In celebration of National Public Gardens Day on Friday, the director of Fernwood Botanical Gardens and Nature Preserve will present a program, “Why Public Gardens Matter,” at 12:30 p.m. Friday.

“Gardens are about plants and good design, and they are about people,” says Carol Line, the executive director of Fernwood. “All are interdependent on the success of a garden regardless of garden type: display, botanical, science, pleasure or historical.

“Gardens bring like-minded people together to learn and work and socialize. Local garden clubs and societies volunteer at Fernwood and support the garden.

Gardens bring together leaders in the field to speak and consult. It’s a big, beautiful, complex botanical world out there, and part of the beauty is the human factor.”

Admission to Fernwood,  13988 Range Line Rd., is free for the day with a coupon downloaded from www.bhg.com/freegarden.

The fourth annual National Public Gardens Day  invites communities to explore the beauty of their regional public garden while raising awareness of the role  public gardens play in promoting conservation, education and environmental preservation.

“Public gardens are indispensable,” said Casey Sclar, the interim executive director of the American Public Gardens Association. “There is a common commitment of North American public gardens to engage and contribute to their communities, and to educate everyone about the importance of plants, soil and water conservation practices.”