December 3, 2018 – Three talented botanical artists, Carol Ashton-Hergenhan, Deborah Keyser Dion, and Susan Mintun (Jenkins Board Member), have partnered with Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens to complete a florilegium comprised of approximately 36 artworks. Over the next two or three years, the artists will individually create paintings or drawings from the flora in Jenkins’ plant collection. The Florilegium will have many benefits: it will document the history of the garden, can serve as reference material for education purposes, and can even help to raise funds through the sale of reproductions. We will celebrate the completion of the project with a gallery exhibition in the John J. Willaman Education Center.
A florilegium is a collection of paintings or illustrations that serve as a permanent record of plants in a specific garden or geographic area. It doesn’t include each specimen growing in an area, but should include some of the key plants that are representative of the plant community. A florilegium depicts plants that make up the unique botanical significance, or the “essence”, of the garden. The Jenkins Florilegium Project will feature plants that make up the “essence” of Jenkins Arboretum & Gardens.
Be sure to follow along on social media for progress updates during the project and for the announcement of a date for a gallery exhibition at the completion of the project.