IT'S A BRAND NEW GARDEN! What happened? If you haven't visited in the last few
months, let's just say we've had a Grant attack around the building and horticulture
facility. I promise you this: it's not fatal. Long known for his penchant for chainsaws
and a scraping-the-countryside-clean philosophy, Greg has led the assault on the grounds
surrounding the Agriculture building. It's a brand new day with some tree thinning and
sunlight all around. Greg's talents for new color and putting it together couldn't come at
a more important time in the Arboretum's development. The Arboretum needs design and
intensity like never before. Students know that something is happening but they're not
sure just exactly what! The front of the Agriculture building received a dose of sunlight
via the removal of a live oak and that area has been given a facelift. The Shrub and Color
Garden area on the South side of the Agriculture building has seen the removal of many old
specimens that we have elsewhere in the garden or can do without - all in an attempt to
get more sunlight to the beds. A few lines in the sand were drawn. Still standing
sentinel-like in the middle of the formal landscape timber raised beds is a 10' Araucaria
araucana var. angustifolia, a true monkey puzzle tree from South America. Due
to popular demand, this strange botanical treasure has been given a zone of protection, a
kind of neutral zone. While there are rumors that that Greg has come to profoundly admire,
love and appreciate this tree, I remain unconvinced and only time will tell. One thing for
sure: that heavy, heavy dose of fertilizer Greg applied last fall to boost the petunias at
this tree's base may be just what this tree has been needing for some time. Thanks, Greg. J
SFA is indeed lucky to have Greg Grant's talents on board. His focus on Texas-tough,
long-flowering perennials and annuals has led him to some outstanding introductions for
the color world. Verbena X 'Blue Princess' is destined to be the number one selling
Verbena in the south - an incredible feather in Greg's hat and ours, particulary when one
considers the competition 'Homestead Purple' has been a strong benchmark for years. 'Blue
Princess' was just featured in the latest issue of Neil Sperry's Gardens magazine and is
every bit as good as the press. Right on the heels of the 'Blue Princess' home run and
coming out as this is written is an SFA Arboretum just-named Petunia 'Laura Bush,' - a
wonderful petunia coming out of Greg's VIP petunia breeding work. With some other goodies
lying in the color crops research area - the future is incredibly rosy. Stay tuned.
THE PAVILION IS UP AND PAID FOR! No doubt about it! The raising of the pavilion
on March 21, 1998 was a real piece of art - and a big red letter day for the Arboretum and
the region. Now resting in all her glory right on College Avenue, we now have a traffic
stopping resource Nacogdoches can be proud of. The "barn-raising" on a March 21,
1998 sun-drenched, mid sixties day went off without a hitch. Seventeen Timber Framers'
students and six master teachers of the Timber Framers' Guild of North America gathered a
little after dawn on March 21st and by 5 PM that day the pavilion was one
glorious solid piece. The beams and posts: all heavy southern pine beams with few knots,
all precision milled and and notched and grooved during the previous week as a part of a
class of the Guild. The beams fell into perfect place at each stage - all the notches and
grooves matched - all the peg holes matched and 200 pegs were pounded home. Tommy Wells
and Fred Neilson of the Physical plant deserve special thanks. Fred commandeered the
amazing SFA crane, a piece of equipment that brought amazement into the eyes of all our
onlookers. Fred never missed a hitch lifting, moving and lowering all the pieces into the
waiting hands of the Timber Framers. With the "bents" going over 5000 lbs each,
we all wondered if we could find a crane up to the task. No problem for the SFA crane,
however. With a reach of 60 feet and a 36,000-lb. capacity, SFA had a machine up to the
task. The seams of this structure are amazing and with tolerances down to the 1/16th
of an inch; it's amazing how flawlessly the structure went up. Tim Chauvin of Red
Suspenders Timber Framers, Nacogdoches, Texas deserves a big round of applause for leading
the dash to the finish line. Nacogdoches is fortunate to have this unique craftsman in our
community. Next on the agenda is to clean up the site and finish the roofing . . . a
volunteer effort of the Kiwanis Club and a few enthusiastic students (Jeremy Voss, Dale
Ermi, Rick Kimbrough, Tim Spencer). The goal is to have the place wired, the irrigation
system in, and garden beds in their full glory by dedication day on May 23rd,
1998! Whew. With Cheryl's adopt-a-bed in full force and the kind of volunteerism and
passion among the participants involved, it will probably happen.
