IrisBG
Spotlight
Gregory Payton
Curator of Living Collections, The Dawes Arboretum
Greg Payton became a naturalist at the young age of 9, fueled by his botanical curiosity and the guidance of a trusted field guide. He began his plant collections journey in 1996 as the Plant Records Coordinator at The Dawes Arboretum (opens in a new tab) in Ohio and advanced to Director of Living Collections in September 2018.
As the Director of Living Collections, Greg’s responsibilities are extensive. He ensures that the collections are meticulously curated and well-maintained. His role also includes coordinating the Legacy Tree program (opens in a new tab), managing tree care, and overseeing collections planning.
Greg has been an active community member and a longtime IrisBG user. He volunteered his expertise with our Propagation Protocol Group (opens in a new tab) in 2023 and contributed to the beta testing of the IrisBG-ArcGIS sync (opens in a new tab), which was introduced in early 2024.
When did you know you wanted a career in Horticulture?
I began learning wildflowers, using Newcomb's Wildflower Guide, at age 9, long before I knew there was such a thing as horticulture.
I volunteered at Ohio's Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve in high school. Here, I tutored under Tim Snyder, the Regional Manager of State Nature Preserves of West-Central Ohio. I led hikes on various subjects, primarily wildflowers and other taxa native to southwestern Ohio, especially those rare within the nature preserve.
Greg in his natural habitat. Image courtesy G. Payton.
After high school, I began my career in the retail nursery industry. I later started my public garden career at the Holden Arboretum (opens in a new tab) (Kirtland, Ohio) in 1992, then became the Plant Records Coordinator for The Dawes Arboretum (opens in a new tab) in 1996, where I am now the Curator of Living Collections.
Image courtesy Greg Payton.
What is the horticulture event that started it all for you?
Working with Tim Snyder at Clifton Gorge inspired my passion and commitment to botany and plant conservation.
Is there a tool or aid that you cannot live without? My Felco pruners are now an additional appendage!
What have you found as the most handy IrisBG function to use?
Advanced search (opens in a new tab) allows me to come up with many complex and creative filters.
What IrisBG report do you find most useful?
The various label reports (opens in a new tab) are most valuable and satisfying to my documentative mind.
Are there any plant collection plans in the making at Dawes that you’re excited about?
We are in the midst of building an Appalachian collection. This consists of trails through a native woodland where wild-origin specimens of species from the central and southern Appalachian Mountain range are displayed in as natural of a setting as possible.
I can't wait to see these plants mature with drifts of Rhododendron maximum and the huge foliage of Magnolia macrophylla overhead.
Magnolia macrophylla. Image courtesy Shanna T. Jones.
Do you have a mentor in the botany or horticulture field?
I have to say that the Taxonomic Botanist at The Dawes Arboretum, Dr. David Brandenburg has taught and inspired me the most. He is a contributing author of the Flora of North America and authored the book Field Guide to Wildflowers of North America.
Is there a particular tree or plant that you have learned a valuable lesson from or about?
Our Nationally Accredited, Plant Collections Network (opens in a new tab), genetic preserve of wild-origin Metasequoia glyptostroboides (dawn redwood) has taught me much about the genetic diversity within what many consider a monolithic species.
Grove of Metasequoia glyptostroboidesat at The Dawes Arboretum. Image courtesy Greg Payton.
This genetic collection of nearly 350 trees, mostly planted in 1993, varies greatly from tall-growing specimens to many dwarf and shrubby individuals. Needle colors also vary from deep forest green to bronze and gold with branchlets sporting needles in a myriad of sizes.
Image courtesy Greg Payton.
Do you have a book or podcast that you would like to recommend?
Flora of North America! (opens in a new tab) Honestly Dr. Brandenburg’s Field Guide to Wildflowers of North America (opens in a new tab).
What is one thing that most people wouldn’t guess about you?
Despite my role and long career, I never attended a university. I am self-taught from age 9 until today. If you live your passion, you never stop learning and with your job as your hobby, you never truly “work.”