Distinguished professor and landscape architect Darrel Morrison has been selected to receive the 2021 Scott Garden and Horticulture Award of $15,000 to be presented by the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College on Oct. 10 in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.
"Through a lifetime of teaching, publishing, advocacy, conservation, and design practice, Darrel Morrison has made a powerful and lasting impact on public and private landscapes across America and on the science and art of American gardening generally," notes Executive Director of Library of American Landscape History Robin Karson, who forwarded his nomination.
Morrison is one of the most revered educators in landscape architecture today, having inspired and touched the lives of what must be well over 1,000 students during his teaching at the University of Wisconsin (where he served for a time as chair of landscape architecture program) and at the University of Georgia (where he served as Dean), as well as shorter periods of teaching at Columbia, Rutgers, University of Michigan, Conway School of Landscape Design, and the New York Botanical Garden. In addition, he is one of the co-founders of Landscape Journal, one of the key academic publications today in landscape architecture, and has been a frequent contributor to Landscape Architecture magazine.
Senior Outreach Specialist Susan Carpenter and Director Dr. Karen Oberhauser of University of Wisconsin Arboretum, also had some nice words to say about Morrison.
"As a landscape architect and garden designer, Darrel has created, installed, promoted, and supported native plant gardens and landscapes that teach and inspire. His enduring projects across the U.S. represent each area's native vegetation, natural heritage, and beauty. … He welcomes every opportunity to share his extensive knowledge – delivering a conference keynote address, leading field trips with former students who have become current colleagues, lecturing in university classes, and leading experiential programs at a retreat center," they explain.
The Scott Medal and Award was established in 1930 to recognize individuals who, in the opinion of the selection committee, have made outstanding national contributions to the science and art of gardening.
