2 minute read
Horticulture & Botanical Gardens
Meet KYLE CHEESBOROUGH
our Horticulture Director. Before his home at the Gardens, Kyle’s career path lead him to working at commercial nurseries, zoos, and even a historic cemetery. Kyle’s favorite place in the garden is the Sun Garden with Shermie.
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Throughout the year, the Sherman Gardens’ horticulture team continued to
maintain the collections to the highest standards, and create stunning
designs. Their innovation was responsible for the amazing displays of flora throughout the gardens, as well as the agility and creativity to support the Education Programs and Special Events.
In addition to their involvement throughout the Education Programs and Special Events, the horticulture team created the Mediterranean gardens adjacent to the Tropical Conservatory. The design of this area embraces the ecological and sustainable gardening ethos of the organization. With proper design and implementation of the sustainable landscape, a healthy pattern began to form between each component: people, animals, plants, water, soil, insects, and wildlife. These sustainable patterns were also at play with the design of the Mandala Garden. The word ‘mandala’ is a Sanskrit word for a circle contained within a square, often with sections radiating out from the center point. The process of making mandalas helps to manifest stability in our inner life, supporting mental health and the desire for a peaceful environment.
The team was also fortunate to trial a variety of Iceland Poppies used in the cutflower market trade from an Italian seed company. It was reported that this variety of Colibri had huge flowers, 2-foot-tall stems, and was double the size of normal varieties. They did not disappoint with blooms over 8 inches in diameter!
The intersection of horticulture and art played out with an amazing summer exhibit greenHouse. The horticultural team designed the exhibit to re-create interior rooms outside—creating juxtaposition on the, “safer at home,” mantra of the pandemic. Visitors discovered lavish ‘living’ rooms throughout the Gardens nestled into the garden space: You entered the formal garden for a grand dinner party, relaxed on a luxurious grass upholstered sofa, or retreated to the study and settled in to read a succulent story. Lay back on the ‘flowerbed’ and admire a canopy of vines growing overhead. There was even a playable moss-covered piano for guests to enjoy!
PLANT COLLECTIONS BY THE NUMBERS
