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EnglishWhat Counts as a Public Garden According to APGA?
Updated
The American Public Gardens Association (APGA) defines a public garden as an institution that maintains plants for public education and enjoyment, alongside research, conservation, and higher learning. Two conditions are decisive: the garden must be open to the public, and its resources and accommodations must be made available to all visitors. A place that grows plants but restricts access, or serves only paying customers or members, does not meet that definition.
The Core Definition
APGA's definition combines a purpose test and an access test. Both must be satisfied.
Purpose: Why the plants are maintained
The institution must maintain plants for:
- Public education and enjoyment — the primary public-facing purpose
- Research — scientific study of plants
- Conservation — protecting plant species and collections
- Higher learning — academic or advanced educational use
A garden does not need to do all four, but plant maintenance must serve these kinds of purposes rather than purely commercial ones.
Access: Who can use it
- The garden must be open to the public.
- The garden's resources and accommodations must be made to all visitors — meaning access is not limited to a select group.
This is the line APGA draws between a public garden and a private garden or a purely commercial plant-selling operation.
What This Means in Practice
| Feature | Public garden (per APGA) | Private garden or commercial nursery |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Education, enjoyment, research, conservation, higher learning | Private use or plant sales |
| Public access | Open to the public | Restricted or transactional |
| Facilities | Made available to all visitors | Not necessarily |
| Example of fit | A botanical garden with educational programs and public grounds | A nursery selling plants, or a walled private estate garden |
The distinction is about mission and access, not size or ownership. A small community garden open to all and run for education can qualify; a large, well-planted site closed to the public does not.
How to Check a Specific Place
- Confirm it is open to the public — check published visiting hours and whether entry is available to anyone, not just members or invited guests.
- Check the stated purpose — look for education, conservation, research, or learning programs described by the institution itself.
- Check visitor accommodations — see whether facilities and resources are described as available to all visitors.
- Use APGA's own tools — the association offers an interactive Garden Map to find gardens in America and a Plant Collections Network showcase for documented collections. Searching a garden there is a practical way to see whether it is recognized within APGA's network of nearly 600 public gardens.
If a site fails the access test — for example, it is only open to ticket-buyers for a commercial event, or it is a private garden — it falls outside APGA's definition regardless of how many plants it maintains.
Where the Definition Comes From
APGA describes itself as championing and advancing nearly 600 public gardens in North America and internationally, with a mission to connect, protect, and champion public gardens. Its published definition of a public garden is the reference point for the criteria above, and its FAQ page addresses related questions about the association and its work.