The Evolving Role of Botanical Gardens

Botanical gardens, those islands of serenity amid society’s increasing din, were defined early on as places “open to the public and in which the plants are labeled.” Today, the purpose of these gardens has greatly expanded to include rescuing plant biodiversity, offering serious programs of research and education to citizens of all ages and instruction for skilled botanists, creating aesthetically pleasing refuges from modern life, and maintaining storage centers both on-site and offsite for the long-term preservation of plant species against the time when they will have vanished from their usual habitats. Even though the role of botanical gardens has expanded, they are faced with constant funding