On May 10, 2024, the Botanic Garden at GSU is launching an inaugural giving campaign to coincide with National Public Gardens Day on May 10th. The initiative, led by the American Public Gardens Association, encourages citizens nationwide to visit their local botanical gardens during the week of May 10-19.
The timing of this year’s giving campaign coincides perfectly with Mother’s Day on May 12, offering not only a wonderful idea for an outing with mom but also a gifting opportunity for her.
Her new membership would offer discounts on Garden events and a coveted invitation to the members-only portion of the Garden’s popular plant sales. What mom wouldn’t love that! It can truly be a gift that will keep giving, too, as certain levels of membership also include reciprocal or reduced admission at more than 300 other gardens nationwide.
The Botanic Garden at Georgia Southern is currently closed on Saturdays; however, the Garden’s new executive director, Todd Beasley, hopes to be able to open the space to the community on Saturdays beginning in March 2025. It is only through continued community support that the Garden staff will be able to realize this goal.
“This Garden is such a gem for the community,” Beasley said. “To be open on Saturdays is about accessibility for all and is a much needed outlet with the current hustle and bustle of society.”
The Garden offers multiple levels of membership as a way to support its work and goals. An annual family membership ($75) equates to the cost of just one latte per month. And for the cost of just one latte per week over the course of a month, you can purchase an individual membership at just $35.
Of course, membership is not just for moms. It’s for everyone! The Garden is a wonderful place for children, families, young people, and seniors to escape and enjoy the beautiful landscape of the Coastal Plain amidst the “busyness” of everyday life.
“While we are connected with the university, we are a public garden, and the support for this Garden from the community is so very important,” Beasley added. “We have a dedicated group of gracious donors and members but must expand to a larger, more diverse audience. Opening the doors on Saturdays will allow us much more ability to offer an experience to a larger audience from adult and family education to events. I am hopeful the community will hear this message and recognize this special place and want to support us with new membership.”
Please consider supporting the Garden, as it serves to preserve our agricultural past and secure our horticultural future. Your generous donations will help the garden GROW! You can join the giving campaign by clicking here and pledging your support to this beautiful part of our community.
For more information, please visit the Garden’s website or call 912-478-1149.
About the Botanic Garden
Nestled along Bland Avenue adjacent to the Georgia Southern University Statesboro campus, the Botanic Garden at Georgia Southern is a beautiful and historic part of the Statesboro community.
The Botanic Garden is spread out over the early twentieth-century farmstead of Dan and Catharine Bland, featuring 11 acres of native and heirloom plants. Visitors of all ages can enjoy wandering the trails, paths, and courtyards to explore the intriguing natural and cultural wonders of the Southeastern Coastal Plain, where persistence, ingenuity, and deep respect have bound people to the land since long before the University was founded.
The Garden offers woodland trails, a landscape garden of coastal plain natives, a native azalea collection, an arboretum, a children’s garden, a complex of early 20th-century farm buildings, the Rural Life Museum, the Whelchel Camellia Garden, heritage gardens, wetland gardens, and the Kennedy Outdoor Classroom.
The Garden is a research and educational resource for faculty and students and provides undergraduate and graduate programs, projects, and internships, as well as continuing education programs of interest to the community.
This serene yet breathtaking landscape allows visitors a unique opportunity to enjoy the past, wonder at the present, and learn for the future.
