Horticulture: Our Vision & Goals

Vision

We envision a region that celebrates plants and nature as essential to the human experience and where everyone has access to green community spaces.

Purpose

We strive to empower individuals of all ages and their communities through gardening, plant-focused education, and sustainable growing practices in order to promote wellness, expand food access, and support environmental responsibility.

Core Values

Our approach to horticulture is rooted in a set of core values that shape actions on the land.

  • Ecological Integrity: Maintenance supports natural processes, strengthens biodiversity, and protects the health of the ecosystem.

  • Sustainability: Resource use is intentional, efficient, and aligned with long term environmental responsibility.

  • Community Benefit: The CGC remains safe, welcoming, and inspiring for all visitors and community members.

  • Respect for Natural Rhythms: Care follows seasonal cycles and ecological cues rather than rigid schedules.

  • Regenerative Practice: The CGC seeks not simply to avoid harm, but to actively and intentionally restore soil, habitat, and ecological resilience.

Learning Goals

We improve the environmental, economic, and social sustainability of urban and suburban landscapes and food systems by creatively connecting people, plants, and places through compelling education, thoughtful design, and meaningful community engagement. Our learning goals provide the road map.

Ecological Restoration & Habitat Preservation

  • Native Plant Propagation: Grow, maintain, and showcase a robust collection of plants indigenous to our ecoregion.

  • Land Remediation: Convert degraded public and private land into high-quality, biotically diverse ecosystems that support local wildlife as well as people.

Community Education & Empowerment

  • Hands-on Workshops: Teach students and adults practical skills such as seed saving, soil health improvement, and native plant gardening.

  • Community Science: Engage the community in monitoring local flora and fauna to deepen their connection to regional ecology.

  • Demonstration Gardens: Maintain labeled, accessible garden spaces within Hauck Botanic Garden that model sustainable practices for visitors, volunteers, and community members to replicate at home and in their communities.

  • Adaptation to Change: Encourage healthy debate that integrates perspectives, sciences, outcomes, and policies to encourage resource stewardship.

Volunteer Cultivation & Stewardship

  • Community Building: Mobilize a dedicated volunteer base to assist in maintaining Hauck Botanic Garden and public and private land, removing invasive species, and propagating plants.

  • Fostering Land Ethic: Instill a deep and empowered conservation ethic in visitors, volunteers, and community members by providing positive, frequent, and meaningful experiences in nature.

Sustainable Operations & Research

  • Climate Resilience: Develop and share landscaping solutions that mitigate urban heat islands and reduce reliance on synthetic fertilizers.

  • Ethical Sourcing & Practices: Ensure all horticulture practices—from sourcing seeds to pest management—prioritize environmental health and biodiversity.

Get Involved

If you’d like to be a part of working toward these goals and vision with us, learn more about our Horticulture program and find your place!