The SFA Arboretum and Art Department's year-long campaign to fund a Timber Framers' Guild
of North America pavilion can only be described as a lesson in details. The Guild chose
our proposed spot at the north end of the SFA Arboretum location after looking over six
other candidates. Nacogdoches residents may remember that the Guild built the gazebo at
the Hoya Sterne garden on Main street, another special place in our community. The
Children's Garden outdoor education pavilion will be a structure for outdoor classes,
reunions, meetings, and socials - (we have our first two bookings!). The Timber Framers
are an education-based group and 20 to 30 students from around the U.S. arrived in
Nacogdoches on March 13th; they paid a fee for the class and produced a class
project that is artistically exciting, environmentally prudent, education-based, and
intended for public use and visibility. Eloise Adams, John Daniels - both in Art - and
John Rulfs in the Physical Plant helped pick the location at the North end of Arboretum.
The Arboretum received Physical Plant approval and a thumb up from the President about a
year ago.
Hand-in-hand with the pavilion project, a "Children’s Garden" project
gathering a head of steam under the sure hand of Ms. Cheryl Tate. Cheryl played the lead
role in managing the funding campaign and deserves a big hand for her effort. Cheryl Tate,
the spearhead of the project, is now officing next to me in Room 118A of the Agriculture
building. She has her own SFA Arboretum & Children's Garden phone line (409-368-1832)
and another phone for her role as Director of Nacogdoches Proud. We are proud to have such
a talented, organized, enthusiastic and cheerful personality so near the nerve center of
the Arboretum. Thank you, Cheryl!
In terms of funding, this pavilion project has been an education for all of us. The
list of donors will be presented in the next update but it has been gratifying to see
so many folks joining together to create an education-tourism resource in our community. A
Children's Garden dance October 3, 1997 and a wide range of donations generated about
$8000. An $8000 grant from the Pineywoods Foundation came through just in time. At this
writing, nearly all of the "materials" for the project (beams, lumber, roofing,
electricity, concrete, pad labor, lumber, etc.) were secured as donations from a wide
range of companies and individuals. A special note of appreciation must be given to our
friends in the Physical Plant - James Harkness and John Rulfs made the dirt pad and
pavestone retaining wall project their own and what a class piece it is. The support of
Gary Don Williams and Mark Holl in Grounds is very gratifying - having good cooperation
between departments and people is what is making things happen at SFA. This unique
project's key feature is an environmental educational component for K - 8 schools in the
region. The garden design includes a heavy component of color via a butterfly and
hummingbird garden, a water garden, a raised bed children’s vegetable garden where
the current vegetable garden and lines of vines call home, and a wildlife habitat garden
bordering the Arboretum's existing "endangered plant" theme garden. Cheryl, with
input from Greg Grant, Rachel Emrick, myself and others, is heavy into the garden design
and planning stage. Some exciting ideas are coming to the surface and the key feature will
be color, color, color. Stay tuned . . . and if you want to get involved contact Cheryl at
409-468-1832.
IS THERE A WORLD-CLASS AZALEA GARDEN COMING TO NACOGDOCHES?
The answer is YES! When? Well, it depends on who you ask. Our target date is
December 2000. The Board of Regents approval of this exciting project requires that all
the funds be developed from outside the university sources either via research grants,
cash and in-kind donations. We have a budget and a plan of work and a funding campaign is
underway.
The goal is rather simple: build an eight-acre world-class azalea garden complete with the
finest collection of Japanese maples and camellias in the south. The best news is that we
have an outstanding graduate student who will steward the effort over the next two years.
