The GarThe GarThe GarThe GarThe Garden Newsden Newsden Newsden Newsden NewsWinter 2003 Vol. 9 Issue 1

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Botanical Garden and Arboretum

UNL Garden Friends Annual Meeting

Printed onrecycled paper

In this Issue:♦PersonnelUpdates p.2♦From the InterimDirector p.2♦Annual AwardsLuncheon p.3♦Spring AffairSneak Preview p.4♦What is a TroughGarden? p.4♦Notes fromMaxwell Arbore-tum p.5♦Campus ProjectUpdates p.6♦UNL BudgetCuts p.6♦UNLBGASupportersp.6♦Staff Spotlight p.7♦EducationPrograms p.7

UNLBGA is anaffiliate site of the

We still have UNLBGA 2003 Campus Landscape Calendars availableCall 472-2679 or stop by Landscape Services 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. M-F for free copies

Please join us Sunday, January 19 at 2:30 p.m.in the City Campus Union, room number will be posted

Mary Ellen Connelly

Please join us for the annual meeting of the UNLGarden Friends on Sunday, January 19 at 2:30 p.m. in theCity Campus Union, 14th & R St. Parking is available alongR Street or in the UNL 17th & R parking garage.

In addition to a short business meeting and theannouncement of new officers for 2003, the featured speakerwill be Mary Ellen Connelly, owner of Perennial Passions,from Sioux Falls, SD. Last year, her excellent presentationon perennials made us all enthused for the coming season.Her topic this year will be hardy shrub roses.

Refreshments will be served. This is your opportunityto gather with your fellow enthusiasts, and to show yoursupport for the wonderful gardens at the University ofNebraska-Lincoln.

The Gates, a project of the UNL Garden Friends, welcoming you to UNL

Jane

t S. O

lson

From the Interim Director

Congratulations:♦ Joel Tabor, Groundskeeper II in Area 2, City Campus -promoted to Grounds Supervisor for Area 1, City Campus.Intra-Departmental Change:♦ Brian Dieterman, Groundskeeper II - transferred from EastCampus Pasture & Mowing Supervisor to Assistant Super-visor, Area 4, East Campus.♦ Kevin Herr, Project Manager - will continue work forLandscape Services but his office will be at Facilities Man-agement & Planning with project managers.Good-bye & Good Luck:♦ Suzette Hamilton, Groundskeeper II in Area 1, City Cam-pus – transferred to Environmental Health and Safety onEast Campus.♦ Janette Roth, Groundskeeper II on East Campus, Area 4 –transferred to the Custodial Division.

Personnel Updates

Winter 2003 page 2

by Carol Bom, Staff Assistant

Perin Porch is portrayed in the 2002 Chancellor’s ornamentin conjunction with the University of Nebraska AlumniAssociation. For more information, contact LandscapeServices at 472-2679.

Perin Porch Ornament

When the Universityexperiences lean times, as it is now,we as a department of the Universityfind better ways to economize andwork together to accomplish ourcommon goal of keeping campusbeautiful. In the last round of budgetreductions, Landscape Services lostgroundskeeper positions. One ofthese was critical to the maintenanceof the core area on City Campus. Wequickly reorganized and called on keypersonnel to help us maintain thisprominent area. We are also reducingmaintenance on campus by removinglow-profile perennial beds and annualplanting beds.

The Landscape Services staffhas become team oriented, more inthese lean times than in the past. Withthe loss of staff on both City and EastCampus we help each other tocomplete projects in a timely manner.I am gratified when I hear storiesabout how crews help out other crewsto accomplish a large task. Seedingof the lawn areas at Othmer Hall and

the former site of Lyman and BancroftHalls, planting Teachers College,planting ground cover at Richards Hall,covering the Nursery hoop house, andremoving a large partially dead oaktree, to name a few. We also havemanagers within our departmentworking with other departments toachieve a common University goal;recycling working with CustodialServices and some campus buildingvolunteers to maintain the newvoluntary recycling program, ourdesign/project management areateaming with Facilities Planning andConstruction to create aestheticallypleasing as well as functional buildings.I am sure there are many moreteamwork projects that gounmentioned. Thanks to all the crewsand staff who have helped your fellowco-workers.

I feel honored to provideleadership for the Landscape Servicesdepartment in this time of transition.Please let me know if I can be of anyassistance to you.

