News and Public Information Office
Glos Center
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
(513) 529-7592
(513) 529-1950 fax
newsinfo@muohio.edu
Glos Center
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
(513) 529-7592
(513) 529-1950 fax
newsinfo@muohio.edu
News Release
Beauty through a horticulturist's eye09/24/2009 |
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written by Vanessa Feigen, intern and English, pre-journalism major As the fall semester unfolds, so do the various flower and plant arrangements across Miami University. Spending the summer renovating and rearranging multiple areas around campus, Dan Garber, a plant horticulturist at Miami, has emphasized and highlighted Miami’s beauty through colorful displays. Garber instantly fell in love with cultivation when he was a junior in high school and started a job at the horticultural department of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Since then, Garber has maintained jobs within the planting environment and became a member of the Miami family two years ago. “I love the ability to be creative and innovative,” Garber said. “I’m so lucky my supervisors give me the opportunity and trust to carry out my creativity.” One of Garber’s favorite designs is the perennial plant, tree and shrub bed at the Oak Street parking lot right behind the recreational center. Garber used multiple perennials to create a colorful presentation, as well as stones facilitating the walk to class for those students who travel in that direction. “I noticed last year students cut right across the grass to get to class. Not only does the stone design create beauty but it is also more efficient for the students,” Garber said. Garber appreciates the many benefits of perennial plants. “Every year the perennials get bigger and bigger and prettier and prettier,” Garber said. “They’re a very cost-efficient plant, and for me the ultimate goal is to create high impact, low maintenance landscapes.” Perennials allow Garber to do more with less. In maintaining numerous flowerbeds, he will divide perennials and use them in multiple places around campus. “It is like having a self-serve garden center,” Garber adds. During the winter, Garber focuses a part of his time thinking of new ideas for the spring and the summer. “We’re always thinking of new projects, it never stops,” Garber said. Garber’s design ideas have helped transform and generate appeal within certain areas around campus. “It makes my day when I’m in a certain area and people comment on my work,” he said. “I like seeing the impact my designs have on other people.” The physical duties Garber maintains in the winter include pruning, maintaining equipment, mulching the trees, fixing drainage issues, removing snow and mending the damages caused by storms. With the capability to transform landscapes with stones, trees, shrubs and flowers, Garber has left his footprint on Miami’s campus. “There’s always more to learn,” he said. “I hope to improve an already beautiful place.” Related Media
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