Awards Banquet

Horticulturist of the Year 2006
James P. Folsom

In 2006 we honored James P. Folsom, Director of the Huntington Botanical Gardens. Jim started at the Huntington in 1984 as Assistant Curator and was appointed as Director in 1991. Jim received his PhD in botany from the University of Texas at Austin. He has also been honored with the Professional Citation of the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta (1999) and the Professional Award of the American Horticultural Society (2002). At the Huntington, Jim was instrumental in orchestrating the five-year (1996–2001) Botanical Initiative which raised over $40 million with the goal of establishing the Huntington as a national leader in botanical research and education. This effort is manifested in the Botanical Center (opened in 2000), as well as the Children’s Garden (opened June 2004) and the Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory for Botanical Science (opened October 2005), aiming to educate new generations of youngsters in basic plant science.

Annual Banquet Review

by Debra Bushweit Galliani and Joe Galliani

Huntington Botanical Gardens and if you weren’t there, no mere words or photos here can capture the magic of that night. But we'll do our best as your intrepid correspondents to share the joy of the socializing, the spirit of the auction bidding, the fine dining and the honors bestowed on James P. Folsom as our Horticulturist of the Year.

Jim Folsom has served as the director of the Botanical Gardens at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens since 1991.

Thus the setting was particularly fitting as the evening’s venue was the elegant building complex that Jim’s Botanical Initiative at the Huntington brought to life. We dined al fresco in a lovely courtyard setting adjacent to the Children’s Garden and Rose Hills Foundation Conservatory that Jim’s efforts made possible.

The warm appeal and friendly atmosphere of the event were thanks to our Society president, Elizabeth Schwartz who organized and hosted this year’s well-run Annual Award Banquet. She was aided by board member, Kathy Musial who managed all aspects of the dinner and coordinated with the Huntington. Several other members were indispensable in producing the highlight-filled event.

The Silent Auction was both a crowd pleaser and a financial success thanks to the generous donors among you who contributed items and services, and those of you who aggressively bid on them. The auction was masterfully managed by Steve Gerischer and treasurer Sharon Yonashiro is pleased to report over $1,000 in receipts.

Kudos are due Katarina Eriksson who, along with her volunteer helpers, handcrafted the centerpieces of fragrant roses that graced each of our tables.

The annual dinner provides the ideal opportunity and setting for members to interact and socialize. Many guests make this the one meeting they attend each year, giving the event a class reunion feel. There is also the welcome chance to chat with some of our past Horticulturist of the Year honorees who attended.

Our Society has a close relationship with Pacific Horticulture magazine and we were delighted that editor Dick Turner came down from the Bay Area to be part of this special evening. Adding to north/south connection, our newest member, Debra Prinzing (whose articles you’ve read in Pacific Horticulture), also attended after recently moving here from the Seattle area.

After dinner, it was time to honor Jim Folsom beginning with words of praise from “Sen the Senecio” (a puppet made and performed by Jeff Karsner, pictured here with Jim). Judi Danner, Gardens Overseer and Garden Docent at the Huntington, shared her knowledge of Jim’s many contributions to both the Huntington and the wider world of horticulture.

Jim began his remarks by stating that having just turned 56 he wasn’t yet ready for a life retrospective. After giving a lot of thought to what he could offer our particular audience, Jim happily decided to preach to the converted and focused his remarks on the history of gardens, while forecasting a thought-provoking look at the future. He described his favorite kind of gardeners as those who really like plants. Jim shared his admiration for the ancient Egyptians who showed their love of plants through their graphic symbols and pictures of daily life.

Jim’s broad definition of gardening is not confined by history. Gardens are where people find energy and can enjoy themselves. For Jim, farming is also gardening. It’s an expression of love and enjoyment of plants and their environment.

So then, where does he think gardening ends? What if Southern California is already one big garden in its entirety, asks Jim? On a global scale we are all gardeners, he says. We have broken the earth and have bought it. We’re now gardening the earth because we’ve broken down natural systems.

Jim suggests that our mission is to garden the human landscape while safeguarding the natural landscape. We as gardeners know how the world connects and know there is a way to coexist with the natural world.

Finally, when asked about the future of botany and education, Jim replied that he feels it no long belongs to academia, but to the botanic gardens, among other organizations, as well as the public itself. Surprisingly, despite the huge areas still to be explored and the desperate need to capture knowledge, some universities have diminished their curriculums in botany.

But there was no diminishment in the audience's appreciation for Jim Folsom's presentation or any other element of this unforgettable evening.

(Photograph by Katarina Eriksson)