Eileen BergtInterim Director &

Landscape Architect

Winter 2003 page 3

2002 Holiday & Awards Pot Luck Luncheonby Twyla Hansen, Project Assistant

Chris Harter, Permanent Employee of the Year"Great leadership skills and is helpful training staff.""Easy to get along with and makes work interesting."

Carl Langenberg,Student/Temporary Employee of the Year"Always willing to help others.""His dedication and work ethic speaks for itself."

Korey Klaus, Safety Award of Excellence winner"Always points out safety procedures and practices."

"Sets good examples." "Excellent leadership in training."

The Annual Landscape Services Holiday and AwardsPot Luck Luncheon was held Friday December 13, 2002 atthe East Campus Shop. Attendess included LandscapeServices staff, and special invited guests from FacilitiesManagement & Planning, University Services, NebraskaStatewide Arboretum, and Midland Recycling, as well as afew past employees and immediate family. The menu includedroast pig, turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and beveragesprovided by Midland Recycling. Side dishes and dessertswere brought by Landscape Services employees.

A highlight of the luncheon was the awards ceremonyfor Permanent Employee of the Year, Student/TemporaryEmployee of the Year and the Safety Award of Excellence.For all awards, nominations were submitted by LandscapeServices employees. For the Permanent and Student/Temporary awards, nominees were voted on by ballot fromall Landscape Services employees. The Safety Committeevoted by ballot on the Safety Award nominees. There werefourteen nominees for Permanent Employee of the Year, ninefor Student/Temporary Employee of the year and eightnominees for the Safety Award ofExcellence.

This year’s Permanent Employee ofthe Year winner, Chris Harter, Assistant City

Thank You MidlandRecycling

We'd like to thank our friends atMidland Recycling for

providing food for this year'sHoliday & Awards Pot Luck

Luncheon. The luncheon wasterrific, and we're alwaysgrateful for our friends!

Campus Manager, has worked at Landscape Services since1995. The Student/Temporary Employee of the Year winner,Carl Langenberg, has worked on and off at Landscape

Services since 1963. The Safety Award ofExcellence winner, Korey Klaus, GroundsSupervisor, Area 7 City Campus, has workedat Landscape Services since 1999.

Eileen Bergt, Interim Director and LandscapeArchitect, presenting awards

Landscape Services employees and guests at East Campus Shop

Winter 2003 page 4

by Laurence Ballard, Nursery Plant Supervisor

Spring Affair Sneak Preview

What is a Trough Garden?

by Carol Bom, Staff Assistant“Spring is in the air” as far as planning for our nextSpring Affair plant sale extravaganza! This year’s SpringAffair will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2003, with the Pre-view Party being held on Friday, April 25, 2003. The themewill be “Adapting to Nebraska.” The programs will focus onhow gardeners can face the often harsh climate of Nebraska,ranging from too much rain, to insects, to drought. We willhave plenty of drought resistant plants and will also offer anew section on trough gardens.

We have decided to move the plant sale to theLancaster Building on the State Fair Grounds. This buildingis bigger and has quite a few advantages over the Food CourtPlaza. For those of you who have volunteered in the past,you know it can be cold! The new building has heat, coolingability, indoor restrooms, and more space. We will be able to

enter easily on the 27th Street entrance to the fairgrounds.Another change will be in the look of the Spring Af-

fair News--more like a newspaper--but will still be the samesize. It will still come out at the same time of year and holdthe same quality articles you have come to expect from ourcontributing writers. We will have maps and information aboutthe changes in the location. We will have two sets of pro-grams, as usual, as well as the “Everything and Anything”panel. The plant sale list will still be included so that you canprepare for your shopping early!

We are excited about these changes and trust thatyou will be also. Watch for updates to our web page athttp://busfin.unl.edu/unlbga/SpringAffair.

At Spring Affair this April, a special section will beset aside for the sale of trough garden plants, which makesthis an opportune time to find out just what a trough gardenis. Many of you who have recentlyvisited Bluebird Nursery or whotravel in very aristocratic gardeningcircles will already be well awareof the trough garden. For the rest ofyou, this is a brief overview andshould be enough to allow you toconverse with the gardening elite onthe subject.

The term trough is used becausethe first trough gardens werecreated in actual farm animaltroughs. These troughs were oncemade of hand-hewn stone and someenterprising gardener years ago inEngland (and probably anywhereelse they were used) discovered thatthey made nice planters. Eventuallyit was worked out that the realtroughs were a bit too bulky andhard to come by for the citydwellers; so a lightweight, portablematerial called hypertufa becamethe substitute of choice. Hypertufais a mixture of Portland cement, peat moss, perlite and water,which can be made to look very much like old stone. Withhypertufa, one can create the illusion of an old stone troughwithout all the problems like the back pains that come fromtrying to lift one.

