The Heart of the Gardens

BJ Dobson is not afraid of hard work. Although, to hear her tell it, her nearly 30-year docent career at the Gardens hasn’t felt much like work. With a CV covering everything from plant identification to helping lay the groundwork for the first docent training in 2006, dead-heading, manning the front desk, leading many (many) tours, volunteering in the gift shop, writing booklets and guides, brewing tea, stuffing envelopes, driving shuttles, serving as a Gardens ambassador, and working countless Gardens Aglow shifts, this Gardens charter member has found a place in every department and with almost every staff member. 

“BJ is at the center of the Gardens,” says Jen McKane, Director of Philanthropy. “She’s been here since the beginning and her depth of knowledge is invaluable. Her curiosity and specialized knowledge have seen her though countless guided tours, docent trainings, plant sales, and the identifying and organizing of miscellaneous slides of plants growing at the Gardens—plants she knows well. “I was in the first docent training class in 2005—two hours every week for most of the summer, time spent learning all the plants—names and stories—growing along the newly created paths. That’s what’s so special about this place—it’s our history and our dedication,” she says. “It’s taught us that you can carve something like this alongside a forest like we did.” 

There’s magic in this small piece of the coast, according to BJ, and that’s why she’s not only a docent, but a member, donor, and participant in the Perennial Society, too—a group of donors who have elected to include CMBG in their estate plans. “Private donations are so important to the Gardens. So much goes on here, and all of that costs so much—it makes you feel good to contribute whatever you can to make the Gardens successful,” she says. 

“For those thinking of becoming donors, I want to tell them that we have people visiting here, not only from every state, but from all over the world—that’s how special it is,” she continues. “I’d also make sure they had a tour to see where we’ve been, what’s here, and where we’re going. I mean, we pulled it off!” BJ laughs. “I remember opening day in 2007, wondering if we’d be able to do enough, make enough money to continue, attract enough people. A thousand people came that day, and that summer, our visitor numbers were more than what we’d hoped to see in ten years’ time!”

Planned giving means that this remarkable history won’t be lost, that the Gardens’ legacy will continue. “Gifts like BJ’s will make sure we’re here in a hundred years,” says Jen McKane. “It means giving further, joining the heart of the Gardens.”

“I love my time here,” says BJ. “I feel part of everything—we volunteers and docents, we feel so valued. I couldn’t live without plants,” she adds. “I wake up with gardens, and I close my day with gardens.”