Virtual Flower Show Honors Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr.’s Legacy

May 13, 2021

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This year’s GCA virtual flower show, Around the Green, honors the legacy of Olmsted. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, he saw in New England town greens the opportunity to translate them into urban parks across the nation for all to enjoy. Olmsted’s visionary design principles are still followed by landscape designers today. From creating major urban parks and green spaces that define our towns and cities to protecting and preserving the wilderness, he was a pioneer in understanding and promoting sustainability. 

Please visit Around the Green to view a short video exhibit that showcases Olmsted’s genius of design, his legacy, and how his aesthetic theories differed from other landscape architects of his time. 

For the first time ever, the flower show will be presented virtually to all 18,000 GCA club members and the public. The GCA made a rapid pivot beginning in late spring 2020 from destination-based, in-person events to virtual gatherings. Teams of volunteers have been engaged in learning strategies for creating and presenting educational content for member clubs in this new and exciting way. 

The Garden Club of America is a proud planning partner of the Olmsted 200 campaign, a nationwide bicentennial birthday celebration of the democratic values and enduring influence of visionary American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (FLO). Leading up to the 200th anniversary of his birth in 2022, the campaign will educate the public about Olmsted's commitment to public parks and the many health, environmental, and economic benefits that access to nature has to offer. Olmsted’s remarkable landscape designs have literally changed the face of America, and his legacy speaks to democratic values — including equal access to parks — that are as important today as when he first proposed them. Please visit www.olmsted200.org for more information and see how you can be a part of the festivities. Follow Olmsted 200 on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

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