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Some of Ohio's most popular public gardens include Kingwood Center. Located in Mansfield, Kingwood Center is an estate and mansion left behind to the city. Charles Kelly King was chairman of Ohio Brass. With no children to leave his forty-seven acre estate to, King donated it to the city of Mansfield. He left behind plans to turn the estate into a public garden, open to the public free of charge. The set up portrays the atmosphere of pleasure gardens. Guests like to stroll through the gardens |
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looking at the beautiful colors and enjoying the fragrant smells of the plants and flowers. Other public gardens and nurseries most generally label all of their plants so that the customers know the names of the plants. Kingwood Center feels that since their operation is more of a pleasure garden atmosphere there is no reason for labeling all the plants. Unlike those of other programs and nurseries, Kingwood's employees only keep records of plant designs used. |
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There is no real need for operational records. This is due to the fact that Kingwood only grows and propagates the plants they need for their own grounds. Therefore success records and propagation records are not needed. Kingwood relies on the C. K. King Trust as well as memberships, educational classes, workshops, plant sales and public contributions. This is somewhat unique in some ways for public gardens. Most public gardens charge admission or rely on community help. This often reflects in the |
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quality of the set up and of the quality of flowers used and maintained throughout the season. The mansion includes and operates 8,000-volume library, Christmas displays and Spring festival. Throughout public gardening and within the city of Mansfield Kingwood has a prestigious attitude to fulfill. Therefore the employees have quality jobs to maintain throughout the different seasons of the year. Kingwood has sixteen full time positions, which includes a horticulturist and a head gardener.There are ten part time positions, often five to six seasonal employees. They also offer and encourage internships. The center has numerous flower beds and sights that are planted with many perennials and annuals. It also includes a few good-sized greenhouses in which plants are grown for their own planting sights, as well as those to be sold in plant |
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sales they host. The greenhouses also hold exhibits that are there for certain lengths of time. The main horticultural focus of Kingwood Center is that of growing plants to be planted in the gardens as well as to grow extra plants which are sold to make money for the organization. Outside plants are brought in when it involves trees or heavy duty large plants that can not be grown in a greenhouse. My thoughts and feelings on Kingwood Center are wonderful. I truly enjoy being there, viewing the magnificent gardens. The center enables anyone to learn as much as they want about plants, year round. I feel that within public gardens around the state of Ohio, Kingwood is one of the most gorgeous and well taken care of areas, though I haven't been to many, one must take into consideration that Kingwood is an estate that is financially covered and receives good care and respect. I am very interested in pursuing a possible internship through Kingwood Center. The specific work and interest of a center like Kingwood is what I think I am looking for after I graduate, though I will only know for certain after I do my internship. A center like this is equipped with the resources to propagate their own plants, design their own layouts of beds and maintain all the plants and trees throughout the year. This set up is what I feel I am especially interested in. Of course I would most likely be specialized in one specific area, it is nice knowing that I would have the opportunity to work in all areas.  |
