Meet Emily James, Horticulture and Plant Records Manager | State Botanical Garden of Georgia

In this month’s Community Spotlight, we catch up with Emily James, Horticulturist and Plant Records Specialist at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Emily shares how she found her way into horticulture, the tools and IrisBG features that support her work, and the personal influences — from family gardens to thoughtful observations in nature — that continue to inspire her every day.

When did you know you wanted a career in Horticulture? 
Although I grew up in a gardening family and worked in a garden during college, I didn’t enter the horticulture field professionally until later in life. After years of indoor work — constantly walking past windows, wishing I were outside — I began exploring a second career. With past garden experience, a house full of plants, and a strong desire to be outdoors, it didn’t take long to realize where I truly belonged.

Now, even though I still spend a lot of time behind a computer managing plant records, I love having the freedom to step outside whenever I need to.

Which garden tool or aid could you not live without? 
There’s no point being in the garden without a good Hori Hori knife. Dig, measure, cut — it makes planting and weeding tasks so much smoother.

What IrisBG report do you find most useful?
I use the Inventory Report most often. As a university garden, we regularly receive requests from researchers to visit, study, or take cuttings from our plants. We’re also in the midst of a full records update, including re-mapping beds and conducting a comprehensive inventory. So, knowing exactly what we have and where it’s located is essential.

What IrisBG function have you found particularly handy?

I’m still learning all that IrisBG has to offer, but one function I’ve really come to appreciate is the ease of managing bed numbers and the location naming system. Since adopting IrisBG, we’ve developed a new bed mapping system and started collecting GPS points for our plants. It’s fantastic to see IrisBG integrate with our ArcGIS maps to help us better locate and understand our collections. 

Do you have a mentor in the botany or horticulture field? 
My grandmother was an avid ornamental gardener. I believe that if she’d been born in a different time, she would’ve become a botanist. 

More than just teaching me about plants, she showed me the joy and satisfaction that gardening can bring — especially in her later years, when she was housebound. Watching her find happiness in the changing view outside her window left a lasting impression on me.         

Is there a particular plant or horticultural experience that taught you a valuable lesson?
Plants — and nature in general — help me feel more connected to the world. They’re a constant reminder of resilience and fragility. Some will bounce back from almost anything; others won’t survive without their ideal conditions. Much like plants, every person is different. That awareness helps guide how I care for both plants and people — with attentiveness, patience, and respect.