Revisiting Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden

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Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden has been a constant thread in my professional career, either by osmosis or by learning from its example.  In 1991, a retired textile executive from Belmont, North Carolina, Daniel Stowe, reserved 380 acres of prime rolling meadows, woodlands, and lakefront property to develop a world-class botanical garden.  He and his wife, Alene, engaged Geoff Rausch and Melissa Marshall of Environmental Planning and Design to prepare its first master plan.  Geoff and Missy became my partners at Marshall.Tyler.Rausch, all the while continuing their work in implementing the Garden’s first phase.  I watched their vision become reality:  The Visitor Pavilion; Canal Gardens; Four Seasons Garden; White Garden; and later, The Orchid Conservatory.  I visited the Gardens several times to check in with staff or consult on a topic or two.  

So, it felt like visiting an old friend when I returned on a blue-sky winter day with colleague Cheryl Zuellig of SmithGroup to ready for our proposal for the Garden’s next master plan.  We discovered Lost Hollow, designed by W. Gary Smith, and really enjoyed the whimsical use of many of the architectural artifacts from the Stowe house. Kind Queen Cheryl and Grumpy King Jason presided this day at Lost Hollow.  We walked the trails along Lake Wylie, delighted to find hidden coves, Great Blue Herons and dramatic views across the water.  And it’s always a treat to see hellebores blooming in January when we in Pittsburgh must wait many more months for this herald of spring to emerge!

Strolling Down Memory Lane at Atlanta Botanical Garden

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I headed to Atlanta Botanical Garden for many reasons:  to visit with the old AHS gang as we reunited to celebrate our friendship; to see the Garden’s amazing holiday light show and newest garden additions; and to tour the renovated Children’s Garden and meet up with colleagues who had helped build the original one, which was designed by my son and me in 1996. 

Mary Pat Matheson hosted the AHS group and arranged amazing tours of the Garden and other area cultural institutions, choreographed every meal and spontaneously inspired us all to dance in unison to YMCA!  (Sorry, no photos of that – too embarrassing!). The Garden Lights Holiday Nights show was simply the best I have ever seen.  Newest gardens in Storza Woods, designed by Tres Fromme and Spurlock Landscape Architects, were stunning, and the Children’s Garden upgrades were well-done and needed after 20 years of use!  

In Search of Golden Eagles

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I packed up my binoculars, warm clothes and good luck charms and traveled across Pennsylvania to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary on a quest to add the golden eagle to my life bird list.  

My former Penn State roommate and present-day landscape architect, Amy Mills, and I spent a full and wonderful day in this amazing place.  Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is the oldest and largest member-supported raptor conservation organization in the world and renowned spot to witness fall raptor migration.  

Most of the golden eagles in the United States live west of the Rocky Mountains, but there is a small sub-species population of goldens that live in the east. Because they are shy and well-hidden in their preferred temperate forest habitat, population numbers are hard to estimate, but experts guess between 1,000 and 5,000 birds live and breed in the east.

Alas, Amy and I did not spot any migrating golden eagles, but we were fortunate enough to attend a raptor show that featured two rescued and rehabilitated female eagles – a bald and a golden – who cannot return to the wild but serve as ambassadors for their species.

Planting Continues at Firestone Park

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On a crisp autumn day, Rob and I helped the Enviroscapes landscape crew plant the Spring Garden at Firestone Park in Columbiana, Ohio.  The Spring Garden is one of many jewels along the newly-envisioned Legacy Trail necklace at the Park.  

Firestone Park was given to the City by Harvey S. Firestone and his wife, Idabelle, in the mid 1900’s.  The story of the Firestones as well as other past stewards had been buried and forgotten over time, so Terra conceived of a trail loop that unearthed these stories by traveling through themed gardens and immersive follies in the landscape.  The Spring Garden is the last of these follies to be constructed and planted. 

The entire $5 million Landscape Improvements Project, which includes the Legacy Trail, is scheduled for a grand opening in June 2022.  Stay tuned!

Design Progress at Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens

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Rob presented preliminary ideas for two new major additions to the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden:  White Oak Garden and Allegheny Plateau Woodland.  These future destinations will be located along ½ miles of newly constructed Main Garden Path that will complete the accessible pedestrian loop from the new Visitor Center, through the Hillside Pollinator Garden, past Dogwood Meadow and ultimately back to the Visitor Center again.  Garden staff and Terra alike are very excited about the potential these two new gardens will have to expand visitor experience, heal and steward the woods, and share the hidden way that some of our legacy tree species communicate with and care for each other.  

