Editing Botanical garden (section)

=== 20th century ===

[[File:Aswan, Kitchener's Island, palm alley, Egypt, Oct 2004.jpg|thumb|upright|20th-century botanical garden on [[Kitchener's Island]], [[Aswan, Egypt]]]]

[[File:Chicago Botanic Garden - Zig Zag Bridge.jpg|thumb|[[Chicago Botanic Garden]], with a view of the [[zig-zag bridge]] ]]

==== Civic and municipal botanical gardens ====

A large number of civic or municipal botanical gardens were founded in the 19th and 20th centuries. These did not develop scientific facilities or programmes, but the horticultural aspects were strong and the plants often labelled. They were botanical gardens in the sense of building up collections of plants and exchanging seeds with other gardens around the world, although their collection policies were determined by those in day-to-day charge of them. They tended to become little more than beautifully maintained parks and were, indeed, often under general parks administrations.<ref>{{Harvnb|Heywood|1987|pp=10–16}}</ref>

==== Community engagement ====

The second half of the 20th century saw increasingly sophisticated educational, visitor service, and interpretation services. Botanical gardens started to cater for many interests and their displays reflected this, often including botanical exhibits on themes of [[evolution]], [[ecology]] or [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]], horticultural displays of attractive [[flowerbed]]s and [[herbaceous border]]s, plants from different parts of the world, special collections of plant groups such as [[bamboo]]s or [[rose]]s, and specialist glasshouse collections such as tropical plants, [[alpine plant]]s, [[cactus|cacti]] and [[Orchidaceae|orchids]], as well as the traditional herb gardens and medicinal plants. Specialised gardens like the [[Palmengarten]] in [[Frankfurt]], Germany (1869), one of the world's leading orchid and [[succulent plant]] collections, have been very popular.<ref name=h11/> With decreasing financial support from governments, revenue-raising public entertainment increased, including music, art exhibitions, special botanical exhibitions, theatre and film, this being supplemented by the advent of "Friends" organisations and the use of volunteer guides.<ref>Looker in {{Harvnb|Aitken|Looker|2002|pp=99–100}}</ref>

==== Plant conservation ====

Plant conservation and the heritage value of exceptional historic landscapes were treated with a growing sense of urgency through the 20th century. Specialist gardens were sometimes given a separate or adjoining site, to display native and indigenous plants.<ref name=Hux92375/> In the 1970s, gardens became focused on plant conservation. The Botanic Gardens Conservation Secretariat was established by the [[IUCN]] and the [[World Conservation Union]] in 1987 with the aim of coordinating the plant conservation efforts of botanical gardens around the world. It maintains a database of rare and endangered species in botanical gardens' living collections. Many gardens hold [[ex situ conservation|''ex situ'' conservation]] collections that preserve [[genetic variation]]. These may be held as seeds dried and stored at low temperature, or in tissue culture (such as the Kew [[Millennium Seedbank]]); as living plants, including those that are of special horticultural, historical or scientific interest (such as those in the [[National Plant Collection]] in the United Kingdom); or by managing and preserving areas of natural vegetation. Collections are often held and cultivated with the intention of [[reintroduction]] to their original habitats.<ref>See {{Harvnb|Simmons|Beyer|Brandham|Lucas|1976}}</ref>