The Art of Topiary Gardening

Time really does fly considering I am already done with my first week at the Cleveland Botanical Gardens.  It's been a great week, and I know that this will be a great summer and an amazing learning experience.  I feel blessed to be working with such a supportive staff as well, especially my fellow interns.  They have both been extremely helpful in my transition into the garden and teaching me the ropes.  Every morning starts with daily chores such as picking up trash, skimming pools, watering containers, and what I have quickly learned to be the most dreaded task of blowing off the pathways.  We even found some new friends in the dumpster during Friday morning chores!

Little Raccoon in the Dumpster

Besides learning the routine of morning chores, I was also able to jump right into things and begin working in the Paula and David Swetland Topiary Garden.  I learned a lot from this experience, especially the fact that no knowledge is wasted.  At one point, I thought I had wasted a portion of my college education taking courses that would eventually be irrelevant. I was wrong, working in the Topiary Garden brought back a lot of information that I learned during my first few semesters as a student in the College of Design.  I was excited to be putting this knowledge to use in a way that truly interested me.  Larry, the horticulturist in charge of the Topiary masterpieces, instructed me to simply 'follow the line.'  At first, I struggled a bit and ended up cutting one of the edges a tad bit too short, but he reassured me that it would grow back and I would get it right the next time. 

Pruning the Taxus on my first day at the Garden

 On my next go at topiary pruning, I took more time to assess the hedge and really understand all of its lines and how it flowed.  Working a lot more slowly and constantly stepping back to check my progress, I succeeded in the beginning levels of topiary pruning!  Once I was able to develop an eye for the desired shape, it was a few simple snips and snaps of the hedging shears before I felt comfortably at ease working with the plants.  I worked with a few different varieties including boxwoods, yews, and azaleas.  The garden is relatively young and will still require some time to mature into the desired forms and figures such as cones, round balls, and a giant weaving worm. 

The giant Taxus worm weaving through the garden

Small conical boxwoods

My first week has definitely been a success, and I am looking forward to a wonderful summer and everything that I am going to learn from the wonderful staff that I am so blessed to work with.  Besides spending time in the Topiary Garden, I was also quickly immersed into working in the public sector.  The first thought that came to my mind was the fact that my mom would never survive working with the public, because when you make piles you have to clean them up. She is the queen of leaving her piles scattered around the yard for dad to pick up!  Perhaps I can teach her what I have learned.  Anyway, working in a public setting means taking extra precautions to ensure the guests have a safe, enjoyable experience.  I've worked with public before in a restaurant setting, but I've quickly learned that it's different in the garden, especially working near the children's garden with lots of curious kids running around. 

I have already learned so much, and I am looking forward to what the next week has to offer! Outside of work I am continuing to add things to my Cleveland bucket list, my next visit will be to the West Side Market, Cleveland's oldest market.  From my research, it appears that it could be an all day outing!  I already checked out the Shaker Square Farmer's Market yesterday, and had a delightful morning strolling by the vendors and engaging in great conversations with local farmers and the owner of a quaint, little floral design shop.

Until next time, enjoy the warm weather and remember "To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow." -Audrey Hepburn