of transition 10%

● Staff performed cursory tree ID, assessment, and mapping ● Professional contracted to perform inventory ● No plants labeled; staff or volunteers developed system to identify many

cultivated varieties of historic perennials

Fig.5Whatworkedwellforpreserva)ongardensduringtransi)onperiodandpercentofpopula)onci)ngeachtheme.

3c.CurrentPrac<ces:DatabaseandMapping

Fig.6(top)Existenceofcollec)onspolicyand/orwriQenguidelinesdetailingplantrecordsprotocols.Fig.7Prac)cesforaccessioningandtrackinginforma)ononplantsincollec)ons. Fig.8Criteriausedtodetermineforwhichplantsincollec)onsaccessionrecordswillbecreated

3a.CurrentPrac<ces:Policies,Accessioning,&trackingJustoveronethirdofsurveyedgardenscurrentlyhaveacollec)onspolicy.Ofthose,themajorityalsohaveadocumentdetailingwriQenguidelinesforthemaintenanceofplantrecords(fig.6).Developingdetailedprotocolsforplantrecordsprac)ces(independentofacollec)onspolicy)wasfrequentlycitedbystudypar)cipantsasacri)calfactorintheefficiencyandaccuracyofplantrecords.Themajorityofgardenscreateaccessionrecordsfor“some”plantsintheircollec)ons,andiden)fiedspecificcriteriaguidingtheselec)on(fig.8&9).

AccessionDecisionsFig.9Percentofgardensthataccessionsome,all,ornoplantsintheircollec)ons

KeyUsesofaDocumenta8onSystem.AdaptedfromRoberts(1988)asquotedbyHohn(2008)

Advisingprovidedby:TheGardenConservancyAmericanPublicGardenAssocia)onNa)onalTrustforHistoricPreserva)onManythankstoallgardensthatpar8cipatedinthisstudy

3d.CurrentPrac<ces:Challenges

3b.CurrentPrac<ces:Staff&BoardStaffatpreserva)ongardensperceiveplantrecordsasahigherprioritythandoboardmembers(fig.10).Severalinterviewedgardenscitedchallengesineduca)ngnon-plantrecordsstaffandboardaboutthevalueofdocumenta)on.Most(57%)ofpreserva)ongardensdonothavecuratorialposi)ons;ofthosethatdo,halfofthoseareinternships(fig.11).Overall,mostplantrecordstasksareperformedbynon-permanentposi)ons,underliningthepercep)onoflowprioritylevel(fig.12).

Fig.12Posi)onsresponsibleformostplantrecordstasksatpreserva)ongardens.Fig.11Distribu)onof)tlesatthe43%ofpreserva)ongardenswithcuratorialposi)ons.

Fig.10Staffandboardartudestowardprioritylevelofplantrecords.