The North Carolina Autumn Tour

I reconnected with many friends in the Hendersonville area via an action-packed whirlwind tour that included the North Carolina Arboretum . . . and bee-centered fundraisers and art installations . . . and howling with Carolina Dogs . . .  and the magnificent grandeur of the Southern Highlands Preserve . . .  and watching thousands of monarchs migrate to Mexico over the Blue Ridge Parkway . . . and actually hearing pipevine swallowtail caterpillars munching on overhead vines . . . and finding elk, peak fall foliage, pristine mountain streams and good times in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park . . . and eating my first paw paw at Milkweed Meadows Farm!  Whew!  Enjoy the photo collage!

An Adventure in the Garden State!

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We were able to color-in another state on our Commissions Map in October when Rob traveled to Summit, New Jersey to lead a workshop to conceptualize potential accessible main pathway routes through the historic Reeves-Reed Arboretum.  

We were blown away by this oasis; this 5-acre wooded and lush public garden is located a stone’s throw from a 4-lane divided turnpike that has another 6-lane highway in between its travel lanes, and is a mere 30-minute drive from downtown Manhattan.  Being a serene green space is not the Arboretum’s only secret, it is steeped in history: The Lenni Lanape peoples settled here for its rich hunting grounds; the Continental Army used the property across the street as a signal beacon; and the original estate grounds were crafted by Calvert Vaux, added to by Ellen Biddle Shipman, and completed by Carl Pilat, whose uncle was Fredrick Law Olmsted’s hand-picked head gardener for Central Park. Today, the Arboretum is preserved for the public’s pleasure by a partnership formed in 1974 between the City of Summit and The Reeves-Reed Arboretum. 

Despite its beauty and significance, the Arboretum faces a common impediment for pre-WWII historic places: accommodating large groups of people in a safe, accessible and comfortable fashion was not then considered, but today is a chief concern.  To create a more inclusive and equitable guest experience, the Arboretum hired Terra to evaluate guest arrival and circulation and begin to dream possibilities to link all of the garden spaces in the Arboretum via a code-compliant accessible main pathway.  Thanks in large part to the imaginative and resourceful ideas of the horticulture and education staff, Rob identified four potential guest experience and circulation strategies, each having unique pros/cons.  The Arboretum’s planning committee is currently reviewing the options before Terra will refine and add detail to the plan.

Insects, Asters and Goldenrod – Oh My!

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Rob and I arrived at the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden to begin conceptualizing the layout of the Main Garden Path Loop only to find the place teeming with brilliant color, hungry insects and lots of other pleasant distractions.  We did our best to concentrate on the task at hand, all the while knowing that one of the job perks of being a landscape architect is working outside and noticing and capturing life in that season, in that moment. 

Boy Meets Children’s Garden. Boy Loves Children’s Garden.

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Rob and Sara’s two-year-old son, Reece, was just a twinkle in Rob’s eye when Terra’s children’s garden at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens opened its gates in May 2018.  Rob dedicated the majority of his time for two years to help design and administer the construction for this transformative and highly successful addition to Franklin Park Conservatory & Botanical Gardens.  

So, you can imagine the pure joy we all felt as Reece squealed with glee at each space he discovered.  His favorite spot?  Wherever he was at the moment. 

Dodging the Rain Again at Field to Table

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Terra has been attending Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Garden’s major fundraising event, Field to Table, for years. During this event, the Women’s Board wines and dines 700-800 well-dressed guests OUTSIDE in August – thunderstorm season in central Ohio.  Yet, in the years we have joined them, they have not had to put up one tent, move people inside, or cancel the event due to weather.  It has always been a perfect and delicious evening, and this event was no exception. We reconnected with old friends, made new ones, and as always, left with a full belly and great memories. 

I am bringing an umbrella to the next one though!

Exploring Allardale Park

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One of the most scenic parks in Medina County, Ohio, is Allardale.  Named after Stan and Esther Allard, who donated their family farm to the park district in 1992, this rolling site offers a wide variety of habitats and scenic areas.  Today, the Park covers more than 300 acres.

A tribute to the Allard’s commitment to land stewardship, this Park boasts one of the finest reforestation areas in the state of Ohio.  Beginning in the 1930’s, Stan Allard planted trees on areas too steep to farm.  Over his lifetime, more than 100,000 trees were planted at Allardale.  Present day, these trees provide tremendous carbon sequestering benefits, habitat for fauna, cooling, and beauty.  