So why would you go to the trouble of putting your plantsin a stone trough or any reasonablefacsimile when you could just use aplastic container? My view is that ratherthan thinking of the trough as simply thecontainer, you think of it as the framefor the work of art you will create withthe plants that go in it. This may soundelitist, but you would never considerplacing a Monet in thin plastic frame,and this concept is much the same. Allgardeners can relate to the concept ofgardens as works of art, so acceptingthat a nice frame is better than a cheapone should require no leap of faith.

The plants traditionally associatedwith trough gardens are generally verysmall and very interesting, which is whythey need to be framed in the firstplace. They often originate in alpineareas and would fit better into a rockgarden than into a typical large perennialdesign where they would not only gounnoticed, but would also suffer froman overabundance of resources. Each

trough garden is unique, an amazing and beautiful world inminiature, where organisms interact and adapt to the limitedresources available. Our plant offerings will be just a smallsample of the great diversity of miniature plants available towork with.

Photos of trough gardensfrom Bluebird Nursery

Winter 2003 page 5

by Emily Levine, Grounds Supervisor, Maxwell Arboretum

Notes from Maxwell ArboretumIn spite of the drought, maintenance of Maxwell

Arboretum continued on track and a number of improvementswere made. At year’s end, it's always good to look back andassess, evaluate the setbacks and accomplishments of one’swork, and to pass this information on to you, our friends andsupporters.

Drought: Useful lessons were learned from our droughtexperience: we found out which species could surviveunaffected, whichones wilted slowly,which ones“ f l a s h e d ”overnight, andwhich weres e v e r e l ydamaged. Springbud break will tellus even more.We should learnour lessons well,for as they sayhere on the plains,“drought is asometime thing.”

HerbaceousCollections: Thispast year, we were fortunate to have the herbaceous expertiseof Groundskeeper II Janette Roth. Janette maintained theYeutter Gardens, Fleming Slope, the hosta collection andarboretum shade bed. Her knowledge and eye for detailwas evident in the great appearance of the perennial bedsthis growing season.

In the spring, we filled in numerous empty spots in bothYeutter and Fleming. Seven new hostas received from GaryJones were planted in the collection.

Identification, Labeling, and Mapping: Janette workeddiligently to update plant identification and mapping in YeutterGarden. We now have a map of the Yeutter Rock Gardenand plant lists for both the Rock and Berm Garden are about95% complete. Fleming Slope is up for the same work nextyear. Additionally, the hosta collection has been identifiedand new labels installed. Look for a new map of the collectionin the spring. ID work was also done on the rhododendron/azalea collection and new metal labels, showing parentage,were installed. Mapping has begun, but must wait for thecoming spring.

Woody Plants, Removals and Planting: Horticulturalwork is grounded in the seasons of life. Among this year’sremovals were: Pinus resinosa Red Pine: SE of gazebo -Sphaeropsis tip blight; Betula populifolia Gray Birch: Eastof creek – decline; Maclura pomifera Osage Orange: South

edge of Prairie - tipped by storm; Celtis occidentalisHackberry: SW of gazebo – decline; Abies concolor WhiteFir: Vine Arbor - storm; Acer platanoides ‘Emerald Queen’Norway Maple: NW of gazebo - damage from ’97 storm;Acer saccharum ‘Green Mountain’ Sugar Maple: NW ofgazebo - damage from ’97 storm.

New plantings this fall were: Picea orientalis ‘GreenKnight’- MemorialOriental Sprucehonoring Phillip P.Sutton, CooperativeExtension, 1943-1977;Picea pungens‘Hoopsii’ - a silveryBlue Spruce; Piceapungens ‘Bakerii’ - asmall, slow-growingBlue Spruce (thesespruces were planted inthe green spacebetween the YeutterGarden and FlemingSlope); Populusdeltoides EasternCottonwood - part of a

nationwide planting in conjunction with the National TreeTrust. This is not one of the industry’s hybrid cottonwoods,but a native seedling that took root in our nursery.

