AWARDS
The Worcester County Horticultural Society’s Awards recognize and celebrate horticultural contributions made by professionals, amateurs, and community groups throughout New England. Our Community Greening Awards honor the efforts of individuals and groups to improve their communities. The Silver Medal, Cary Award, and Alice Milton Award for Excellence in Horticulture Design celebrate a lifetime commitment to the mission of the Worcester County Horticultural Society, or excellence in horticulture or design. Two awards, the Annual Volunteer Award, and the Distinguished Service Award, honor the countless contributions of WCHS volunteers. Each award is described below. Nominations for Community Greening Awards are welcomed annually; nominations for individual awards are solicited from WCHS trustees and horticultural professionals.
Each year, up to four individuals or organizations, one from each of the following categories, receive a one-year membership to New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, a Certificate of Greening, professional hand pruners, and recognition at our Annual Meeting in June.
2025 Community Greening Awardees
Berlin Community Garden
The Berlin Community Garden puts community first. This garden has been serving families in and around Berlin, MA, for 12 years. Plots are available free of charge to those in need and produce is donated weekly to local food pantries, including BC4T, a pantry serving veterans. All gardeners commit to using organic techniques and plots are celebrated for their creative designs. Participants also come together for a seed and seedling swap at the beginning of the season. The Berlin Community Garden thrives on growing connections.
Clark Street Community School Garden
Worcester’s Clark Street Community School Garden grew as a passion project for educator Charlene Preston, who, many years ago, began a regular Wednesday gardening club at the elementary school. Well-loved and attended by students, the gardening club at Clark Street Community School has expanded over the years. Students now tend five raised beds, a pumpkin patch, multiple fruit trees, and a native plant pollinator garden. They also maintain beautiful bulbs around the school. Through gardening, students at the Clark Street Community School learn lessons on how to grow their own food, witness the power of gardens to transform spaces, and experience the joys of getting their hands dirty.
Gardening the Community
Gardening the Community, a food justice organization founded 23 years ago in Springfield, MA, addresses hunger in neighborhoods with limited access to fresh produce and empowers youth as leaders in their communities. Youth learn and practice methods of sustainable urban agriculture by growing fruits and vegetables in vacant lots in the city. Produce is sold at the organization’s farm store where they accept SNAP and HIP. Through Gardening the Community, youth gain not only gardening skills, but also deeper knowledge of the ways institutionalized racism impacts food access and the power of community in driving social change.
Pine Hill Meadow Garden
The Pine Hill Meadow Garden in Southborough, MA, was founded five years ago in response to the growing problem of food insecurity exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Pine Hill Meadow Garden collaborates with Rachel’s Table and other nonprofit organizations and food pantries in the Worcester area to distribute fresh, healthy food. They pride themselves on growing crops that are culturally relevant to the region’s diverse communities. A sustainable solar panel water pump system used to water crops also ensures that the Pine Hill Meadow Garden is caring for people and planet. In only a few short years, this entirely volunteer-run garden has provided more than 5 tons of produce to the community.
The Town of Oxford
The Town of Oxford excels at embedding environmental stewardship and sustainability into aspects of municipal work and community life. In 2024, the town’s Pollinator Team led a multifaceted campaign to create pollinator habitat and build awareness about the benefits of native plants. They hosted and collaborated on community events, festivals, and educational programs, supported student-led research on how to better serve pollinators on town land, planted pollinator gardens, promoted “low mow” pollinator meadows, and more. In addition to their pollinator-focused work, the town, through the Department of Public Works, also constructs rain gardens on municipal properties, supports residents with a rain barrel program, and runs campaigns to educate the community about stormwater pollution.
The Cary Award, named in honor of Shrewsbury plantsman Ed Cary, is presented to a person for demonstrated excellence in the varied field of horticulture. Recipients have an established reputation as educators, landscape professionals, plant breeders, nursery professionals, or horticulture researchers, with a special emphasis on sustainable horticulture.
The Cary Award has a long history with the Worcester County Horticultural Society, but it didn’t always honor people. For roughly two decades, the region’s top horticulturists convened to name an annual Cary Award winning plant—outstanding trees, shrubs, and perennials that are well-suited to New England gardens. In 2020, WCHS made a significant shift in the focus of the Cary Award, aiming to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of individuals in the field of horticulture. Now this top honor is given to people who have dedicated their careers to advancing the art and science of horticulture. The Cary Award Selection Committee named its first honoree in 2023.
2025 Cary Award Honoree
Peter Del Tredici, Botanist, Author, Lecturer and Former Senior Research Scientist at Arnold Arboretum
Peter Del Tredici has been described as a legend in the field of horticulture. His research on woody plants began in 1972 when he started out as a research technician at the Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA. He went on to lead a storied thirty-five-year career at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University in Boston where he worked through 2014 as Plant Propagator, Curator of the Larz Anderson Bonsai Collection, Editor of Arnoldia, Director of Living Collections, and finally as Senior Research Scientist. During his time at the Arnold Arboretum, he made numerous seed collecting and ecological research expeditions to China, Japan, and Korea. He has published over 100 articles and received many awards for his work. He is the author of Wild Urban Plants of the Northeast: A Field Guide and is considered a world authority on the ecology and cultivation of the Ginkgo tree.