Ms. Barbara Stump (409-468-1832) will be the project's coordinator and her graduate
research assistantship is the result of a grant from the Hody Wilson Research Endowment
fund. The timing couldn't be more perfect! Barb comes with fine design and historical
awareness credentials for a project of this scope. Her thesis will light the way for an
exciting, eight-acre, world-class, regionally known azalea garden. While it will take a
decade to bring this garden into all its glory, the plants-in-the-ground target is
December 2000. The site lies in the woodland between Grounds and the W.R. Johnson
coliseum along University Drive. While the property looks like Paul Bunyan came trekking
through recently, the end result will be a dappled sunlit azalea paradise in two years. At
this writing, the property is enjoying the removal of brush and scrub understory trees to
achieve the amount of sunlight essential for heavy-flowering azaleas. J.C. Andersen, Mike
Frith, and Johnnie Heath - all three great students - have been responsible for what might
be considered a radical change in land use. Greg Grant and I served as sunlight
consultants - marking everything that had to go and keeping the equipment flowing. While
azaleas will bloom in the shade, all horticulturists know that producing enough flowers so
leaves don't show takes four or more hours of direct sun per day - longer for plants that
receive only eastern or northern sun. That's our goal here and we are nearly there. While
it looks a bit rough and shoddy at the moment - there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The key attribute is that all the patriarch pines, oaks, pecans and other hardwoods that
now call the place home will remain as a fantastic visual frame for the entire garden. The
few dogwoods present in the eight-acre site were saved and all of the Florida maples.
Next on our work list is to get the stumps down and ground and brush chipped with the
chips tilled into raised sandy loam knolls as a mulch. The goal calls for 3000 cubic yards
of sandy loam for island bed "berms" with a goal of six inches to one foot of
well-drained soil for the planned collection. With about 3000 cubic yards of bark mulch,
the site should be brimming over with azaleas, azaleas, and more azaleas. 4500 to be
exact. With my personal goal of 150 cultivars of Japanese maple - about three plants of
each - and about the same number of camellias - this place will transform the community
for the better. Other companion candidates include our native silverbells, snowbells,
sweetshrub, wintersweet, witchhazels and many, many others. Of course, the Arboretum is
thinking that after the backbone of this woody color garden is built, we should start
looking at the wonderful herbaceous end of the plant world for the shady garden - the
perfect evaluation garden for the Arboretum and a wonderful spot to visit. There's little
doubt that Texas horticulturists and gardeners are watching this development; in fact, our
effort was given a promotion kick start in the February issue of Neil Sperry's Gardens
magazine: "SFASU's new azalea garden cultivates public and private
partnerships." Gardens XII (2): 20. Stay tuned and if you want to get involved
with this exciting project contact Barbara Stump at 409-468-1832.
THE SFA ARBORETUM WEBSITE: Wayne Weatherford is our Poultry Science Research
Supervisor in the Department of Agriculture - and a closet cyberspace maniac. Wayne needs
a big round of applause for the outstanding job he has done in working with Greg and I to
develop a top-of-the-line website. He is our "webmaster" taking what Greg and I
feed him and moving it into cyberspace. If you haven't visited our website - you should!
Greg's penchant for history and heirloom horticulture comes through in the Texas
Horticulture Hall of Fame. Our "plant of the month" - one woody, and one
herbaceous - promises to be a great feature. A page for the Azalea Garden project and the
Children's Garden helps publicize our never-ending, never-give-up effort on the path to a
bigger and better Arboretum. The Three R's page leads to the Arboretum's contributions in
the exciting world of plant conservation and endangered species research. This is another
one of those projects that will end up never quite finished . . . like any great garden,
time is the ultimate ally - and Greg and I will be adding to the web site as time and
inspiration permits.
