Herstory in the Garden—Hette “Hetty” Everett
Rose Vincent is the Resource Sharing Librarian in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library of the New York Botanical Garden.
In The New York Botanical Garden Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horticulture, the distinguished horticulturist Thomas H. Everett acknowledged numerous friends and colleagues at NYBG, including his sister, Hette “Hetty” Everett: “I am also obliged to my sister, Hette Everett, for the valuable help she freely gave on many occasions.” Hette shared a focus on horticultural education, completing NYBG’s Garden Two-Year Course in 1963 and—alongside her brother—served as Assistant Instructor for the Children’s Gardencraft Program.
Open to children ages 9 to 16, the Gardencraft program began in 1958 to teach children practical gardening. Children learned from NYBG staff members John Dowling, Russell Russo, Nancy Callaghan, T.H. Everett, Lillian Weber, and Hette Everett. Hette’s instruction focused on planting seeds, cutting and raising plants, transplanting, and potting bulbs. With garden tools in hand, the children tended to 6-by-10-foot plots, harvesting crops to take home.
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- Hette gives instruction to a class of teenaged Gardencrafters
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- Children learn in the garden
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- Parents observe as their children learn in the vegetable garden
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- Hette Everett instructing Gardencrafters members during a day at the Garden
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- Hette teaches students during a classroom session for the Gardencrafters program
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- Gardencrafters receiving their diplomas for completion of the program
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- Children learn in the garden
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- Gardencrafters with a wagon of garden tools
Hette engaged children with plants and nature through indoor and outdoor exploration; students learned both in the classroom (toolroom in the basement) and the children’s garden, a fenced area behind the Administration building. A common rule in the program was that parents were not allowed in the children’s garden, but were invited to the garden events and graduation ceremonies to commemorate students completing the Gardencraft program.
Hette sharing her plant knowledge with a class of students
As more students enrolled, Hette and the instructors celebrated their achievements through ceremonial events, proving the program’s success. In 1968, Hette succeeded Lillian Weber, becoming Supervisor of the program, and by the 1970s, Hette taught environmental courses and workshops for children as a member of the Wave Hill greenhouse staff.
Hette Everett’s leadership in natural history profoundly influenced children’s learning. Her contributions to Bronx public gardens have sustained the Everett family’s botanical legacy, representing a significant achievement in horticultural public education. For Women’s History Month, we celebrate Hette’s role in shaping the continuation of NYBG’s Garden Crafters program. An extension of the Children’s Education Department, the program allows children to collaborate, engage in seasonal activities, and explore the garden on an annual basis.
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