Google “The Boxwood Guy” and you will come eye to eye with an impressive array of information, all gathered and curated by Institute of Applied Agriculture Alumni Lynn R. Batdorf, the recipient of the IAA’s 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award.
Batdorf, who graduated from the IAA in 1974 with his certificate in Ornamental Horticulture, says, “This recognition is a culmination of 47 years of post-IAA professional achievements. Certainly, the IAA established the foundation for me to excel!”
And excel, he has! Batdorf has authored three books on boxwood and 73 peer-reviewed articles, worked for 36 years as curator of the National Boxwood Collection at the US National Arboretum in Washington, DC, and for 37 years served as the International Cultivar Registration Authority for Buxus.
Three years after graduating from the IAA, Batdorf began his professional career at the US National Arboretum in 1977 as the Curator of the National Boxwood Collection, a post he held until retiring in 2013.
Now a horticultural boxwood consultant, Batdorf helps homeowners and professionals learn how to best care for their boxwood in order to keep these “majestic shrubs” healthy and beautiful. He has given 83 lectures both domestically and internationally, and serves on the USDA Advisory Panel to guide research on boxwood blight.
Given all of his travels, research and work experience, one would think Batdorf may not recollect his days as an IAA student, but he does. He easily recalls the IAA’s ag mechanics instructor Cecil Massie’s booming voice as he told students, “For every job, there’s a specific tool!”
And, Batdorf recalls the feeling he had when he walked into Hank Mityga’s classroom for the first time. “He had a 20-foot-long black board completely filled with botanical diagrams and terminology that I found intimidating, even overwhelming!”
As he continues to reminisce about Mityga’s classes, Batdorf recalls walking around campus being introduced to hundreds of different trees and shrubs. Yes, he learned to ID plants, but just as importantly, he says, “we learned which pens had ink that wouldn’t freeze when trying to take notes in the below 32F temperatures of January and February.”
Despite the intimidating diagrams on the board and the freezing walks around campus, Batdorf says, “Mityga remains my favorite instructor!”
Congratulations to Lynn R. Batdorf on his long and distinguished career and his many contributions to horticulture. To learn more about his career and hear directly from Lynn himself, view his presentation here.
