Warren Byrd, landscape architect and designer of  Historic Barns Park, recently met with the Board of Directors at Carol and Gary Silverman's home to begin stage two of the design process for the 25-acre Botanic Garden.  Although Warren and the board focused on the gardens around the Visitor Center and Walled Garden, they also began to envision the Healing Garden and other aspects of the site.  Warren and his team are using input from the board to develop a series of plans which will be finalized this coming Spring. These plans and renderings will allow the public to envision the future gardens and provide an important blueprint for work and construction at the site.

Carol Silverman has been actively involved in the Botanical Garden Society since the inception of the organization in year 2000, initially as a volunteer and then as a board member. She has been a guiding force in many aspects of the garden, especially in the area of design. It was Carol who led the nation-wide search for a landscape architect, resulting in the hiring of Warren Byrd of Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects in Charlottesville, VA.  Her wisdom and commitment to the vision of a botanic garden in northern Michigan is deeply appreciated by all BGS board members. Carol and her husband Gary, who has also generously supported the Society, were recently honored with the "first bench" placed at the garden. The plaque reads "Carol and Gary Silverman - True Friends of the Garden".

We welcome Anna Wege to the Botanical Garden Society Board. After living abroad in Sweden, Germany and England, Anna studied Interior Design at Kendall College of Art and Design. She has called Traverse City home for five years after moving north from Chicago. Anna resides at the Village of Grand Traverse Commons with her two children, Konrad and Lillian. Being a naturalist at heart, she appreciates the beauty this region has to offer and feels fortunate to now call Traverse City "home." Combining her love for nature with the site of the Botanic Garden in her backyard, Anna is honored to be a part of the Board and is dedicated to the overall success of the new Garden.



Judi Guith
We're delighted to welcome Judi Guith to the Botanical Garden Society Board. Moving around the country with her husband Dan, who is now retired from the Coast Guard, she has worked in a variety of career areas,  her favorite being "gardening and landscape."  Judi earned her Master Gardener certification in Florida, where she was employed at the largest nursery in Orlando. She became a Florida Nursery Certified Professional  during her tenure there and tells us that the hardest part was "learning all of the Latin names for local plants." She has created a stunning garden at her own home and is a gifted craft artist as well. Judi assumes responsibilities as our Volunteer Chairman and liaison to the Cherry Capital Rose Society. She is pictured here at our September 17th Open House, where she helped to earn over $1,400 for the Botanic Garden with many of her donated plants and garden art items.