This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Wilmot Botanical Gardens (1954-2024) and it is also the 10th anniversary of the opening of our greenhouse. Figure 1 was taken of Mrs. Wilmot and her son, Roy James, Jr., both of whom are standing beside the coquina stone bearing the commemorative plaque that was unveiled at the dedication ceremony in the memorial garden in 1954. The 70-year history began with the emergence of a beautiful camellia and azalea garden followed by a slow but steady decline into obscurity. The decline has been interrupted by a period of restoration beginning in 2006 and followed by the current enhancement effort that continues to this day. In light of this past history, especially until more recently, there was concern among the current staff for the long-term future of the gardens. To that end I am pleased to announce that Dr. David Nelson, Vice-President of the UF Health Science Center, has agreed to provide recurring salary support to employ an Assistant Director for the gardens beginning in FY 2025.
A nation-wide search is now underway to identify the individual to be appointed to this position with the anticipation that the new hire will join us this fall. We thank Dr. Nelson and the deans of the six colleges in the Health Science Center for their support that will help to guarantee the long-term future of the gardens.
The 2024 spring plant sale was a tremendous success with both revenue and net income exceeding the results of each of the previous sales that begin in 2015 by a wide margin. We are grateful for those who made online as well as sale day purchases and for the legion of volunteers who contributed to our success. Preliminary preparations are now underway for the 2024 fall plant sale to be held in mid-October.
We have continued to grow and distribute cuttings from our Hippocratic tree. The latest recipients included the University of Miami and Tampa General Hospital. This brings the total number of institutions to receive a tree to 14. At a ribbon cutting ceremony held on May 17th on the medical campus of Florida State University, one of our cuttings was planted in the newly-created Chapman Wellness Garden. The project was conceived and overseen by our previous Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education at UF, Dr. Robert Watson to whom we extend our hearty congratulations.
The 2025 annual meeting of the American Camellia Society will be held in Gainesville in early January. The members of the Gainesville Camellia Society will serve as hosts with assistance from the Wilmot Botanical Gardens. You will learn more about this event as plans unfold. Finally, we are continuing to work with contractors, architects and university personnel to finalize plans for the construction of the BJ and Eve Wilder Therapeutic Horticulture Garden. Significant increases in the cost of materials and labor have had a major negative impact on this project. Nevertheless, we anticipate beginning construction on phase 1 of the project in the early fall. This will make the garden available for therapeutic horticulture sessions beginning in early January 2025.
I hope you will enjoy reading our June 2024 newsletter and I extend my best wishes to all of you for a wonderful summer.
C. Craig Tisher, MD
Director, Wilmot Botanical Gardens, College of Medicine