Sad News/Setbacks: The arboretum suffered a setbackin September when heavy rains felled a White Fir and itlanded on the Vine Arbor. The south end of the walkwayand a seating area were destroyed and had to be removed.Four Buckthorn shrubs and a few vines were cut to theground. The department is working to procure funding torebuild the damaged area and to undertake a rebuilding ofthe entire structure as rot is setting in.

Education: Maxwell Arboretum’s educational missionwas fulfilled by tours and programs provided to the Universitycommunity and the public at large. In September, thearboretum was a focal point in the first joint Festival of Color/Gardeners Gala event. Numerous presenters utilized YeutterGarden and Fleming Slope to speak to issues of design,maintenance, and cultivar selection. The day was a greatsuccess.

It was a challenging year in Maxwell, but we have comethrough with our maintenance program intact, improvementsaccomplished, our educational mission fulfilled, and with arenewed commitment to carrying Earl Maxwell’s legacy intothe 21st century.

Winter 2003 page 6

Campus Project Updatesby Eileen Bergt, Interim Director & Landscape Architect

by Kay Kottas, Education Programs Manager

Thank You to UNLBGA Supporters!Contributions to UNLBGA are

very important. Our supporters help us tokeep our plants and structures in goodshape. Donors of memorials andhonoraries help us to endow and conservethe treasures that make our campus abeautiful place to learn and share with thepublic. We will continue to provide areasto convey the sentiments these memorialsand honoraries are meant to express. Our thanks to thefollowing supporters of UNLBGA for this quarter:♦Edna Emerson – support for Perin Porch♦Academic Affairs – On an English Oak on the east side of

Love Library, the plaque reads: "In honor of DavidB. Brinkerhoff, Associate Vice Chancellor forAcademic Affairs November 19, 2002. 25 yearsof dedicated service to UNL"♦National Tree Trust – new Cottonwood east ofArbor Creek in Maxwell Arboretum♦Philip Sutton Family - new ‘Green Knight’Oriental Spruce tree replacing an Osage Orange

dedicated in 1991♦UN-L Sociology Dept. – Red Bud south of Andrews Hallwas labeled "In memory of Cheryl E. Applegate 1946-2002,Sociologist-Teacher-Scholar, Civil Rights Activist"

by Twyla Hansen, Project Assistant

Budget Reductions at Landscape ServicesThere are many questions on the latest round of

budget reductions announced November 20 by ChancellorHarvey Perlman and how they affect departments. Detailsare still being worked out; below are the official reductionsfor Landscape Services: ♦In addition to general groundskeepingresponsibilities, Landscape Services is responsible formaintaining the University’s designation as a BotanicalGarden/Arboretum. While this reduction maintains UNL’sBotanical, Endowed and Named Gardens, it eliminatesmany of the smaller planting beds that are not major pointsof interest on the campus.

♦Staff reduced by 3 FTE (two Grounds Supervisors,one Landscape Assistant): We are trying a reorganization ofCity Campus from seven areas into six, and moved aGroundskeeper II position from East Campus to City Campus.Also, the Architectural Services Manager has been movedfrom state funding to capital project budget.

♦Reduce the number of perennial flowerbeds: Weare now working on which beds will be affected; some maybe replaced with shrubs.

♦Recycling: custodians enter offices once per week;therefore, office paper recycling may become voluntary oralternate weekly pick-up with trash.

♦Van Brunt Visitor Center - Mary Riepma Ross Filmand New Media Center: construction is near completion.Landscape Services is adding soil to the site and will be plantingin the spring.

♦17th & Vine Street will soon be the site of a newstudent housing project. The existing parking lot at the SWcorner is closed so that construction can begin early in 2003.The project will have approximately 470 apartment-style units.

♦14th and Avery Avenue will become the site of anew Parking Structure. Construction is to begin in May 2003.Phase 1 of this project is primarily funded from the loss ofsurface parking from the Antelope Valley Project.

♦College of Natural Resources and Sciences,currently scattered in several buildings on East Campus andNebraska Hall on City Campus, is proposed to occupy theNebraska Center for Continuing Education, which has closed.Renovation of the building and construction of a lab wing areproposed.

♦McCollum Hall at Law College: construction of an

addition to the building is near completion. As part of theproject, we are creating a new courtyard on the north andadding a prominent approach to the south entrance from theparking area. New walks, outside study areas and newplantings will be installed.

♦A new International Quilt Study Center building isproposed for a site on East Campus between AgriculturalCommunications and Food Industry Complex. The buildingis in the early planning stages with fund raising to begin soon.

