The plantings in front of the Department of Public Safety were designed and planted by faculty and students of "Landscape and Garden" in the fall of 2000.
For almost 40 years this building, which accommodates the campus police and power plant personal, was completely unadorned by any form of vegetation.
Several members of the Administration asked us if there was something our Landscape and Garden class could do to make this area of campus a more welcoming place. colleagues in "Landscape and Garden" and from Marc Porter, Gisele Pappas and Robin Xifaras of Public Safety, and Mark Carney of Facilities, and students and faculty in Landscape and garden reviewed and critiqued a landscape design proposed by Jim Sears, the final planting plan and plant list was developed in early fall, 2000. The new landscape was installed during two class sessions of the Landscape and Garden class. During this hands-on learning landscape project, students became familiar with soils and site preparation, planting and working with woody plant material and teamwork. Grounds personnel provided help and heavy equipment for site preparation.
While a modest planting, in a few years the flowering shrubs and trees will fill out to soften the concrete facade and will bring a little color to the area. Some of the noteworthy plants include paper bark maple, Magnolia,'Little Gem' Magniolia' Leonard Messell', Stewartia, Hanoki cypress and kousa dogwoods. The two large globe-shaped boxwood shrubs were gifts from local Dartmouth residents.
