Ilex at the University of Delaware Botanic Gardens: a template for measuring collection relevance at small university gardens
Date
2015
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
University gardens commonly tout their vital roles as "living laboratories" and "outdoor classrooms", but how can we ensure that their inherent educational benefits are delivered as effectively as possible? As with other instructional materials, academic plant collections should be assessed periodically to judge their fitness for purpose based on predetermined, mission-centric standards and objectives. A key objective of the University of Delaware Botanic Gardens (UDBG) is to inform and inspire students of horticulture and landscape design. This goal is facilitated by students' exposure to vibrant, relevant plant collections that aim to sustainably exhibit the region's ornamentally and functionally useful taxa. However, financial adversity, insufficient staff, and limited space are common barriers to maximizing collection value. In an effort to move beyond historically qualitative characterizations of academic gardens, the UDBG's holly (Ilex) collection served as test case for producing a quantitative example of collection evaluation for educational purposes. Evaluation criteria were based on survey data from university garden leadership, post-secondary plant materials instructors, and wholesale nursery growers and distributors. These elements were then synthesized to develop an assessment method for grading the collection's overall relevance. The resulting data will be used to identify any weaknesses in the collection's scope, promote curatorial accuracy, and improve managerial efficiency. Information pertaining to collection relevance will also help communicate the garden's value to university administrators and other stakeholders.