| The Dawes Arboretum was founded in June 1929 by Beman and
Bertie Dawes, two individuals who loved land and trees. This nonprofit,
private operating foundation now consists of 1,149 acres of plant collections,
agriculture, silviculture, and natural areas. By definition, an arboretum
is a place where trees, shrubs, and other woody plants are grown, exhibited
and labeled for scientific and educational purposes (Dawes Information Pamphlet).
After visiting the Dawes Arboretum one will see that it brings a much more
inclusive feeling and definition to the word arboretum. |
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Dawes Arboretum was initiated to "Éencourage the planting of forest and
ornamental trees and to demonstrate the value ofÉtrees for these purposes;
for practical and scientific research in horticulture and agricultureÉin
order to give pleasureÉ and educationÉ and to increase the general knowledge
and love of trees and shrubsÉ."(Dawes Information Pamphlet). Luke Messinger,
an employee of Dawes Arboretum, provided a wonderful synopsis on how the
organization functions, its' purpose, its' history, and its' future.
I will try to recapture Messinger's synopsis and interrelate a horticulture
student's point of view. Currently, a team of a dozen employees operate
the establishment of the Dawes Arboretum. This public organization caters
the wondering minds of 300,000 individuals a year. Displays of Bonsai,
azaleas, Japanese gardens, holly, crab apples, and the famous hedges of
Dawes Arboretum make up the 15,000 species of plants found at the arboretum.
The infrastructure of Dawes consists of five major departments, the human
resource, horticulture, research, history and the nature departments.
Three of these departments will be discussed in further detail throughout
the summary. The human resources department concentrates on the employees
at the arboretum, as well as organizing events hosted at the arboretum.
Messinger commented, "We like to make Dawes Arboretum a fun environment
for family time." The history department and the horticulture department
work together on developing the collections of plant material at the arboretum
and preserving the original orchard approach established in the 1950's
to organize the arboretum. Recapturing the purpose of Dawes Arboretum,
as briefly stated before, is its challenge to provide 1,149 acres of land
attributed to special collections, agriculture, silviculture, and natural
areas, in a clean and well manicured environment and to encourage the
visitor to gain interest and education from their visit. The human resource
department is currently gaining the interest of the community by hosting
classes, workshops and events available to the public.
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The original Dawes Family residence
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The history of Dawes is amazing. Beman Gates Dawes, husband
of Bertie Dawes, formed The Pure Oil company in 1920, and used the assets
from The Pure Oil Company to establish an endowment fund for perpetual operation
of The Dawes Arboretum. Beman's brother, Brigadier General Charles Gates
Dawes, also contributed to the endowment. Charles was Vice President of
The United States, 1925 to 1929, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1925 (Dawes
Information Pamphlet). Inclusive in the research of the history department,
are the past design, or non-design techniques of the gardens at the arboretum.
Past designs include the straight orchard rows, popular in 1950's, and groups
of plants from the same families in certain sections of the arboretum. Stepping
into the future, the arboretum is constantly building on their world wide
collection of plant material. |
| The old ÔDawes Arboretum' hedge will always be a cherished
landmark of the arboretum, as they move onto to new ideas. The Ôdecorative
landscape' is a newer concept of design the arboretum features. In such
displays, they fuse native plants and nonnative plants, in a attractive
and appealing design. In certain cases, this concept attracts the Ôgardening
visitors' to a do it yourself attitude, encouraging them to learn more while
they are at the arboretum. Messinger quoted, "Our visitor value chain is
an important part in the existence of the arboretum. Because this organization
is ran on endowment funds, and charges no entrance fee, it is an important
part to educate the visitors while they are here. They can become members
of the organization, and will then be more likely to contribute funds, hence
insuring the existence of the arboretum." He continues, "Marketing the arboretum
is necessary. We are in a huge competition of family time activities." The
Dawes Arboretum is a wonderful place and a great preservation for plant
collections. After recapturing the professional overview of Luke Messinger,
as a student in the field of horticulture, I would like to acknowledge his
love for plants, and accurate sense of business to plan for future success,
and existence the Dawes Arboretum. An occupation in such a facility as the
Dawes Arboretum, would require dedication to the horticulture industry and
motivation in teaching and promoting the natural elements of nature that
many people may take for granted. |
