美国 阿拉巴马州多森地区植物园 – 全阿拉巴马最佳花园

历史由来

多森地区植物园（Dothan Area Botanical Gardens，简称 DABG）位于美国阿拉巴马州休斯敦县多森市北郊，由县农业推广员 Reafield Vester 提议创办，1991 年 7 月正式注册为非营利组织。园址所在的 48 英亩土地 1994 年从 Whiddon 家族购入，彼时还是一片种植大豆的农田；购地后由志愿团队开垦，辟出第一座玫瑰园，随后逐年扩展，逐步形成今日兼具栽培展示、自然步道与原始林地的综合园区。

园区布局与主题花园

园区占地约 50 英亩，环绕约 0.75 英里（约 1.2 公里）长的铺装步道分布着大大小小二十余处主题花园，包括玫瑰园、山茶园、萱草园、绣球园、亚洲园、药草园、传家宝种子园、阴生园、蕨类谷、冥想园、蝶恋园与示范菜园等。Wiregrass 玫瑰学会常年承担玫瑰园 200 余个品种的养护，每年五月中旬为盛花期；山茶、杜鹃、玉兰等春季观花区则从二月底一直延伸至初夏。

Wings of Wonder 蝴蝶馆

园内 Wings of Wonder 蝴蝶馆占地约 1,800 平方英尺，常年放养 500 至 600 只本地蝶类，每年 4 月至 10 月面向访客开放，是园方推广传粉昆虫保护与生态科普的重要窗口。围绕蝴蝶馆，园区另设”蝴蝶大使”志愿项目，志愿者负责接待访客、收集入场券并讲解馆内蝴蝶习性，让普通市民得以近距离接触本地蝶种生活史。

教育使命与会员体系

作为社区共建型植物园，园方长期面向儿童与成人开展园艺与环境教育课程，并与全美园艺协会（American Horticultural Society）协作，会员可凭 DABG 资格免费或优惠进入全美 300 余家签约植物园，包括亚特兰大、亨茨维尔、伯明翰与莫比尔等城市的多座知名园区。

开放时间、票价与近期荣誉

园区全年开放，每日 8:00 至 17:00（中部标准时）或 9:00 至 18:00（中部夏令时），16 岁及以上非会员入场费 5 美元；母亲节、阵亡将士纪念日、退伍军人节等多个公共节日实行免票入园。2024 年，DABG 被 Alabama 杂志评为”全阿拉巴马最佳花园”（Best of Bama Award），以表彰其在地方园艺推广与生态保护方面的长期贡献。

History

The Dothan Area Botanical Gardens (DABG), a non-profit public garden in Houston County in southeastern Alabama, was initiated by County Extension Agent Reafield Vester and formally incorporated in July 1991. In 1994 the organization purchased the 48-acre site from the Whiddon family; the land had been planted in soybeans. Volunteers broke ground soon after, opening a Rose Garden as the first display area and adding pocket gardens, walking paths and undeveloped woodland over the following decades.

Layout and Themed Gardens

Spanning roughly 50 acres, the gardens are arranged around an approximately 0.75-mile (1.2 km) paved loop and include more than twenty themed “pocket gardens”: Rose, Camellia, Daylily, Hydrangea, Asian, Herb, Southern Heirloom, Shady, Fern Glade, Meditation, Butterfly and Demonstration gardens. The Wiregrass Rose Society tends more than 200 rose cultivars in the Rose Garden, which peaks in mid-May, while camellias, azaleas and dogwoods carry the display from late winter into early summer.

Wings of Wonder Butterfly House

Wings of Wonder, an 1,800-square-foot butterfly house on the grounds, hosts 500–600 native butterflies between April and October each year and serves as the garden’s main outreach venue for pollinator education. A volunteer “Butterfly Ambassadors” program welcomes visitors, collects admission and answers questions about the species on display, extending the garden’s educational reach into the wider Wiregrass community.

Education and Membership

As a community-built garden, DABG offers year-round horticulture and environmental programs for children and adults. Its membership program participates in the American Horticultural Society’s reciprocal network, giving members access to more than 300 affiliated gardens across the United States, including well-known collections in Atlanta, Huntsville, Birmingham and Mobile.

Hours, Admission and Recent Recognition

The gardens are open every day of the year, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST (or 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CDT). Non-members aged 16 and over pay a $5 admission, with several free-admission days each year including Mother’s Day, Memorial Day and Veterans Day. In 2024 Alabama magazine named DABG “Best Garden” in its Best of Bama Awards, recognizing the garden’s sustained contribution to regional horticulture and conservation.

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