The Delaware Botanic Gardens has added two new members to its Advisory Council, Henry DeWitt and Michael E. Riska.  The additions bring to fourteen the number of professionals who provide their expertise to further development of Delmarva’s first botanical garden. Delaware First Lady Carla Markell serves as chair of the Advisory Council.

The new members bring long service to the environmental community as well as nonprofit and financial management experience.

Henry DeWitt, of Henlopen Acres outside Rehoboth Beach, founded DeWitt & Associates, a company whose software is used by NASA ground networks to control satellites. In addition to currently consulting with NASA, he is a former commissioner of Rehoboth Beach who now serves on the Henlopen Acres Tree Committee. DeWitt is also a member of the Rehoboth Art League finance committee and is a former chair of its audit committee.

Michael E. Riska, of Hockessin, was awarded the Nature Conservancy’s Lifetime Conservation Achievement Award in 1997. He retired in 2011 as executive director of the Delaware Nature Society, where he had served since 1984, including directing its education programs. The Delaware Nature Society works to improve the environment through conservation, advocacy, and education.

As Carla Markell, Advisory Council chair, notes, “The Delaware Botanic Gardens is fortunate to gain the wisdom of these talented people. I’ve had the pleasure of working directly with Mike Riska as cochairs of the Ambassadors Group for Children in Nature/No Child Left Inside. Both he and Henry DeWitt are environmental leaders and hands-on gardeners who will only enrich the programs of this exciting new garden in our state.”

The Delaware Botanic Gardens board of directors has elected two new members, Ruth Rogers Clausen and Janet Meenehan Point.  The additions bring to ten the number of board members, who are working to open the garden along Pepper Creek in Dagsboro. An Advisory Council adds a dozen professionals to the project’s expertise....

As Susan Ryan, president of the Delaware Botanic Gardens, noted, “These individuals bring both a depth of gardening expertise and important managerial and marketing know-how.”

The Longwood Foundation has approved a $750,000 grant to the Delaware Botanic Gardens to help it begin work on Phase One of the garden, located on Pepper Creek near Dagsboro, Delaware. The grant will be provided in two components: an immediate grant of $500,000 plus the remaining $250,000 when the garden has raised an additional $500,000 in cash or pledges. This two-for-one challenge expires March 25, 2017. 

"On behalf of my dedicated Board, our outstanding Advisory Council, and our hundreds of loyal members and supporters, we are humbled and honored by this Longwood Foundation Leadership Grant,” said Susan Ryan, president of the Delaware Botanic Gardens. 

"The next eighteen months will be our greatest challenge,” she continued. “We must start and complete the construction of Phase One of the garden. We must raise an additional $500,000 by March 2017 to qualify for the $250,000 challenge grant. We must begin the Piet Oudolf Meadow Gardens. And we must continue to attract members and donors to help fulfill our plans to open this inspiring garden." 

Piet Oudolf—considered the finest designer of naturalistic meadows in the world today—is preparing a proposal to create one of his famous meadow designs for the forthcoming Delaware Botanic Gardens at Pepper Creek. “This would be an incredible asset for our community and all of Delmarva,” said Susan Ryan, DBG’s president. “A lush, colorful meadow like those he has created around the world would attract visitors from all over the country to southern Delaware and to our garden.”

Oudolf, who achieved international acclaim for his elevated garden along the High Line in New York City, visited the Delaware garden site on October 18 and 19 to familiarize himself with the 37-acre property. The site plan calls for a large meadow near the Woodland Gardens. At the property, he walked the uplands, the paths through the woodland, and down to the wetlands-buffered waterfront on Pepper Creek, which flows into Indian River Bay. Noted horticulturists on the DBG board and advisory council joined him to discuss the site’s possibilities.

Professor Douglas W. Tallamy, University of Delaware:

“I have learned over the years that the general public considers the plants in our landscapes only in terms of their decorative value, with no idea about their role in delivering essential ecosystem services. … Although they find the natural world interesting, people do not really believe it is necessary for their well-being. These are all issues that will be addressed year in and year out by the establishment of a coastal plain botanic garden in Delaware."

Holly H. Shimizu, Director Emerita, United States Botanical Garden

“When I walked the site I became really excited about the possibilities for the botanic garden. There are extraordinary native plants on the site in a variety of habitats. Being right on the water, it offers excellent opportunities for learning about the coastal plain environments, the native Delaware ecosystems,  and provides a place to appreciate the Delaware Inland Bays.   

With a focus on native plants, I envision this as a place for many of the school children to come and learn about the natural history of the region, to be exposed to the magic of gardens, the richness of plant-animal interactions, and the importance of the natural world."

Dr. Don Rakow, Cornell University professor of horticulture, has joined the Advisory Council of the Delaware Botanic Gardens.