AVCO MAKING A DIFFERENCE: The SFA Arboretum Volunteer Corps Organization is
making a difference. Ruth Williamson remains remarkable; her every-Tuesday attack on the
perennial border and gardens nearby is a joy to behold. The place is shining. Rachel
Emrick is lining up the plants for what should the best show ever. Roger Hughes is now
curator of the fern collection scattered here and there in the shade garden (note the
changes there!). Because of Roger’s effort we are now an official satellite garden of
the Hardy Fern Foundation (and linked to their website) - a great step forward. Roger's
special signage gives the place a touch of class and we are excited about the spring. We
have a good start on a Hosta collection (thank you, Tawakoni Plant Farms and TreeSearch
Farms) - the Arboretum will soon be home to more of these wonderful woodland and shade
plants. One special note should go out to one special volunteer, Penny Coolidge (and her
dog Cher). Penny uses the Arboretum almost daily and at a ridiculously early hour to keep
the place clean and run her dog. Thank you Penny! It would be a mistake not to give a big
nod of thanks to all the students in Horticulture, on student assistant or work study
payroll or volunteering, who chip in and make this place the kind of dynamic ever-changing
landscape that it is. Those of you looking for curating opportunities or other
opportunities for volunteerism - getting us ready for the biggest Gala ever, for instance
- contact us at 409-468-4343, 409-468-1729, or 409-468-1832.
SUCCESSFUL 1997 GARDEN GALA DAY AND FABULOUS FALL FESTIVAL:
May 17, 1997 - Arboretum’s Garden Gala Day - Bill Welch and Greg Grant walk and
talk lectures with the voice box - $9800 plant sale - good time for all. Estimated crowd
at 1700 during the day-long event based on number of flyers distributed.
October 3, 1997 - The first-ever SFA Arboretum Children's Garden Benefit Dance held at
Jitterbugs featured entertainment, a good crowd, lots of fun and $8000 profit for the
pavilion project.
October 4, 1997 - SFA Arboretum Fabulous Fall Festival - lectures in the garden, great
plants for sale, entertainment by Wynn Logan and the Golden Dreamers, and refreshments.
Crowd estimated at 800 for the day with total gross of $5000. Excellent pre and post event
press in Nacogdoches, Dallas, Houston, and Tyler Press.
Volunteers and Horticulture students making it all happen!
THREE GREAT GRADUATE STUDENTS ON BOARD: For this spring of 1998, we have three
terrific Graduate Research Assistants on board. Dawn Parish is now an old hand at
the Arboretum and brings great joy into the Arboretum workplace. She has taken a
leadership role in bringing the Gala day plant sale to new level of excitement. Dawn comes
to us from West Texas A&M and Dawn’s thesis focuses on several endangered plants
of East Texas. The Arboretum, Horticulture facility and Mill Creek Gardens combination is
hard to beat when it comes to good field research in endangered plant ecology. Barbara
Stump, the most recent addition to the graduate student army in Horticulture, is a
real surprise! Barb is from Houston, experienced in the plant world through many volunteer
hours supporting Mercer Arboretum, especially their annual March Mart Plant Fab.
Barb’s thesis will involve a site analysis and design of the proposed azalea garden. Chris
Jones comes to us from the SFA Biology Department and is wrapping up his Masters
degree that involved work on the propagation, multiplication and reintroduction of Phlox
nivalis spp. texensis, Texas trailing phlox, previously down to three colonies
in the world (southeast Texas).
MILL CREEK GARDENS: Mill Creek Gardens is the Arboretum's endowed 119-acre
natural area six miles west of town. This forested property is blessed with dry, upland
sands, mesic mid-slopes and wet creek bottoms, springs, streams and an eight-acre lake at
its center. This gift from Elisabeth Hayter Montgomery is now a busy beehive of
interesting conservation projects - many just now getting underway. This plant sanctuary
is currently supporting the work of two MS students: Dawn Parish and Chris Jones . . .
both working on in situ and ex situ studies that focus on horticultural
treatments that favor the successful introduction of endangered species into appropriate
natural habitats. This natural area is serving as a perfect example of just what private
landowner and university resources can do in the conservation arena if the right strategy
is taken. The long-term goal of these projects is to learn more about the ecology of
endangered species and their horticultural characteristics - propagation, growth,
flowering - to ultimately serve as a germplasm repository for conservation agencies
attempting reintroduction projects in East Texas (U.S. Fish and Wildlife, the Nature
Conservancy, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Natural Heritage Program).
