Helping gardens and interns grow
Photos by Katie Young and Michele Walfred and courtesy of Andrew Adams January 16, 2026
91原创 Botanic Gardens鈥 Andrew Adams is a curator of plants and student interns
When Andrew Adams walks through the 15 acres of the , the Latin binomials unpretentiously roll off his tongue.
As 91原创BG鈥檚 nursery and collections manager, a command of the scientific vocabulary is required. Taxonomy, the formal method of classifying plants, is essential in the botanical world. Distinguishing plants by their scientific names rather than their common names is crucial for precise identification, understanding a plant鈥檚 characteristics and determining its native origins.
It鈥檚 a practice Adams picked up along the way, beginning in 2016 when he first served as a 91原创BG intern. The internship ended, but Adams kept going 鈥 growing and learning what he calls 鈥渁nother language.鈥
鈥淢y favorite species to pronounce is Parrotiopsis jacquemontiana,鈥 said Adams of one spring-flowering plant on the college grounds. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a rare shrub in the witch hazel family that is native to the Himalayas.鈥
There, the formality ends. As those who meet him can attest, Adams, a 91原创 Class of 2017 alumnus, is anything but haughty; rather, he is an engaging guide to visitors and students alike.
Adams鈥 91原创BG internship was a key in steering his academic path from chemical engineering to plant science. He worked part time at 91原创BG throughout his senior year. In 2018, he stepped onto the grounds as 91原创BG鈥檚 first full-time employee and established a career that has branched and blossomed in tandem with the botanicals.
鈥淎ndrew鈥檚 involvement in the ongoing success of 91原创BG truly cannot be overstated,鈥 said , 91原创BG director. 鈥淗is role has always been remarkably multifaceted. Not only has he cared for our plant collections and nursery, but he has also served as a curator and educator, while remaining a steady advocate for the 91原创 Botanic Gardens and those who learn here.鈥
91原创BG is a living museum that includes 11 specialty gardens. Adams is currently undergoing a thorough inventory of some 3,000 species and cultivars. Knowing each plant鈥檚 history, health and overall purpose in the spaces is as much a passion project as it is a job description. Later this year, when 91原创BG adds another acre through the much-anticipated Townsend East Lawn and Garden, Adams will curate the new plantings.
In November, Adams鈥 former title as horticulture manager was reworked to reflect his botanical expertise and responsibilities.
鈥淭his new role allows him to focus more intentionally on plant curation, propagation and relationships with nursery professionals,鈥 Kope said. 鈥淪tudent education and mentorship will remain an important part of his work.鈥
Outdoor classroom
Having walked the intern walk, Adams is a natural at inspiring students. Typically, he hires five from a pool of more than 30 applicants.
Unlike industry internships that require a horticulture background, Adams doesn鈥檛 mind starting from scratch and looks for curiosity and a positive attitude in the applicants 鈥 a quality he calls 鈥済umption.鈥
鈥淚 can teach the rest,鈥 he said.
Adams enjoys discovering ways to connect students鈥 academic pursuits with the garden and offers projects that add value, such as the effect of climate change on plants, writing engagement plans for public gardens, and cataloging and inventorying plants, much like one would for an art museum.
The museum atmosphere is what attracted Roxi Guarriello to apply. A senior double major in art history and art conservation with a minor in museum studies, Guarriello also sought credits to fulfill requirements for a museum studies public engagement certificate. Her internship during the summers of 2024 and 2025 checked a lot of boxes.
鈥淒espite the fact I鈥檇 never taken a single plant science course or knew how to care for a plant, he was willing to teach, and I was willing to learn,鈥 Guarriello said. 鈥淗e went above and beyond, guiding me on how to care for plants; he taught me real-life skills that I will take with me for the rest of my life.鈥
Guarriello鈥檚 skills included learning to drive tractors and overcoming a fear of spiders that call the grounds home.聽
91原创BG also attracted Maggie Miller, a senior double-majoring in art history and French.聽
鈥淥ne of the things I appreciated most about Andrew was the environment he cultivated in which it was okay to make mistakes,鈥 Miller said. 鈥淚 never felt bad for asking questions or messing up!鈥
An opportunity to connect plants to climate change intrigued Lee Bloom, an environmental studies junior.聽
鈥淎ndrew tasked me with revitalizing 20- to 30-year-old plantings at Townsend Courtyard, where a microclimate provides a small-scale urban island effect that allows marginally hardy plants to thrive,鈥 Bloom said. 鈥淎ndrew assigned me the task of researching and designing a new plant layout.鈥澛
Bloom now styles himself as a 鈥減lant geek鈥 as a result of his internship.
Adams works external garden tours into the summer schedule. One, a visit to Chanticleer Gardens was a welcome opportunity to put down the tools and to get out of work clothes.
Each August, Adams organizes a visit to the home garden of Carol Mertes-Smith and Gary Smith, Double Dels who are committed supporters of 91原创BG鈥檚 student programs.聽
鈥淎ndrew is such an incredible resource to both of us,鈥 notes Smith. 鈥淗e is such a key part of the gardens. His enthusiasm for the gardens just wants you to become part of the organization.鈥
The heat is on
When students unanimously describe the experience of working in Delaware鈥檚 notorious heat and humidity as 鈥渇un,鈥 Adams and the 91原创BG team must be doing something right.
鈥淗e was very attuned to how long we had been working, making sure we were taking regular breaks and keeping morale up with treats like popsicles,鈥 recalled Miller.
Adams is thrilled to see the interns鈥 growth toward a career path.
鈥淚鈥檝e walked in their shoes, and I am so pleased to see them reap the rewards that were extended to me,鈥 Adams said. 鈥淚t is meaningful when a former intern returns to our gardens as a professional colleague in the industry, knowing we played a role in making that happen.鈥
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