♦Teachers College Courtyard was planted this fall.Located between Henzlik Hall and the Teachers Collegeaddition, the courtyard created a new outdoor sitting/studyarea.

♦Richards Hall renovation is complete. The Stateallocation of 1% for Art, associated with this project, is underconstruction south of the building, and will serve as an outdoorclassroom and sitting area.

Winter 2003 page 7

Staff Spotlight: Landscape Construction Crewby Twyla Hansen, Project Assistant

UNLBGA Educational Programsby Kay Kottas, Mgr. Educational Programs

Andrew Wendt

Name: Richard “Rich” WahlPosition: Landscape Construction SupervisorYears at Landscape Services: 31Staff: 2 or 3 student employeesDuties include:♦grading, soil work, seeding♦plant identification signs♦brick & concrete installation♦maintain/rebuild wood structures♦assist with tree removal♦equipment training♦football litter pick-up♦coordinate snow removal City CampusQuote: I like the variety of jobs here. That's what keepsme going.

NATIONAL TREE TRUST: On the occasion ofreaching its 10 millionth tree planting, The National Tree Trustcelebrated by planting the state tree in Nebraska--in MaxwellArboretum--and every other state capital city on November21, 2002. Governor Mike Johanns proclaimed the day asNational Tree Trust Day in Nebraska. Dave Mooter,Community Forester with the Nebraska Forest Service andJeff Culbertson, Curator of Maxwell Arboretum, spoke to agroup of celebrants, observing the day with a ceremonialplanting of an eastern cottonwood.

UNLBGA: Our educational outreach wasexceptional in 2002. It was my honor to extend the UNLBotanical Garden and Arboretum and related topics to thecommunity. More than 25 programs, tours and demonstrations

were enthusiastically attended. Next year, we will focus ongarden tours; look for a schedule of activities in our nextnewsletter. Thank you to the many people who volunteeredtheir time to share their expertise with eager participants. Iespecially want to thank Ann McIntosh for her wonderfulideas and expert help with the younger crowds of schoolgroups; Emily Levine and Jeff Culbertson for sharing theirknowledge with tour groups and keeping the Arboretum insuch excellent condition; Jean Schultz and Matt Coatney fortheir help with tours of the Old rose collection and the Porch;and to all the other participants from Landscape Services,UNL and the community. We are grateful for your interestand involvement in UNLBGA.

Rich Wahl

Jeremy Franzluebbers Andrew WaldmanHometown: West Point, NE Lincoln, NE Plattsmouth, NEMajor: Business Nursing Art

The Garden News is published with fundingprovided by the UNL Garden Friends. Photo-graphs are copyrighted and require permis-sion for reprint. Articles may be reprintedwith credit to the authors and the UNL Bo-tanical Garden and Arboretum.

2002 Garden Friends Board

Officers:President: Jan CutshallVice President: Emilie EllingsonTreasurer: Arlene HannaSecretary: Kim HachiyaMembership Chair: Irvin Omtvedt

Board Members:Mark Canney Michael JessGerald Dimon Diane OldfatherJames Estes Bryan PoppeSusan Evnen Suzy TaylorLinda Hillegass Bonnie Williams

2002 Maxwell Friends Board

Officers:President: Ted HartungTreasurer: Bud DasenbrockSecretary: Francis Haskins

Board Members:Agnes Arthaud William LutesCyril Bish Ed LymanRon Case Martin MassengaleG. Steven Ferris Dave McGillJohn Furrer Irvin OmtvedtPeter Jensen Howard OttosonGladys Juerink Margaret OttosonJames Kendrick Helen PetersonJim Locklear Jane Wendorff

Landscape Services Administration & Management

Eileen Bergt: Interim Director & LandscapeArchitect

Jay Schluckebier: Assistant DirectorKirby Baird: Landscape & Botanical

Services - City CampusCarol Bom: Staff AssistantJeff Culbertson: Landscape & Botanical

Services - East CampusDale Ekart: Recycling

& Solid Waste ResourcesDon Hinds: Operations EquipmentKay Kottas: Education ProgramsJim Sommers: Irrigation Systems

NewsletterKay Kottas, Editor

Twyla Hansen, Co-EditorE-mail: kkottas2@unl.edu

Web Site: http://busfin.unl.edu/unlbga/

1340 N. 17th StreetP.O. Box 880609Lincoln NE 68588-0609

BOTANICAL GARDENAND ARBORETUM

UNL Arboretum & Garden Friends