SFA HORTICULTURE CLUB SHINES AT LITTLE ROCK! The SFA Horticulture Club judging
team of Rachel Emrick, Corey Von Simpson, Heather Thormahlen and John Sileo came home
winners from the annual conference of the Southern Region of the American Society for
Horticultural Science held at Birmingham, Alabama, January 30 - February 2, 1998. The
four-member judging team of Heather Thormahlen, Rachel Emrick, Carey Simpson, and John
Sileo. The SFA team took third place woody ornamentals and third place fruit judging.
Rachel Emrick took high scoring individual in fruit judging (last year she took first in
vegetable - must be something to do with her vegetarian habit?). This year's contest
included nine teams from across the south competing in four divisions: fruit judging,
vegetable judging, woody ornamentals, greenhouse/floral. Outstanding show for our team and
we walked away proud. In addition, GRA Dawn Parish took 2nd place in the
graduate paper competition and $200. Bravo!
SOME MEMORABLE TRAVELS AND TRAVAILS SINCE THE LAST UPDATE!
July 1, 1997 - Memorial service for Lynn Lowrey: friend, legendary plant hunter and
premier horticulturist - Robert E. Vines Science Education Center, Houston, Texas –
(200 in attendance).
August 9, 1997. Herbal Symposium with Madeline Hill and Gwen Barclay hosted in the
Agriculture building. The "marriage of cuisines" followed by an herbal lunch
with afternoon session on the "Herbs of Shakespeare" - 48 in attendance at $30
each - as record flood (16" in 30 hours) blows the Arboretum away. We recover.
October 3, 1997 - SFA Arboretum Board of Advisors meeting. 21 in attendance. Dr. Dale
Perritt, Chair Department of Agriculture, announces the Greg Grant hire. The Arboretum
rules.
October 5-8, 1997 - Attended the Southern Region annual conference of the International
Plant Propagators Society, Orlando, Florida,. Accompanied by graduate student Dawn Parish
and two undergraduates, Kat Taylor and John Macha.
October 16-18, 1997 - with 12 students attending the Southern Plant Conference, invited
speaker symposium, Hotel Sofitel, Houston, Texas,. 250 in attendance.
October 18, 1997 - red-letter day: Greg Grant and I humbly lead a tour of 16 southern
nurseryman/plant professionals through the Arboretum collections (plant experts skipping
the regular tour of the SPC conference to make a trek to our garden). Included were Tommy
Dodd, Don Shadow, Alan Armitage, Linda Ederman, Bill Finch, Robert McCartney, J. Guy, Mike
and Patty Anderson, Marian Drummond, and Margie Jenkins. As a horticulturist, how could
you top this?
With 5 students to the annual conference of the Texas Association of Botanical Gardens
and Arboreta, San Antonio, Texas, February 20-22, 1998 (40 in attendance).
KUBOTA TRACTOR AND EQUIPMENT - JOHN DEER GATOR - AND OUR "BRAND NEW" 1982
DODGE TRUCK ARE BIG HITS IN THE ARBORETUM: In December 1997 the Arboretum had two
shiny, brand new pieces of equipment dropped into place. A 36 hp Kubota tractor with front
end loader, sprayer, tiller, mower and other handy attachments - and a John Deere Gator
with dump box. Mulching will never be the same. A real plus, the Arboretum - without a
vehicle for the first 12 years of our existence - received a special gift from the
Physical Plant: we inherited a 1982 Dodge truck that had been driven ever so gently for
many years by Bruce Lanham - SFA's designer/estimator - and good friend of the Arboretum.
Street legal. J
GETTING THE WORD OUT: What a kick for all of us to see the March
issue of Texas Highways finally come out in print. Over a year in development, the
article really kind of says it all. While the SFA Arboretum enjoyed the big feature, it
was great to see Nacogdoches held up to the light . . . there's lots to be proud of in
this community and still plenty left to do. Amazing to all of us here in the garden are
just how many folks use that magazine to plan their trips. While the attendance from the
out-of-towners is up dramatically, it's also a kick to see so many students and
Nacogdoches folks enjoying our gardening adventure.
Return to SFASU Arboretum's Home Page
Hort-22
Revised 09/14/06
(pww)
