Fernwood Botanical Garden has announced that executive director Carol Line has been honored as the recipient of the 2012 Award of Merit from the American Public Gardens Association (APGA).

Line was nominated by colleagues and Fernwood staff for this national award, which she received at the annual APGA conference at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio, on June 21. The award was presented by Sarah Maietta, APGA membership manager, who worked with Line at APGA and has known her for many years.

“Carol has worked incredibly hard, and perseveres and moves through her career with grace and humor,” Maietta said. “Her love of plants and public gardens is infectious and one she shares with members and visitors alike.”

The Award of Merit recognizes an individual APGA member who has performed with distinction in the field of public horticulture and has excelled as a public garden professional at one or more institutions.

In addition to her work at APGA, Botanic Gardens Conservation International and Fernwood, Line has worked at some of the nation’s finest public gardens, including the Huntington Botanical Gardens, Denver Botanic Gardens, The Morton Arboretum, Chicago Botanic Garden, the Arnold Arboretum and Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

She currently serves as the chairwoman of the small gardens professional section of the APGA and has served as the APGA publications committee chair.

“APGA has been central to my life and career for almost 30 years,” Line told 500 colleagues present at the awards ceremony, many of whom she has worked with over the course of her career. “I rarely have missed a meeting, and I’ve become a lifelong student of gardens and how they work.”

Line added that when she interviewed for the position of executive director at Fernwood almost five years ago, she “dropped a few names.” She referred to her APGA colleagues as her support system and thanked them for their support through the years, which she said has made all the difference in her career and her work at Fernwood.

“As Fernwood prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2014, Carol has been said to lead the garden with a fresh, relevant, and ambitious vision, confidently paving the way for another 50 years of extraordinary adventures and amazing opportunities within the Fernwood community,” Maietta said.

Line reminded APGA members that they are all very fortunate to work in the public garden field. “We strengthen our communities, conduct important research, educate, enrich, beautify and help to save the plant. We do good work,” she said.