Years: 

unknown

Year Hutchinson Medal awarded:

1969

Virginia Carlson was a horticulture advocate known for pioneering horticultural therapy programs for children with disabilities in the Chicago area during the mid-20th century. Carlson developed a love for plants and gardening early in life, and later her interest in therapeutic horticulture became personal when she had two sons with muscular dystrophy, which inspired her to explore how working with plants could benefit people with physical and developmental challenges. In 1958, Carlson founded a horticultural therapy program with the Chicago Horticultural Society, using gardening and plant-based activities as a form of therapy and education for children with disabilities. She devoted about 25 years to the program, and the Chicago Botanic Garden is still known for its horticultural therapy programs today.

Carlson also volunteered in several special-education schools in the Chicago area, bringing live plants, flowers, and gardening materials to classrooms and leading hands-on plant activities for children with physical or intellectual disabilities. Students affectionately called her “the Flower Lady.”

Her efforts were part of a broader movement in the United States during the 1950s through 1970s, when parents and volunteers advocated for better services and education for children with disabilities.