Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Vallarta Botanical Gardens has made a name for itself as a place of learning, where knowledgeable staff educates visitors on the vast diversity of Mexico's plant species. And now, Longwood Gardens, of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, has recognized the contributions to the field of public horticulture made by VBG Executive Director, Neil Gerlowski. In the May edition of 'The Leaflet,' the Garden's Founder and Curator, Bob Price, tells us more...

Dear Friends of the Garden,

The creation, development, and maintenance of a world-class botanical garden requires the hard work of an enormous team of staff and volunteers. Coordination of these activities requires great leadership, vision, and dedication from its board and managers.

The Vallarta Botanical Garden has benefited tremendously from the work of our Executive Director, Neil Gerlowski, for nearly seven years. His contributions to the field of public horticulture have been recognized by Longwood Gardens, of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania who have accepted him for their prestigious Longwood Fellowship, a 13 month immersive learning experience focused on public garden management which he will begin in early June.

Neil's last day at the Vallarta Botanical Garden before leaving for the Longwood Gardens Fellowship is Friday, May 19th. We invite you to join us in wishing him well as he departs for his studies. Neil's time away from the Vallarta Botanical Garden will mostly be treated as a sabbatical, yet he will continue with some duties from afar including editing and coordination of El Papelillo / The Leaflet.

Producing a monthly magazine of this quality requires a whole team of contributors and will require even more while Neil is away. We invite the entire Vallarta community and our visitors to contribute content to the magazine: photos, articles, art, poetry... your imagination is the only limit!

Magazine content can be sent to editor(at)vbgardens.org. With the active involvement of our community, we can continue developing this publication that so many have grown to love and enjoy.

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Visit the internationally famous Vallarta Botanical Garden located just 30 minutes south of Old Town at Km. 24 on Highway 200 and easily accessible by public transportation and taxi. This 60 acre wildlife preserve and botanical garden have something fun for everyone. Over 200 species of birds have been observed on the Garden's grounds. Don't forget to bring your swimsuit for a refreshing dip in the jungle river. See plantings of vanilla, chocolate, and hundreds of other botanical delights! Authentic Mexican Cuisine is served in the Hacienda de Oro Restaurant from 10 am to 5 pm. The Garden is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm (closed Mondays from April 1 to December 1). The Puerto Vallarta Butterfly Festival August 15 through October 30. Garden admission is just $150 pesos. For more information, call (322) 223-6182 or visit vbgardens.org.

Click HERE to learn more about Vallarta Botanical Gardens.