“From the very start of our project, we have used Don Rakow's authoritative book, Public Garden Management (Wiley & Sons, 2011) to guide us," said Susan Ryan, president of the Delaware Botanic Gardens. “Now we have this renowned public garden leader on our Advisory Council. This is a great day for the Delaware Botanic Gardens. Don brings to our Advisory Council his real world experience as the former executive director of Cornell Plantations and a rich academic background as an author, educator and codirector of the Cornell Graduate Program in Public Garden Leadership.”

Fellow Advisory Council member Holly Shimizu added, "During my tenures as executive director of the United States Botanic Garden and at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Don Rakow and his Cornell program have become one of the leading sources of horticultural research and a center for the development of future leaders in public garden management. Don's joining the Delaware Botanic Gardens is a great addition to our very talented Advisory Council.

The board of the Delaware Botanic Gardens is proud to announce that Susan Ryan, owner of Good Earth Farm and Markets, has been selected to become the new president of the Delaware Botanic Gardens. “I am honored to take on this responsibility and look forward to finishing the job that Mike Zajic has started," she said. "The Board that we have created, the Advisory Council members who we have recruited, and the private sector contractors who we have attracted to this project will enable us to move forward successfully.”

Sue Ryan is a well-known Sussex entrepreneur who has created Good Earth Market and Organic Farm on Route 26 in Clarksville, Delaware, and Good Earth Market on Route 1 in Rehoboth Beach. She is a founder of the farmers market movement, a leader in organic farming and the “farm to table” concept, and active in the Delaware Agritourism Association.

President Sue Ryan concluded, “Fortunately we have a great reservoir of talent on our Board. I have asked Sheryl J. Swed to become our full-time executive director, Raymond Sander to move from treasurer to vice president, and David Green to become our treasurer. Ptery Iris will continue as our very capable secretary, and Gregg Tepper, DBG director of horticulture, has been made a full member of the board. This will ensure that we will have an orderly transition and a seamless continuation of our project.”

Douglas Tallamy, the renowned researcher, author, and professor of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware, has accepted the invitation to be a member of the Delaware Botanic Gardens Advisory Council.

Michael Zajic, president of the Delaware Botanic Gardens board, said, “When we began this project, we could only dream that one day the Delaware Botanic Gardens could attract horticulture leaders like Holly Schimizu, Rodney Robinson, and now Doug Tallamy. As a lifelong gardener, Doug’s message has inspired me to make the right plant choices that can affect the future positively.”

Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants, said, “I am delighted to be part this great project. Joining at this early phase will enable us to begin the Delaware Botanic Gardens with the mindset that emphasizes native plants of the coastal plain that sustain wildlife. I am equally honored to be working with Carla Markell and the other distinguished public and private sector leaders who are assisting in the creation of the Delaware Botanic Gardens."

The renowned chef and SoDel Corporate Chef Ronnie Burkle has accepted the invitation to be a member of the Delaware Botanic Gardens Advisory Council. The Advisory Council is a group of distinguished public- and private-sector leaders who are assisting in the creation of the Delaware Botanic Gardens. The Advisory Council is chaired by Delaware’s First Lady, Carla Markell.

“Shortly before his tragic death, Matt Haley had accepted our invitation to join the Delaware Botanic Gardens Advisory Council. As a vivid demonstration of how Matt’s successors are keeping Matt’s spirit alive, SoDel President Scott Kammerer has designated Ronnie Burkle to carry forward Matt’s commitment to the Delaware Botanic Gardens,” said Mrs. Markell. Scott Kammerer added, “I will honor Matt’s passion, his vision, and his determination to give back to the community where we do business and where we live.”

Rodney Robinson, a renowned landscape architect in Wilmington, has accepted the invitation to be a member of the Delaware Botanic Gardens Advisory Council. The Advisory Council is a group of distinguished public- and private-sector leaders who are assisting in the creation of the Delaware Botanic Gardens. The Advisory Council is chaired by Delaware’s First Lady, Carla Markell.

“Rodney is a Delaware treasure. His designs have enhanced gardens across the state and throughout the country. His recent work to renovate the Gardens at Woodburn, the Governor’s official residence, is a prime example of his landscape creativity and dedication to natural beauty. Having Rodney join our efforts to create the Delaware Botanic Gardens is a major addition to the Advisory Council,” said Mrs. Markell.

Michael Zajic, president of DBG, noted, “Rodney Robinson is a creative and inspirational landscape leader who has worked on many of the most beautiful public and private gardens in our country, including Chanticleer, Lewis Ginter Botanic Garden, Mt. Cuba Center, the United States Botanic Garden, and most recently the ongoing restoration of Nemours Mansion and Gardens. Having Rodney join our Advisory Council brings a respected landscape designer to our organization whose advice and guidance will be invaluable.”