Wendy Allen's, Horticulturist, Vision for Woodberry's Gardens

As Mrs. Allen was telling Thomas and me what her vision is for Woodbery's gardens to look like around campus, she made a small side comment that jumped out at us. She said the current gardens are "unfriendly." She went on to explain that an unfriendly garden "pushes kids away." Her example was the garden lining the walkway from Armfield to Terry Dining Hall. Layered with holly trees, barberry bushes, holly bushes, and then juniper bushes, the path makes for a very uninviting garden. There is nothing to touch or smell since the holly has sharp ends on the leaves and the juniper and barberry bushes are prickly and tough.

Instead, Mrs. Allen said she wants us kids to be able to walk through the gardens, smelling the blooming flowers, and, in her words, "have soft bushes and plants to push each other into." This goes agains everything the teachers have been trying to tell us when they say, "Get off the grass!" Instead of holly, barberry, and juniper, Wendy would prefer to plant pretty flowers and soft bushes like chardonnay pearls and rhododendrons with a path going through, making the gardens interactive and inviting.

Juniper - Unfriendly Garden

Friendly Garden