Thank You to all of our Smithsonian Gardens’ Volunteers!

Volunteer garden interpreters Susan and Peggy talk with the public in the Haupt Garden.

As the year comes to a close, we wanted to pause for a moment to thank our awesome volunteers for all they do. Volunteers work alongside Smithsonian Gardens’ staff to help plant, care for and display the plants in our gardens. They also interact with the public in our gardens, help prepare educational materials, and work with our archival collections. Last but not least, volunteers have special access to our garden programs, special events, and the chance to meet fellow garden lovers.

This fall we wrapped up another successful season of garden tours and programs. Volunteer interpreters in our gardens this past spring, summer and early fall donned their Smithsonian Gardens’ shirts and headed out to our Haupt and Butterfly Gardens. They interacted with visitors of all ages and interests through storytelling and hands-on activities as well as by fielding all sorts of questions about our gardens.

In the Smithsonian Gardens’ greenhouses, volunteers played an important role this past year in propagating annuals and caring for our award-winning orchid collection, tropical plants and perennials. Outside they assisted with planting bulbs and annuals and maintaining our garden landscapes. Their work helped make our gardens an oasis for our visitors year-round.

Volunteer Laurel helps care for plants at the Smithsonian Gardens’ Greenhouses.

This winter, many of our Smithsonian Gardens’ volunteers will escape the cold by staffing our upcoming orchid exhibit in the National Museum of Natural History. The exhibit will focus on the importance of orchids to Latin American cultures and traditions. Volunteers will interact with exhibit visitors, answer questions, and encourage people to think about the important roles that plants play in their lives.

All of our Smithsonian Gardens’ volunteers contribute to the excellence of our gardens and programs. We could not do it without them!

If you are interested in volunteering with Smithsonian Gardens, visit our SG volunteer page at http://gardens.si.edu/get-involved/volunteers.html.