Paul Meyer
Public Garden Administration and Horticulturist
Member since: 2007
Proposed by: The Garden Club of Philadelphia, Zone V
The retired F. Otto Haas Executive Director of the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, Paul Meyer has played a major role in the Arboretum's restoration of its historic gardens, architecture, and vistas with notable plant collections. In 2009, the Arboretum opened an award winning exhibit, Out on a Limb. The central feature of this exhibit is an accessible canopy walk which addresses the importance of trees in our communities. The Arboretum's Horticulture Center at Bloomfield Farm, opened in 2010 is a demonstration of sustainability, and has achieved Platinum LEED certification.
A leader in the field of plant exploration and evaluation, Paul Meyer has completed nine expeditions to China and Korea as well as expeditions to Armenia and the Republic of Georgia, where he has collected plants from various sources to introduce greater genetic diversity. He also searches for plants that will specifically grow in stressful city conditions. He has taught Urban Horticulture in the University of Pennsylvania's Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning Department and is a frequent contributor to horticultural publications. He is an excellent photographer and and lectures on a variety of horticultural topics.
Paul Meyer has received recognition for his leadership and accomplishments at both the Morris Arboretum and in the public garden community. These awards include a Special Citation from the Garden Club of America in 1997, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society's Distinguished Achievement Medal in 1999, a Professional Citation from the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta in 2001, the American Horticultural Society's Great American Gardeners Professional Award in 2002, honorary membership in The Garden Club of America in 2007, the Wyck-Strickland Award in 2010, the Award of Merit from the American Public Garden Association in 2013, and the Liberty Hyde Bailey Award from the American Horticultural Society in 2014.
Other Awards Paul Meyer has received:
Scott Medal and Award from The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College (2018)
Montgomery County Planning Advocate Award (2016)
Liberty Hyde Bailey Award from the American Horticultural Society (2014)
Award of Merit from the American Public Gardens Association (2013)
Wyck-Strickland Award (2010)
Honorary Member - Garden Club of America (2007)
Great American Gardeners 2002 Professional Award - American Horticultural Society
Professional Citation - American Association of Botanic Gardens and Arboreta (2001)
Distinguished Achievement Medal - Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (1999)
Special Citation - Garden Club of America (1997)
Co-author: Meyer, Paul W., Catriona Briger, and Edward Sibley Barnard, Philadelphia Trees: A Field Guide to the City and the Surrounding Delaware Valley, Columbia Press, 2017
Member since 2007.
