The Cultural Landscape Foundation's 2007 Landslide: Heroes of Horticulture

To honor and help preserve the country’s horticultural heritage, the Cultural Landscape Foundation’s 2007 Landslide theme, Heroes of Horticulture, seeks to highlight significant horticultural features that have stood steadfast in the face of natural and cultural odds and because of that, borne witness to the heritage of the nation. These formal and vernacular tree and plant collections are often associated with historically important people and events that have shaped the development of communities and cultures. They stand as living witnesses to the country’s past and have the potential to bear witness to coming generations.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), established in 1998, is dedicated to increasing the public’s awareness of the important legacy of cultural landscapes and to helping save them for future generations. In 2002, TCLF established the annual Landslide program in an effort to focus attention on culturally significant landscapes and landscape features at risk for alteration or destruction.

This year, for the first time, TCLF and Garden Design are partnering with George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film to produce an exhibit of original photography commissioned by the museum in support of the Landslide initiative. The exhibit of original photography by internationally celebrated artists will be on view at George Eastman House through March 2, 2008, and will travel thereafter.

Along with the Eastman House exhibit of original photography, sites across the country will host the Heroes of Horticulture signboard exhibit at or near locations associated with the different Heroes. The signboard exhibit will provide the history of each horticultural specimen, the threat, information on how to support the threatened feature, and associated historic and current photographs of each resource. A list of sites hosting the signboard exhibit can be found at www.tclf.org/landslide/2007.

For more information on the Heroes of Horticulture exhibit, and how to learn more and help, visit www.tclf.org/landslide/2007.