Abra Lee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1978 Atlanta |
| Alma mater | Auburn University |
| Occupation(s) | Historian; public horticulturalist |
| Awards | 2019-20 Longwood Fellow |
| Website | https://conquerthesoil.com/ |
Abra Lee (born 1978 [1] ) is an American public horticulturalist, historian and writer, who researches Black garden history and raises awareness of the subject through social media.
Lee graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture. [2] She has worked in a number of horticultural roles, including: with the University of Georgia as a County Extension Agent for Fulton County; [2] [3] as Landscape Manager for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; [4] as a horticulturalist at George Bush Intercontinental Airport; [2] as a municipal arborist at City of Atlanta Department of Parks. [5]
As of 2021, Lee worked as a freelance horticultural writer and lecturer, for institutions such as the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centre, Temple University, Smithsonian Gardens, and others. [6] [7] [4] [8] [9] Her work seeks to break down the barriers that prevent black people participating in horticulture. [10] She does this through researching and highlighting the lives of Black women in horticulture, from antebellum history to the present day. [8] Lee says that the "beautiful thing about Black garden history is that it can't be separated from Black history and it can't be separated from American history". [8] She founded the social media platform Conquer the Soil, which raises horticultural awareness through Black garden history and current events. [11]
Lee was selected a 2019-20 Longwood Gardens Fellow. [12] [11] As part of her fellowship she travelled to Château de Villandry where she researched lesser known histories of the garden, as well as supporting a curatorial project which compared the lives of Ann Coleman Carvallo at Château Villandry and Anne Spencer of Lynchburg. [13] Her first book Conquer the Soil: Black America and the Untold Stories of Our Country's Gardeners, Farmers, and Growers is due to be published in 2022 by Indigo Books. [14] [15] [16]
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The garden pansy is a type of polychromatic large-flowered hybrid plant cultivated as a garden flower. It is derived by hybridization from several species in the section Melanium of the genus Viola, particularly V. tricolor, a wildflower of Europe and western Asia known as heartsease. It is sometimes known as V. tricolor var. hortensis, but this scientific name is suspect. While V. tricolor var. hortensisGroenland & Rümpler is a synonym of Viola × wittrockiana, V. tricolor var. hortensisDC. refers to a horticultural variety of wild pansy that had been illustrated in Flora Danica in 1777 before the existence of Viola × wittrockiana.
Horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and more controlled scale than agronomy. There are various divisions of horticulture because plants are grown for a variety of purposes. These divisions include, but are not limited to: propagation, arboriculture, landscaping, floriculture and turf maintenance. For each of these, there are various professions, aspects, tools used and associated challenges; Each requiring highly specialized skills and knowledge of the horticulturist.
Longwood Gardens is a public garden that consists of more than 1,100 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in the Brandywine Creek Valley in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, United States. It is one of the premier horticultural display gardens in the United States and is open to visitors year-round to enjoy native and exotic plants and horticulture, events and performances, seasonal and themed attractions, as well as educational lectures, courses, and workshops.
Armeria maritima, the thrift, sea thrift or sea pink, is a species of flowering plant in the family Plumbaginaceae. It is a compact evergreen perennial which grows in low clumps and sends up long stems that support globes of bright pink flowers. In some cases purple, white or red flowers also occur. It is a popular garden flower and has been distributed worldwide as a garden and cut flower. It does well in gardens designed as xeriscapes or rock gardens. The Latin specific epithet maritima means pertaining to the sea or coastal.
Grace Sturtevant (1865–1947) was an early 20th century iris breeder and horticulturalist who has been called "America's first lady of iris." She was a founding member of the American Iris Society.
Aesculus parviflora, the bottlebrush buckeye or small-flowered buckeye, is a species of suckering deciduous shrub in the family Sapindaceae. The species is native to the southeastern United States, where it is found primarily in Alabama and Georgia, with a disjunct population in South Carolina along the Savannah River. Its natural habitat is in mesic forests, on bluffs and in ravines.
Symphyotrichum ericoides, with common names white heath aster, frost aster, and heath aster, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to much of central and eastern North America. It has been introduced to parts of Europe and western Asia.
Baptisia alba, commonly called white wild indigo or white false indigo, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the bean family Fabaceae. It is native in central and eastern North America, and is typically found in open woodland areas and prairies with tall grasslands.
George Carl Ball Jr. is an American seedsman who has served as chairman of W. Atlee Burpee Company since 1991.
The Smithsonian Gardens, a division of the Smithsonian Institution, is responsible for the "landscapes, interiorscapes, and horticulture-related collections and exhibits", which serve as an outdoor extension of the Smithsonian's museums and learning spaces in Washington, D.C. Established in 1972 as a groundskeeping and horticulture program, Smithsonian Gardens currently manages 180 acres of gardens on the National Mall, 64,000 square feet of greenhouse production space, and the Archives of American Gardens, a research collection of over 60,000 photographs and archival records covering American landscape history from the 1870s to the present.
Foodscaping is a modern term for integrating edible plants into ornamental landscapes. It is also referred to as edible landscaping and has been described as a crossbreed between landscaping and farming. As an ideology, foodscaping aims to show that edible plants are not only consumable but can also be appreciated for their aesthetic qualities. Foodscaping spaces are seen as multi-functional landscapes that are visually attractive and also provide edible returns. Foodscaping is a method of providing fresh food affordably and sustainably.
Lester Gertrude Ellen Rowntree (1879–1979), a renowned field botanist and horticulturalist, was a pioneer in the study, propagation, and conservation of California native plants. In numerous journal and magazine articles, books, and public lectures, she shared her extensive knowledge of wildflowers and shrubs while arguing tirelessly for their protection.
Grace Sturtevant (1865–1947) was an early 20th century iris breeder and horticulturalist who has been called "America's first lady of iris." She was a founding member of the American Iris Society.
The Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women was one of the first horticultural schools to be established by and for women in the United States, opening on February 10, 1911. As the second institution to provide women with a practical education in horticulture and landscape architecture, it made possible their entry into a professional field. Although some men were employed in faculty positions, the school's leadership was intentionally female. As of 1919, the board of trustees consisted of twenty-five prominent women citizens. All but the last director of the school were women.
Charles Howard Shinn (1852–1924) was a horticulturalist, author, inspector of California Experiment Stations, and forest ranger in California.
Elizabeth Banks CBE, is a retired British landscape architect specializing in the restoration of historic landscapes who was the first woman and professional horticulturalist to be president of the Royal Horticultural Society from 2010 to 2013. She was appointed a CBE for services to horticulture in 2017.
Fannie Mahood Heath was an American gardener who discovered methods for growing imported flowers. She created flower and fruit cultivars and corresponded and collaborated with academics. She was a founding member and vice-president of the National Horticultural Society and her garden would attract 100 visitors a week.
Colah B. Tawkin, born Ticole Smith, is an American entrepreneur, gardener and podcaster, whose podcast Black in the Garden reached the Top Ten of Apple's Home & Garden Podcasts.
Jamila Norman is a first generation American, born in New York to Caribbean parents. She grew up in Queens, New York, then eventually moved, with her family, to Connecticut, and finally to Georgia. Her mother grew up on a family farm in Jamaica, and her father is from Trinidad. She earned a bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Georgia. She is a mother and currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia.