Jade Garden Arboretum Opens Daylily Garden... "Leading Biodiversity Conservation"

Overview of the Daylily Garden presented at Jade Garden Arboretum (Photo by Hanwha Hotels & Resorts).

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] Jade Garden Arboretum, operated by Hanwha Hotels & Resorts, announced on the 20th that it opened a Daylily Garden on the 16th for efficient research and preservation of daylilies. The garden covers approximately 530㎡ and exhibits about 200 species of daylilies.

Since 2015, Jade Garden has been collecting and propagating domestic and international daylily genetic resources in collaboration with the National Arboretum to secure valuable forest genetic resources. Based on accumulated data, they have produced specialized catalogs related to daylilies and conducted various educational programs to promote daylilies. The company stated that the newly established Daylily Garden is part of their ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management activities aimed at efficient management of native daylilies and biodiversity preservation in Korea.

Jade Garden explained that the efforts to secure diversity, preservation, and research of daylilies in cooperation with the National Arboretum hold greater significance because many domestic biological resources have been lost overseas. The 'Daylily,' sold in various colors abroad, was commercialized by improving native Korean daylilies, but various cultivars developed overseas require royalty payments for import. Cases such as 'Miss Kim Lilac (Syringa 'Miss Kim'),' which accounts for 30% of the U.S. lilac market, and 'Abies koreana,' popular as a Christmas tree, are examples of domestic biological resources whose rights have been taken away. Accordingly, Jade Garden and the National Arboretum plan to actively participate in discovering and preserving native biological resources in Korea, starting with daylily conservation.

Last year, Jade Garden established gardens with about 20 species of daylilies at the Chuncheon Social Innovation Center and Seocheon Branch of Namsan Elementary School, and held workshops introducing daylilies and sharing management methods with government and private institutions. They distributed and provided management guidance for about 100 species of daylilies to Cheollipo Arboretum, Hantaek Botanical Garden, and Yeoju Hwanghaksan Arboretum. On the 14th, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hongcheon Haemil School (an alternative school) operated by singer Insooni to proceed with a daylily garden establishment project.

Song Young-jun, General Manager of Jade Garden, said, "The opening of the Daylily Garden is part of ESG management activities for efficient management of domestic daylilies and preservation of the natural environment," adding, "We will do our best not only in daylily research but also in various research activities for the preservation of native plants in Korea."

Meanwhile, Jade Garden, which opened in 2011 with the concept of 'A Small Europe in the Forest,' has welcomed over 5 million visitors cumulatively. The arboretum houses a total of about 4,000 plant species, including Rhododendron species, maple species, and daylily species. The admission fee for adults is 10,000 KRW, and until August 16, it will operate extended hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more details, please refer to the website.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.