Ray Sander, President of the Delaware Botanic Gardens (DBG), gratefully thanked Governor John Carney for recognizing the exceptional contribution of the DBG volunteers and especially the tireless work of our Garden Stewards. Sander said, “Public botanical gardens are places of beauty and conservation where the public can enjoy and be educated about the role and importance of horticulture. The Delaware Botanic Gardens is one of the newest public gardens in the United States and one of the few where volunteers perform the full range of gardening, administrative, and management tasks. We are very proud of the thousands of hours that our volunteers have donated. Without their time, energy, and dedication, there would be no beautiful gardens in Sussex County for the community to visit and enjoy.”

Carol McCloud, DBG Vice President and Director of Volunteers, said, “This 2021 Governor’s Volunteer award has been won with plain old fashioned hard work in all types of weather conditions all year long. It is an honor and a privilege to be a Garden Steward, working alongside these amazing volunteers and friends. Volunteers do this work for a love of the gardens, and it brings them pleasure to share their work with the greater community.”

Sheryl Swed, DBG Executive Director, said,” I congratulate Carol McCloud and all our dedicated Garden Stewards who are on the front lines daily to ensure that the gardens are in top shape for our community to enjoy. Most recently, the Garden Stewards planted 84,000 spring bulbs in the 2-acre Piet Oudolf Meadow. These bulbs will be in full bloom when we reopen in March. We thank all who have volunteered, visited, and supported the gardens this year. We look forward to seeing you next spring. Again, we are so proud of all our volunteers.”

The DBG is currently closed to the public and will reopen on March 17, 2022. The mission of the Delaware Botanic Gardens is to create a world-class, inspirational, educational, and sustainable public botanic garden in southern Delaware for the benefit and enjoyment of all. The Delaware Botanic Gardens is located at 30220 Piney Neck Road, Dagsboro, DE 19939. Go to www.delawaregardens.org for more information.