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 First
published 7/14/09
Public (Garden) Education
by Ginny Stibolt
A few weeks ago my husband and I traveled through parts
of the Mid-Atlantic region. As usual, we visited various gardens
and parks along the way. We gardeners can learn a lot from
gardened or natural spaces and apply some of those lessons to our own
properties. I know I'm always on the lookout.
What is a public garden?
For the purposes of this article, I'm referring to botanical gardens, nature preserves, state and national parks, zoos, arboreta, historical sites, college and university
gardens.
Study How Gardens Complement the Scene
As shown in the top photo, the roses climbing an arbor at the US Botanic
Garden in Washington, DC provide the perfect foreground for the Capitol
Building. When a garden's style matches or complements the nearby
structures, buildings, or other features, it should be pleasing to your
eye from any angle. There's an art to it and in my opinion, you
can never study too many gardens. Don't
forget to consider your view of the garden from the inside of those
structures as well. Too often you can see only the ugly backs of
overgrown shrubs from inside houses or porches.
 Learn
How to Handle Rainwater Within the Landscape
Rainscaping was a new term for me that I learned at a demonstration
garden at the US Botanic Garden. This term
encompasses all types of ideas to control rainwater including rain
gardens, rain barrels, dry streambeds, and permeable paving. When
gardeners, landscapers, and property managers implement
rainscaping practices, pollution of our waterways will be reduced.
Even though I've written about our rain
gardens and rain barrels, I learned
some interesting ways to incorporate permeable walkways with rain
gardens. Demonstration gardens are the ones where you can learn
the most, if you visit with an open mind.
 Pick
Up Ideas for New Ways to Create Outdoor Spaces
This archway, with its extensive coconut fiber flower boxes,
divides areas in front of the conservatory building at the US Botanical
Garden. Later in the season when all these plants are filled out
and bushy, you might be hard-pressed to figure out how they accomplished
it. When it's freshly planted like this you can see that the
gardeners have not only planted stuff in the tops of the boxes, but have
also inserted plants into the sides. This is the technique often
employed at theme parks and town centers where magnificent hanging
baskets make time-pressed home gardeners green with envy. Planters like this
require a lot of attention; so don't attempt it unless you arrange
for regular irrigation, deadheading, and replanting.
See How to Create Microclimates within a Small Space
By using a mound of limestone rocks and gravel, the garden designer is
able to grow a set of xeric plants, while just a short distance away a
bed of moist rich loam supports luxurious irises. The normal,
sustainable garden advice is to plant the right plants for your garden's
environment because adjusting the acidity with lime or acid is only a
temporary fix. Here in the US Botanic Garden, the mound of rocky substrate will be long-lived and
these plants will not need further adjustments or amendments. I
have applied this idea where I've created sandy mounds to provide a
drier habitat for prickly pears in our yard.
 Learn
to Use Common Plants in Unusual Ways
Who knew that a bougainvillea could be used as a bonsai? The
bonsai garden at the National Arboretum is always interesting to
me. Not that I long to or have the patience to torture plants like this, but the fact that
some of these plants have been under cultivation for hundreds of years
is amazing. A white pine there has been under cultivation since
1625! Still when I saw this striking bougainvillea bonsai, I was
surprised. Maybe I could use one (or another woody vine) in a container
on my front porch.
 See
How Foliage
Color Makes a Strong and Long-Lasting Statement
Many gardeners concentrate on flowers for color, but foliage color can
be dramatic, too. Foliage color usually lasts longer than a
flowering cycle. These purple onion (Allium spp) flowers are offset by
the yellowish foliage of a boxwood cultivar. This garden is at the
National Arboretum, so I can't go back to see what the gardeners will do
when the flowers fade away. Revisiting a local garden several
times a year will give you ideas for transitioning the show in your own
gardens. Supporting your local gardens with frequent visits means that they'll be around for
future gardeners to enjoy.
 Learn
about Historical Uses of Plants
In this demonstration garden at The National Arboretum, you can learn
how various plants were used medicinally through the ages. In
previous eras, if you wanted to become a doctor, you needed to study
plants and their uses. There were no CVS pharmacies on every
corner. This perspective of how important plants were/are is
beautifully told in this garden. Some of our greatest wonder drugs
may yet be discovered in some remote corner of the world.
 Learn
which Native Plants Attract Butterflies
We traveled through parts of West Virginia and loved
watching the eastern tiger swallowtail butterflies (Papilio glaucus)
enjoy the wild phlox (Phlox spp). I'm not sure of the
species, but if it's P. divaricata, it's also native to
Florida. I can use a great shade-tolerant plant like this for some
of our shady meadows. I'll put this plant on my wish list.
Visiting local natural or naturalized areas, gardeners
can learn how native plants arrange themselves and get ideas for
creating more sustainable landscaping. Wild flowers are not always
easy to establish in our urban/suburban landscapes. Seeing how
they grow in the wild can help gardeners create appropriate habitats or
microclimates to grow them. (Reminder: don't collect plants from
wild areas.)
Get Ideas for Using Unexpected Items in the Garden
We stayed at a lakeside campground in South Carolina and I smiled when I saw this old metal boat being used as a planter for a rose garden in front of the camp office. Using a leaky boat for a raised bed will provide smiles, and will save resources, money, and time not needed to build sides with new materials.
Such a raised bed will last a long time.
 Identify
Your Own Plants
In demonstration gardens where plants are labeled, you can pay attention
to find plants already growing on your property. But no matter how
much you think you know, sometimes it takes plants growing in their
native surroundings to help you figure out what you have growing on your
property. This happened to me over the Christmas holiday when I
took the family for a walk on a conservation area near our house.
I talked to them about the longleaf pines growing there. Later I
realized that I had one growing in our yard—it was in
its "grassy" stage and I didn't recognize it until that
walk. See my article on longleaf pines.
Make a point to visit a wide variety of places where you can gather ideas to use in your own landscape.
Go with an open mind, a camera, and a notebook so you can reflect upon what you've seen.
I'll continue to keep you informed of our treks to public gardens and parks because it's all part of our
public (garden) education.
Resources:
· Florida has many beautiful state parks. This website provides a list of all the parks, those that could provide a one-tank adventure, and a calendar of events. They advise: "Get real: Visit a Florida State Park"
www.floridastateparks.org.
· The Florida Gardener website offers regional lists public gardens, parks, preserves, and nature centers:
www.floridagardener.com/FLGardens.
· American Public Gardens Association offers general information on the various types of public gardens or spaces where gardens can be found, and a search for member gardens in your area:
www.publicgardens.org.
~ ~ ~
Ginny Stibolt is a naturalist and a
gardener with a master's degree in plant taxonomy. She's written a book, "Sustainable Gardening for Florida"
for University Press of Florida. She’d like to hear
from readers who have suggestions and questions. After all, there are
more than a few transplanted gardeners here in northeast Florida trying
to figure out what works and what doesn’t in planting zone 8/9. You
may contact her or read more of her articles posted on her website: www.transplantedgardener.com.
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