This article originally
appeared in the Winter Newsleaf, 2007
Karen (KB) Bailey, Garden Steward
In the past few months there has been a need to put
Boxerwood in some sort of context. Hunter, Elise, and I have been sharing
parts of our history with our rapidly maturing board of governance and
other possible partners. Just before a recent meeting I thought I might
write something for the participants to take home. Since then, a couple
of the participants have shared that they found it informative and
helpful. They went on to suggest that I share it with others - our
members and the public. So - with that in mind (and a few changes) - I
present for your reading pleasure this
STATE OF THE
GARDEN & HOW IT GOT THIS WAY
I’ve raked the leaves here at Boxerwood since 1986.
Needless to say I’ve seen a lot of changes. In that time the garden has
been my most persistent, prolific, and demanding teacher.
I had only a short time with Dr. Munger. As I gardened
beside him I realized that the things I thought important in a garden
didn’t interest him at all. I had a persistent tendency to tidy up, mulch,
and weed - the obvious things. Rarely did he want time spent in such
activities. Mowing was irregular at best. He felt that too much mowing was
unhealthy. (He felt the same way about humans bathing.)
After his death, Bob’s sons and I prepared the garden
for his “funeral”. In accord with his wishes, the family had invited the
public to walk his garden in his memory. There would be no formal words,
just a Sunday afternoon walk-about. That day, May 28, 1988, was the first
and perhaps the last time I remember thinking everything was done
in Bob’s garden.
In the following years, Ms. Munger would walk me around the grounds.
She tried to teach me to see the beauty and not all the undone
things. It would ruin her walk to hear me point out all the areas in need
of improvement.
After eight years with Mrs. Munger, we bought a portion of Boxerwood.
I was no longer being paid to work here, so I began working away from
Boxerwood during the week and gardening here on the weekends. Every day I
am thankful for all the work done in those first 10 years. I could not
have been able to “keep-up” the place (such as it is) on the weekends if
the gardens had not been in good shape at the start.
Anyone who has gardened will confirm that to keep up
with Mother Nature is quiet a job. I’ve had many lessons over the 20 years
– most of them humbling. I have learned to look favorably at anything that
shields the burning sun from the delicate microbes living in the top of
the soil. (Sometimes I think I’ve created this idea so I wouldn’t feel bad
about having to little time to edit weeds and add mulch.) I found myself
falling into the Dr. Munger style of gardening if only out of necessity.
Opening to the public began a new era of values
clarification. Years of being more inspired than smart took their toll
and my body parts had begun to whine. Just keeping the grass mowed is a
large endeavor. I have come to appreciate Dr. Munger’s philosophy of
gardening. It just doesn’t go so well with the public’s expectations of a
garden. I can’t help but imagine that the good Dr. would approve of the
slight discomfort a disheveled garden might bring to the average public
garden visitor. Yet, I don’t think I really want to cause discomfort to
anyone who walks the garden. But with only me at the rake it’s probably
inevitable.
In the past I have been able to get a small area of the
garden somewhat esthetically pleasing for a party or event. But without
spraying significant amounts of Roundup, the shaggy look quickly
reappears. Fresh mulch cannot smother all the weeds, so that tidy, clipped
appearance is short-lived.
Now, let’s considered the trees. I have watched
these trees grow, thrive, suffer thru droughts and cold spells, survive
the insects and die. By caring for them and charting an inventory every 4
- 5 years I have truly gotten to know and grow up with many of the
long-lived members of the Boxerwood Family.
Three or four years ago I made the decision to cut back
on spraying so much Roundup. Even though research supports the position
that it doesn’t harm the environment, my gut tells me that all things are
connected and to spray one must affect the others. If I am not willing to
eat food that has been sprayed with Roundup, why would I let the birds?
Some plants seem to be doing great and then the next thing I know the
evergreen is brown and it is all over except perhaps for an
autopsy.
Since opening to the public, our priorities have been:
1.) Safety
(human),
2.) Tree Health -
which also provides safety,
3.) Education
tools; learning stations, wetland walk, the eye, and
4.) Esthetic
appeal.
Because we want people to experience nature first
hand and we can’t take everyone to a wilderness, in some ways I think of
Boxerwood as a sacrificial lamb. The garden takes a direct hit from the
increased traffic on unprepared pathways. There are days I wish we could
close the trails for the safety of the trees. Nothing compacts wet soil
like a 3rd grader excited to be outside. The first year we began the
Education Program, we almost killed the Great Oak by letting the kids
dance and celebrate nature on her roots. We have since mulched the area
and now we use the foot traffic to break down wood chips that absorb the
compaction and make new soil.
Recently we have begun to focus on providing
handicapped-accessible nature experiences which will require special
infrastructure and pathways. We want our trails to be able to do the job
and at the same time contribute to environmental sustainability. In that
they keep foot traffic totally off the ground, the least invasive walkways
would probably be boardwalks. But that would separate people from the
very experience we want to provide - touching the Earth. We are about to
try a new product that claims to harden soil enough to create sturdy roads
and trails, and yet leave them porous.
We plan to test it with an accessibility path from
parking to Munger Lodge which - along with the terrace - has the best
single view of the garden and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Then following
the same contour south and west will take us through the courtyard, to the
composting learning area, and then to the dreamed-of herb garden. After
that there are wider - and still wild - areas to be developed and
explored. And after that….who knows?
I can plan and dream and dream and plan forever.
In the meantime - Explore wonder…
Karen (KB) Bailey,
Garden Steward