I visited Allardale Park upon the invitation of David Allard, principal and architect of Allard Ward Architects. David, Esther and Stan’s nephew, was part of our planning team for the Templeton Library and Gardens Master Plan, and through our collaboration with him, we learned of the amazing gift his family had given to Medina County residents. I decided to visit and was sure glad I did!

Terra Revisits Ohio Gardens

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Very near to its third year anniversary, Cindy celebrated by spending a full day at the Children’s Garden at Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.  She gained valuable insight by meeting with staff to learn what components have met or exceeded expectations and what needed to be adjusted.  Mostly, she sat and observed how families were using and enjoying the spaces.  Nothing warms a designer’s heart more than to hear comments like, “Look!  There are rainbows!” at the Misting Boulders and “I don’t care if I get my shorts wet.  This is an opportunity of a lifetime!” at Sandstone Creek.  The Children’s Garden remained open during much of the pandemic and was a financial lifesaver for the Gardens since the indoor experiences needed to adhere to much stricter health guidelines.

Cindy then traveled north to Kingwood Center Gardens to revisit the Garden Gateway project there.  The Garden Gateway project officially opened in October 2020, so Terra wanted to check in under “normal” conditions to see how things were progressing.  Cindy was delighted to witness many visitors enjoying the new visitor center, called the Gateway Center designed by The Seckel Group.  The Gateway Café in particular was bustling, especially heartening because food service was not available to visitors in the past.  The contrasting foliage of the Auto Garden planting was strikingly beautiful, and the Grand Perennial Garden, in part designed by Austin Eischeid, was filling in nicely.  An ulterior motive was to visit with executive director, Chuck Gleaves, before he fully retired from that position.  Terra will return later in the summer to tour Chuck’s personal garden and hopefully meet the Kingwood Center Gardens’ new executive director, Josh Steffen.

Meet Matthew William Tyler!

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Normally, we avoid posting stories of our personal lives, but this event is simply too wonderful to ignore.  Welcome Matthew Tyler, Cindy’s first grandchild!  After thirty hours of labor and an emergency C-section, he made his way into the world on April 12 – healthy and happy.  

 Cindy co-designed the Children’s Garden at Atlanta Botanical Garden with her son, Rob, when he was seven years old.  A generation later, she cannot wait to have the opportunity to envision another amazing family garden with her grandson in a few years!  

Rothschild Doyno Collaborative Team Chosen for Brady’s Run Recycling Discovery Center Project!

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Terra and RDC have enjoyed a long history of collaboration, so we were thrilled to learn that we would be joining their team once again for this exciting new project in Beaver County, PA.  Dynamic director of Sustainability and Waste Management, Holly Vogt, is spearheading an innovative Discovery Center to educate and inspire residents about the benefits of recycling.  The Center, and its surrounding teaching landscapes, will be located in an underutilized portion of Brady’s Run County Park and nestled in a dramatic valley carved out by its namesake, Brady’s Run.  The spatial relationship of this trout stream with the new Discovery Center and the existing recycling sorting facility could not be more powerful.  The RDC team will begin with concept and program development and, with community and County Commissioner approval, will move on to full services for the project.  

 Terra’s role will address site planning with a strong focus on interactive teaching and nature play components.  

The Garden Gateway Project at Kingwood Center Gardens Opens to the Public!

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They said it couldn’t be done – raising more than $9 million in a small town in Ohio by a cultural institution who had never led a capital campaign in its 67-year history as a public garden.  Well, they were wrong. 

Kingwood Center Gardens celebrated the opening of its Garden Gateway Project after three years of careful planning and design, diligent fundraising, and fast-paced construction.  The pride in what they had accomplished was tangible and contagious!  Terra and our planning and design team - Architects: The Seckel Group; Engineers: K.E.McCartney; Interpretive Planners:  The Acorn Group;  Strategic Planners and Capital Fund Development Council: EMD Consulting Group – were super excited to partake in the festivities on a brisk mid-pandemic evening in October.

New garden offerings include a green Auto Garden, artful storm water installations, and formal terrace gardens.  The star of the show is the Grand Perennial Garden that presents a traditional Rosemary Verey-inspired Rainbow Border Garden contrasted by a Piet Oudolf-inspired New Perennial Meadow, designed by Austin Eischeid.  Local artists, Virgil Villers and Lori Kay Farr added their own flare to the Project.

The Garden Gateway Project also includes a 13,200 s.f. transformational Gateway Center, designed by The Seckel Group, that welcomes guests, offers food service and a place to shop and buy Garden-grown plants, introduces the story of Charles Kelley King, and provides a place for the Mansfield community to make wonderful memories in the King Ballroom.