President Chris W. and Delegate Paula A. represented the LGC at the GCA Annual Conference in Hartford, CT, April 26-28, 2024. “Beyond the Green” was the theme. Almost 600 people (99% women) were in attendance. 

They attended a lecture about Connecticut native Frederick Law Olmsted’s work in his home state—which fortuitously took place on what would have been his 202nd birthday!  They then boarded busses to visit Wickham Park, an estate that was built in 1896. The landscape was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead. It was donated to the city in 1960. It encompasses over 280 acres in East Hartford. They also toured the University of Connecticut Botanical Conservatory which contains one of the most diverse living plant collections at a public academic institution in the US. That evening, over 250 conference attendees walked five blocks through downtown Hartford to the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art (it was quite a sight) where dinner was served. We were seated with our fellow zone reps.

Attendees participated in a Saturday morning business meeting led by GCA President Marilyn Donahue. There they heard from GCA Scholar Charly Frisk who spoke about “How Seed Diversity Can Protect Our Food as the World Warms.” They also met the 2024 GCA Honorary Members – Southeastern Grasslands Institute Director, Dwayne Estes; San Diego Botanic Garden President, Ari Novy; ethnobotanist and Emory University professor, Cassandra Leah Quave; and Denver Botanical Garden CEO, Brian Vogt. Quave’s message that there is “a vast untapped world of discovery out there,” but that “change doesn’t happen overnight” echoed much of what these medalists said about their longstanding commitment to the environment. 

The judged flower show was a big part of the conference. The flower arrangements, and displays were fabulous. I have no idea how the judging works, but it was a wonderful exhibit of the wonders of nature. 

Ten new National Medalists were announced at Saturday night’s Awards Dinner and Ceremony. This diverse group included scholar Sir Peter Crane, advocate Lisa W. Ott, plant curator Rick Darke, regenerative ocean farming pioneer Bren Smith, advocate and filmmaker Tom Campion, preservationist Warrie Price, environmental philanthropist Gilbert Butler, advocate and former GCA President Anne “Dede” Neal Petri, and landscape architect David A. Rubin.          I found the conference was flawlessly run. The meetings started and ended in a timely manner, the speeches were succinct, and the events well-planned.