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 (Rosa
spp) 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 (Iris
spp). 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 (Bougainvillea glabra) 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 (Pinus
palustris)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 would 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. She's written a book, "Sustainable
Gardening for Florida," to be published by University Press
of Florida in September 2009.
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