Garden Club of America Medalist Awarded the Elizabeth Medal of Honour by the Royal Horticultural Society

August 28, 2024

Charles R. “Chipper” Wichman, president emeritus of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, honored for horticultural contributions

On March 26, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the United Kingdom’s leading gardening charity, awarded the Elizabeth Medal of Honour to the Garden Club of America’s 2018 Medal of Honor recipient and president emeritus of the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG), Charles R. “Chipper” Wichman, for his outstanding contributions to horticulture, gardening, and plant conservation. NTBG is a network of botanic gardens, preserves, and research centers in Hawaii and Florida.

The Elizabeth Medal of Honour was established in 2023, by His Majesty King Charles III in remembrance of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The RHS reports that the medal enables the RHS Council “to confer this conspicuous honour on international horticulturists and UK non-horticulturists that have significantly impacted the advancement of the science, art, or practice of horticulture for the benefit of all generations and the environment.”

Wichman, a leading international horticulturist, has dedicated his career to developing NTBG as one of the world’s great botanic gardens, for employing horticultural techniques to protect, conserve, and restore endangered Hawaiian species. 

In response to the award, Wichman said, “I am truly honored to receive the Elizabeth Medal of Honour. Receiving this medal speaks to the international importance of the work being undertaken at NTBG. We work hard every day to prevent the extinction of plants, perpetuate traditional cultural knowledge, and to raise the profile and importance of plants in protecting our planet.” Wichman added, “It has been such an honor to work at NTBG over the past nearly five decades. NTBG has given me a career that has truly made a difference in the world.”

Wichman was awarded The Garden Club of America’s Medal of Honor in 2018 in recognition of his visionary leadership of the NTBG and dedicated service to the preservation of tropical plants and their habitats.

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