As finals approach, many students may not realize the work put into a scenic campus study spot.
Behind all the ponds, trees, flowers and landscaping is a team of 13 horticulturists working to keep the Sarah P. Duke Gardens healthy and growing.
“People don’t realize the amount of maintenance that goes into the plants, fountains, roads and benches,” said Director of Horticulture Robert Mottern. “The amount of work is tremendous.”
From seeking rare plants in countries like Japan and China to designing the flower displays in all 55 acres of the gardens, more goes into the landscape than most visitors realize, he said.
Mottern is at the helm of the operation, using more than a decade of experience in the industry of plant cultivation. The team oversees every detail from knowing what flowers are blooming when, which colors are appropriate to mix and match and what plants can survive with one another.
The Gardens are home to warm season plants, cool season plants, annuals, which last all year, and perennials, which only survive part of the year, Mottern said. To make matters more complicated, each flower blooms at different times, has different leaf textures and needs different amounts of water and sun exposure.
Mottern said the 12 horticulturists he works with are the driving force behind the success of the gardens because they come up with much of the new ideas for design. Mottern said his team is constantly looking for avenues of inspiration.
“You might see something in a magazine, an idea you may like,” Mottern said. “One thing I have been trying to do since being here is finding inspiration from things you wouldn’t normally be inspired by from a gardening stand point. We have the Nasher Museum [of Art] across the street, and we can look at... a Picasso [for inspiration], what colors he used.”
The ability to combine all of the knowledge about plants and then artistically design beautiful displays is something Mottern said is acquired through years of experience. He added that his team has almost 30 years of combined experience.
As the weather gets warmer, students are increasingly spending time in the gardens. They may not understand the work that goes into creating them entirely, but they nonetheless seem to enjoy the product of Mottern’s effort.
Freshmen Lotte Van Miegroet and Donnie Vineyard, said the Gardens are one of Duke’s biggest attractions.
“The Duke Gardens are beautiful, especially in the spring,” Van Miegroet said. “Students sometimes forget about this little haven that Duke provides for them.”
Though still in his first year at the University, Vineyard has made an effort to take advantage of all that the gardens have to offer.
“They’re a perfect place to go take a walk and relax or even to study in,” he said. “I think the Duke Gardens are wonderful.”
Many students might not realize the place’s history while they sit in the garden. Planners of the University originally wanted to use the land to create a large lake, but the project was eventually canceled, Mottern said.
Instead, according to the Gardens’ website, during the 1930’s a proposal for gardens became a reality under the leadership of Frederic Hanes, then a professor at the School of Medicine.
Almost eight decades later, Hanes’ vision—and the generosity of Sarah P. Duke’s $20,000 donation—is being enjoyed by the newest crop of Duke students.
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