From June 23–28, The Trustees was honored to co-host the American Public Gardens Association (APGA) annual conference in Boston alongside four regional peer horticultural leaders: Arnold Arboretum, Mount Auburn Cemetery, New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, and Coastal Maine Botanical Garden. The 1,100-member conference was the largest ever held by the APGA, welcoming individuals from across North America and around the world.

First, a bit about the APGA; The Association membership includes 600 public gardens across North America and 11,000 professionals. They envision “A World where public gardens are indispensable” as champions and innovators in the conservation and appreciation of plants.

Where Our Connection Began

The Trustees relationship with APGA began in 2014. At the time, visitation to our historic houses was waning and some buildings remained closed or only open by appointment. However, nationwide visitation to public gardens was on the rise with an average of 112,000 people per year (compared to 11,500 nationwide for historic houses and museums).

Looking to pivot our engagement strategies for these properties, we wondered if we could re-envision them as public gardens with a historic house rather than focusing solely on the house experience. To gain expert perspectives on this vision, we invited four public garden leaders from the APGA to visit and make recommendations.

On a cold November day, Lindsay Martin (Lord Cultural Resources Inc.), Sharon Loving (Longwood Gardens), Casey Sclar (APGA Executive Director), and David Barnett (Mount Auburn Cemetery) spent two days visiting six properties followed by a Q&A session with members of The Trustees Board of Directors.

Their subsequent report provided guidance and recommendations on whether to implement a public gardens strategy, how to prioritize and build such a program, how to catalog living collections, and how to build a strong horticultural workforce.

Guided by their recommendations—and with strong support from our Board and donors—the Trustees Public Gardens strategy began. Another APGA committee returned in 2020 under the same model to further shape our plans for Long Hill and Stevens Coolidge House & Garden.

The Impact of Public Gardens

Outside of consultations like these, the APGA also conducts an annual benchmarking study that tracks public garden audiences, attendance, labor, volunteer, and community trends. The 2023 data reported that public gardens received 132 million visitors (up from 70 million in 2014), educated 303 million K–12 students, and tracked 3.6 million volunteer hours.

This year’s annual conference showcased this impact, inspired the field, connected professionals, and brought forth the latest trends, studies, and groundbreaking work from across North America.

Co-Hosting the 2024 Conference

Our role in hosting the 2024 conference began three years prior, ramping up in 2023 with more than 15 Trustees staff participating in specialty committee meetings, host meetings, and tour planning. Conference attendees had the chance to tour three Trustees public gardens and two Boston Community Gardens, alongside a special event dinner and APGA board reception at Castle Hill on the Crane Estate.

Thanks to the generous supporters of The Trustees, the cost of our participation, property improvements, staff training and scholarships, and even a new public garden brochure had no impact on our operating budget. In return, the staff and donors that attended were re-energized by their collegial interactions, inspired by groundbreaking educational sessions, and proud to showcase our work.

Our relationship with our co-host organizations is as strong as ever, and we all hope to build on this success in shaping New England as a leading horticultural region. Most importantly the conference was a way for The Trustees to showcase our expertise in the field, proudly welcoming members to our transformed properties as a public garden leader in the region.