Cox Arboretum
6733 Springboro Pike, Dayton OH 45449 ­Tel: 937 - 434- 9005

Example of Public Horticulture ­ Designed gardens, Visitor's Center, Volunteers

We toured the grounds of Cox Arboretum and capped the day with an evening meeting of landscape professionals that included Dr. Art Ode, Director of the Cox Arboretum, Treva Jenkins from the Garick company, and Marty Grunder from Grunder Landscaping Company.

Here's Ann Schuerman's report on the visit to Cox Arboretum:

The day was almost over and I had some time to relax at the Cox Arboretum in Dayton, Ohio. I decided to write this paper on the Cox Arboretum because of how different it was compared to any of the other places that we had attended that day. After graduation, I would like to stay in the public aspect of horticulture; whether it would be an arboretum or a garden center. I also liked the fact that everyone got to go in his or her own direction. Yes, we did stay in groups but one could wonder off by themselves to enjoy something they thought was interesting. Students also got to quiz you and Dr. Still, which I thought was fun.

The pizza had arrived and everyone was eating and getting eaten by mosquitoes. After most of the group was finished eating, Art Ode was introduced to us. Mr. Ode is in charge of the department of horticulture at the Cox Arboretum. The arboretum is very demanding because of the public aspect. Mr. Ode also said that the arboretum is there to preserve, conserve, and also deals with the land ethic. It also deals with display gardens and public relations.

There are nine permanent employees. These employees deal with weekend programs and evening classes. Six employees are summer help. The Cox Arboretum employees three part timers that are there year round. There are three hundred volunteers. All of these employees are salaried by the $860,000 budget. The metro parks supply seventy percent of the budget. Montgomery County has a levy for the metro parks. If there is no levy, there is no arboretum. The other thirty- percent of the budget comes from volunteer boards. This is the outside income. Memberships, grants, gifts, and fundraisers give this income to the arboretum. There is no fee to get into the arboretum.

The arboretum is also called gardens. The official name is The Cox Arboretum and Gardens. People recognize the gardens more than the arboretum itself. The Cox Arboretum consists of 175 acres. There are only 15 new usable acres. The actual lawn is 30- 35 acres and the rest of it is woodland. The wood art figures are the things that really caught my eye.

This is another thing that happens in the arboretum: art figures. For each different garden, there were different insects. They were really detailed and seemed to fit the landscape nicely. I also think that they were there to represent the relationship that insects have with the landscape. Insects are there to benefit the trees, flowers, and herbs by pollination and by destroying some of those bad insects. This also makes me think about what he said about conservation, preservation, and the land ethic.

He seemed to really put an emphasis on these three words. I think some people really need to think about these three words. The arboretum is there to keep people from harming the land. It also shows conservation by no irrigation. It had a lot of gardens that showed natural things that did not need to be watered every day or every other day.

Like a lot of the other places that was on the field trip, Mr. Ode recommended an internship. One should have a chance to get an internship after one receives their bachelors degree. Another thing that he said to be in the field of horticulture is the willingness to move around. Most people in the horticulture field chose this field because they knew one would need to move around. In this particular field, one must have a good mix of horticulture and ecology. One must know how to entice the public with flowers and then teach them the conservation idea. Something else must be associated with is the computer. At this arboretum, they are starting to use the GIS program. This program deals with plant records. They are starting off with this idea so it might be awhile before it is actually used frequently.

After hearing Art Ode talk about the arboretum and what it entails, I do not think that this is the line of work that I want. He really stressed conservation, preservation, and the land ethic. This is something that I am not willing to do. I want to conserve and preserve but not into great depth like I think one must do at an arboretum. I am glad that I toured the arboretum and got to hear Art speak.

Some late-afternoon shots (after a much-needed rainshower!) of the Cox Arboretum:

The Cox had been invaded by giant insects, such as these ants, which were part of a sculpture display.