Four Seasons of Beauty: Ohio State ATI Annual Garden Open House
By: Karen Skubik
August 4, 2013
379
The reasons for attending the Garden Open House on the grounds of The Ohio State Universitys Agricultural and Technical Institute were varied, but a pleasurable experience could be had by all who came to the annual event.
With horticultural experts on hand, visitors were able ask questions about their own plantings and learn about the endless possibilities to enhance their home gardens. Laura Deeter, associate professor at The Agricultural and Technical Institute (ATI), led a tour explaining The grounds serve many purposes, but mainly teaching. Deeter shared that she has to remind the grounds workers to leave some of the diseased and insect-damaged plants since they serve an educational purpose. The less-than-perfect plants werent obvious to the untrained eye, only a colorful sea of botanical beauty in a carefully arranged variety of shapes, sizes, and textures.
When asked about the identity of one unassuming plant, Deeters familiarity with each botanical wonder was evident. She shared The Blue Stars best feature is not the small blue flower it produces - the fall foliage is. In autumn it will look like an orange bomb went off!
Fall colors were emphasized in some gardens while other shades were highlighted in other sections around the Black Conservatory to satisfy the theme of this years planting: Four Seasons of Beauty. According to Teresa Lanker, chair of ATIs Division of Horticultural Technologies, Beginning in the front of the conservatory, the garden is designed with a lively summer color palette. As the gardens wrap around the conservatory, they transition from fall colors and textures to winter and then spring.
Each year the gardens surrounding the historic conservatory have a different theme. Last year, there were Big Ten gardens; the year before we designed gardens inspired by famous paintings, according to Lanker. The ATI faculty are now pondering what next years theme will be.
Judy Frank wanted to honor her friend, Amy Ammons birthday, so the friends made a visit to the ATI gardens part of the celebration. Ammon said, I always go to the (Secrest) Arboretum, but didnt know this was here. They enjoyed both wandering the gardens and talking to the experts where Frank shared we learned about poinsettia production and how to tell whether the plant will have pink or white flowers.
One of the experts on hand was Marie Arnold who just finished her second year at ATI and is part of a three-person team who plants and maintains the gardens. With the meticulously tidy gardens full of both perennials and annuals, it was obvious that the team takes pride in their work. Arnold shared her work ethic, I really like the times when its miserably hot, my back is aching, and were still laughing.
Although one could hear laughter and quiet conversation during the two-day event, it was the sounds of acoustic music that resonated throughout both the gardens and inside the conservatory. On Friday night, music was provided by Fare Thee Well, Vera Rathbone, and a trio of Jay Klemme, Annie Gerig, and Rosario Canelero-Rueda. The gentile atmosphere continued on Saturday morning with the music of Ferne Hagiri, Cheryl Anderson, Mady Noble, and Annie Gerig.
Anna Dama, a student at The College of Wooster who just completed her last day of summer work at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center thought attending the open house was a good way to wind down after handing in her final paper and before driving home to New Jersey. Like all visitors, she had the opportunity to enjoy the music, tranquil gardens, refreshments, and a perfect place to let the worries of the week melt away.
Even though the music from the 2013 open house has drifted away, anyone looking for gardening inspiration or just in need a peaceful place to stroll, the gardens are open to the public year-round.
