Volume 6, Issue 1 February 12, 2021

From the Director's Desk: Thoughts of a Weed Puller

We are now one month and a few days into the new year. While the COVID-19 pandemic rages on in many parts of the world, the recent availability of two vaccines with a third on the way, all against the virus, brings renewed hope and anticipation that some degree of normalcy will return to our lives in 2021. In fact, …

Human Health & Plants Research: Meta-analyses of Published Controlled Research Studies on Horticultural Therapy and Cognitive Function

The therapeutic benefits of gardening on cognition have been suggested in several studies across a range of populations including the elderly and those displaying cognitive impairments.

Under the Glass: News from the Greenhouse

During the past year we have all been forced to practice patience as we wait to understand more about Covid-19, vaccines, variants, and transmission, and this required patience has impacted just about every aspect of our lives. Thinking about the concept of patience reminded me of a newsletter article I read many years ago, written by Sister Rosemary Connelly, the …

Volunteer Spotlight: Shelby Kucharski

In the summer of 2020 when junior Shelby Kucharski first began volunteering at the Wilmot Botanical Gardens, she was not familiar with this unique green space nestled near the east edge of the University of Florida’s main campus. Indeed, she had only just learned of its existence when her friend Taylor Wishart, who is also a garden volunteer, encouraged Shelby …

The Atlantic Coast Camellias, a quarterly publication of the Atlantic Coast Camellia Society, has a new editor, J. D. Thomerson of Valdosta, Georgia. The latest issue of the journal includes a description of the editor’s recent visit to the Wilmot Botanical Gardens replete with a photo of the Mendenhall Family Camellia Walk.