Cary Award Winning Plants
From 1997-2019, the Cary Award highlighted landscape plants with proven performance across New England. All plants chosen share key qualities that make them outstanding plants for New England gardens. They are reliably hardy to Zone 4, they have exceptional pest and disease resistance, they are adaptable to a range of cultural conditions, and they are generally available for home gardeners and landscape professionals to purchase from local garden centers and nurseries. Click here for the complete list of Cary Award-winning plants.
Cary Award Selection & Nominations
Cary Award nominations will be solicited from the professional horticulture community and selected by the Cary Award Committee. Recipients will receive a monetary award and a certificate of recognition and will be invited to serve as guest speaker at the Annual Meeting. The Cary Award will be presented every other year on alternate years with the Alice B. Milton Award.
A distinguished title awarded to former trustees or exceptional individuals whose contributions are honored for their lasting impact on WCHS.
2025 Honorary Trustee
Brian Vogt, CEO of Denver Botanic Garden
(Award presented posthumously)
A visionary leader, Brian Vogt served as CEO of Denver Botanic Gardens from 2007 to 2025. One of his biggest passions was making the botanic garden a place for everyone. His leadership, knowledge, and enthusiasm helped pave the way for many public gardens, including New England Botanic Garden, to bravely and joyfully embrace IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) initiatives that welcome all people to public gardens.
The Silver Medal is presented to a person or affiliate who has demonstrated exceptional service to the Worcester County Horticultural Society over many years. Nominations are made each year by the Awards Committee and passed on to the Governance Committee to be presented and voted on by the Board of Trustees. Silver Medal recipients will be recognized at the WCHS annual meeting.
2025 Silver Medal Honoree
Rick Kimball
Rick Kimball’s tenure as a New England Botanic Garden volunteer dates back to the founding of the Garden at Tower Hill, almost 40 years ago. Through 2,625 dedicated hours, Rick has shared his deep knowledge of horticulture with countless visitors and staff, volunteering with the horticulture team in the gardens, at events like member concerts, and as a Garden Guide giving tours. His significant contributions have helped to shape the Garden that so many now know and love.
Presented to volunteers who have demonstrated outstanding service to WCHS. Nominations will come from staff and will be reviewed and chosen by the Awards Committee in conjunction with the Volunteer Coordinator. Recipients of these awards will be honored at the Annual Meeting. Recipients will receive a certificate of appreciation and lunch with the CEO.
2025 Annual Volunteer Awardees
Laura Booth
Laura Booth embodies what it means to be a Garden ambassador. Since becoming a volunteer in 2014, she’s given 1,567 hours. While her contributions have been felt across the organization, the education team is especially grateful to count on Laura for support during school vacation week programs, Nature Play Days, and more. Her lighthearted and joyful presence makes families feel welcome and keeps them coming back.
Penney Gambino
Penney Gambino has worked to tend almost every garden space since she started as a volunteer in 2015. In addition to supporting the horticulture team, Penney has dedicated her 1,592 hours of service as a Garden Greeter, Explainer, and Garden Guide. She always has a cheerful disposition and is valued by the team for her readiness to take on any task, including acting as a mentor for newer volunteers.
This award recognizes volunteers who have contributed at least 10 years and 2,000 hours of service to WCHS. Recipients of these awards will be honored at the Annual Meeting. Recipients will receive a certificate of appreciation and a nameplate with their name on it will be hung on the Distinguished Volunteer Service Award plaque which is located to the right of the Limonaia entrance. This award will be given as volunteers reach the 10 year, 2,000 hours of service goals.
2025 Distinguished Service Awardee
Bill O’Toole
Bill O’Toole began volunteering at the Garden in 2010 and since then has dedicated 2,088 hours of service to the mission of connecting people and plants. There isn’t much Bill hasn’t done to support the work of the horticulture team. From pruning in the Orchard to seasonal clean ups, seed planting, weeding, label sorting, special events preparation, and more, Bill is someone the team can rely on to treat the Garden’s living plant collections with care. His contributions have been invaluable to the Garden’s growing success.
The Alice Milton Award is presented to a person for a lifetime achievement of excellence in horticulture design. Nominations will be solicited from the professional horticulture community and selected by the Awards Committee. Recipients will receive a monetary award and a certificate of recognition, and will be invited to serve as guest speaker at the Annual Meeting. The Alice Milton Award will be presented every other year on alternate years with the Cary Award.
2024 Alice Milton Award Honoree
Julie Moir Messervy
Messervy is the founder and principal designer of JMMDS, a landscape design studio with a commitment to sustainable and environmentally sensitive design. An author and lecturer with over three decades of experience and nine books to her name, Messervy leads the industry in landscape and garden design theory and practice.
The Emeriti Trustee designation is awarded to former Trustees who have demonstrated exceptional service, including at least six years of active engagement, consistent philanthropic support, and ongoing interest in the Garden’s mission to connect people and plants.