A Grower Perspective

 This morning Ashley and I joined Jane for a walking tour of the U of O campus.  Jane is the campus landscape designer for the U of O.  She has been coming out to the nursery for years to buy plants and we thought it was time for a field trip to her ‘garden’.  The three of us appeared to be the only ones walking on campus fully decked out in rain gear head to foot.  The weather would have no impact on our tour.  We started with the new buildings, the coliseum, the alumni center and the very impressive student/athlete study center.  Modern buildings are sometimes a challenge for me, but this one pulls everything together and is so thoughtfully done and you feel very much in nature; with water and a well appointed planting surrounding the building, lots of wood and stone and natural light inside the building and even a cozy fire surrounded by bright yellow couches just inside the door.  It was cool, just edgy enough to be avant-garde, and comfortable enough to make you want to sit down and have a warm beverage.  I felt like I was somewhere besides Eugene, it feels big town, new, nice and exciting.

Leaving the new places we headed off for a plant tour of the grounds, old trees, a tree that had been in space as a seed, trees whose branches swept the ground like ball gowns, trees that you fall in love with, climbing trees, original trees, native trees, exotic trees.  We walked and talked, like plant lovers do, the color of this, how that died and how things are replaced.  The walk lasted an hour or so, but we had gone somewhere else in that time and were refreshed.  It was the kind of recess we who work in the world of baby plants needed, a chance to see where all our children go and what they grow up to be.  Ashley took some wonderful photos, my favorite is the blooming witch hazel decorated by pine needle ornaments.  I would encourage everyone to take a walk on campus and look up and down and all around.  There are many beautiful and informative brass plaques that give you information on types of trees and special things about them. Jane gave us this website for a tour of the trees, there are more extensive books and classes to take but this is a good place to start.  Bring a friend or an out of town guest, it is a place open to all and a beauty to be proud of.