U.S. Postage Stamps Showcasing ‘American Gardens’ Unveiled

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By Jill Brooke

The American Public Gardens Association has partnered with the U.S. Postal service for the release of the “American Gardens” stamp.

Of course, they have because it’s an opportunity to celebrate what is needed more than ever—flower fragrant places to roam safely. What a perfect collaboration.

Although Covid-19 curtailed the opening ceremony, these stamps, which were released on May 13th, are worth seeing and using because they inspire journeys (if only mental ones) to places you may want to go.

We at Flower Power Daily have always felt that gardens are the best place to rebalance whatever you are feeling. They are curated and tended to by the experts in their field to push forth the stars in the flower world for public use and enjoyment. Plus the history is so interesting and sparks conversations. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other Founding Fathers planted gardens that landscape designers continue nurturing and expanding.

The pane of 20 Forever stamps feature 10 photographs taken by Allen Rokach (with Ethel Kessler as art director and designer) at gardens across the nation between 1996 and 2014. Each garden depicted on the stamps is open to the public.

The gardens featured are the Biltmore Estate Gardens (North Carolina), Brooklyn Botanic Garden (New York), Chicago Botanic Garden, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Dumbarton Oaks Garden (Washington, DC), Huntington Botanical Gardens (California), Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park (Florida), Norfolk Botanical Garden (Virginia), Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens (Ohio) and Winterthur Garden (Delaware).

Rokach was the perfect choice for this role since he specializes in landscape photography, which has its own skillset. Not only has he shot pictures of the glorious bulb fields of Holland, he has books on photographs of flowers, gardens and landscapes. Furthermore, he served for fourteen years as the staff photographer and Director of Photography at the New York Botanical Garden and as a contributor to Southern Living magazine.

Since 1847, the Postal Service stamp program has celebrated the people, events and cultural milestones unique to the history of the United States. There is a Citizens Board that goes through all the ideas before creating a selection. The 2020 stamp subjects continue this tradition by offering a potpourri of topics that connect people together. Earlier in the year were the orchid series shot by Jim Fowler.

Next up on their schedule is the “Great Outdoors,” which will be released on June 13.

Jill Brooke is a former CNN correspondent, Post columnist and editor-in-chief of Avenue and Travel Savvy magazine. She is an author and the editorial director of FPD.