PRESERVING HORTICULTURAL HERITAGE: PLANNED DISTRIBUTION OF PLANT COLLECTIONS FROM PUBLIC HORTICULTURE INSTITUTIONS by Lindsey K. Kerr A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Public Horticulture Summer 2014 © 2014 Lindsey K. Kerr All Rights Reserved UMI Number: 1567812 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI 1567812 Published by ProQuest LLC (2014). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 - 1346 PRESERVING HORTICULTURAL HERITAGE: PLANNED DISTRIBUTION OF PLANT COLLECTIONS FROM PUBLIC HORTICULTURE INSTITUTIONS by Lindsey K. Kerr Approved: __________________________________________________________ Robert E. Lyons, Ph.D. Professor in charge of thesis on behalf of the Advisory Committee Approved: __________________________________________________________ Blake Meyers, Ph.D. Chair of the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences Approved: __________________________________________________________ Mark Rieger, Ph.D. Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Approved: __________________________________________________________ James G. Richards, Ph.D. Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I owe a debt of gratitude to all individuals and organizations who contributed to this thesis. To Dr. Robert E. Lyons, committee chair, and Dr. David C. Michener and Rosemary T. Krill, committee members, thank you for your assistance and guidance throughout the thesis research and writing process. To the numerous organizations, survey participants, and interview subjects, thank you for your time and for sharing your knowledge and experiences. To the University of Delaware and Longwood Gardens, thank you for the unique and life-changing opportunity to participate in the Longwood Graduate Program in Public Horticulture. To my classmates Joshua Darfler, Ling Chunying, and Laurie Metzger Petrausch, thank you for your help and encouragement. Last but not least, to my parents, Robert and Connie Kerr, thank you for your continual support and help along the way. This one’s for you, dad! iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................. vii Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 2 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................... 5 Ornamental Flora Preservation ........................................................................... 5 Collections Management .................................................................................... 9 3 MATERIALS AND METHODS ...................................................................... 11 Institutional Review Board ............................................................................... 11 Quantitative Data .............................................................................................. 11 Survey 1: Botanical Gardens and Arboreta ...................................................... 12 Survey 2: Cultural Institutions and Other Non-profits ..................................... 13 Qualitative Data ................................................................................................ 13 Interview Subject Selection: Botanical Gardens and Arboreta ......................... 14 Interview Subject Selection: Cultural Institutions and Other Non-profits........ 14 Interview Subject Selection: Plant Conservation Experts ................................ 15 4 RESULTS ......................................................................................................... 16 Survey I: Botanic Gardens and Arboreta .......................................................... 16 Background Data ........................................................................................ 16 Plant Distribution Programs ........................................................................ 18 Survey II: Cultural Institutions and Other Non-profits ..................................... 20 Background Data ........................................................................................ 20 Plant Distribution Programs ........................................................................ 21 Interviews .......................................................................................................... 23 Interviews with Public Horticulture Professionals ..................................... 24 Mary Hirshfeld. Cornell Plantations. .................................................... 24 iv Dr. David Michener. Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum at the University of Michigan ............................................. 26 Aaron Steil. Reiman Gardens at Iowa State University. ....................... 28 Boyce Tankersley. Chicago Botanic Garden. ....................................... 31 Interviews with Cultural Institutions and Non-profit Professionals ........... 33 Kyle Cheesborough. Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum. ............ 33 Linda Eirhart. Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library ..................... 35 Cathy Fields. Litchfield Historical Society. .......................................... 37 Anne Symmes. Beatrix Farrand Garden Association. .......................... 39 Interviews with Plant Conservation Experts ............................................... 41 Pam Allenstein. North American Plant Collections Consortium .......... 41 Abby Hird. Botanic Gardens Conservation International U.S. ............. 44 Sophie Leguil. Plant Heritage. .............................................................. 45 Dr. Margaret Pooler. US Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service at the US National Arboretum (USNA). .................. 49 5 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................... 52 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 52 Plant Heritage.................................................................................................... 53 Collaborations ................................................................................................... 54 Case-by-case ..................................................................................................... 57 Reaching out ..................................................................................................... 57 Agreements ....................................................................................................... 58 Long-term Commitment ................................................................................... 62 Record Keeping ................................................................................................ 65 Selectivity ......................................................................................................... 70 Recommendations ............................................................................................. 71 Further Research ............................................................................................... 71 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 73 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 75 Appendix ....................................................................................................................... 82 A IRB DOCUMENTS .......................................................................................... 83 B SURVEY I RESULTS ...................................................................................... 88 C SURVEY II RESULTS..................................................................................... 95 D LIST OF ALL INTERVIEW SUBJECTS ...................................................... 105 v Botanical Gardens and Arboreta ..................................................................... 105 Other Non-profits and Cultural Institutions .................................................... 105 Plant Conservation Experts ............................................................................. 106 E INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR BOTANIC GARDEN PROFESSIONALS ....................................................................................... 108 F SUMMARIES OF INTERVIEWS WITH BOTANIC GARDEN PROFESSIONALS ......................................................................................... 111 Dr. Tomasz Anisko. Longwood Gardens. .......................................... 111 Laura Caddy. University of Alberta Devonian Botanic Garden. ........ 115 Chris Carmichael. University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley. ............................................................................................. 115 Dr. Patrick Griffith. Montgomery Botanical Center. .........................