One of my inherited projects slated to begin in spring 2020 is the design and installation of something called a humoral garden. For some context, Plimoth is a living history museum that depicts 17th c. life about the Colonial English community as well as the native Wampanoag people. With the former, Pilgrims coming over from … More Creating a humoral garden
This post is a follow up to an earlier story I shared about my experiences managing an urban, historic public garden that was heavily infected boxwood blight in Fall 2018. As a recap, we were able to undertake successful mitigation and adaptation of the disease by acting fast, following best management practices, tapping into the … More Pivoting Boxwood Blight, Part 2
An undervalued character trait and organizational value these days is the concept of teamwork. Especially in smaller organizations, team members are expected to wear many hats, assist in interdepartmental functions that are not related to job descriptions, and to simply help out coworkers with various tasks to meet goals and objectives related to the central … More Teamwork & Luffa Gourds: Grow. Learn. Sell
In managing a historic property, there’s always about 100 projects going on of varying scales and importance. At the big scale and important end of the spectrum would be the successful management of a half-million dollar storm water management project. The middle road might be a roof replacement project for an aging building, and the … More Rose Propagation & The “Low Risk, High Reward” Mentality
For this post I’d like to share the process and rationale of upgrading one of our garden beds at Tudor Place. Our East Lawn bed is a large planting border situated along the eastern edge of the East Lawn garden. This area, along with several other spaces and garden rooms, comprises of the formal North … More Lessons Learned: Display Bed Troubleshooting
It was the summer of bats here at Tudor Place! We just completed three successful public programs dedicated to bat-friendly landscapes and advocating for their habitats here in the District. The story begins last fall when I began my role here in the gardens. 2018 saw an excess of two things: rain (it was one … More Bat Friendly Gardens & Public Programming
**This post has been updated 9/21/19** What’s been on my mind lately is prepping for the spring plant sale. While this is successful as a community event alone, we also aim to celebrate the heritage plants grown on the property. Additionally, we use this opportunity to generate revenue through the sale of plants. Materials that … More Partnerships through Figs
**The following is a mini story about pivoting boxwood blight: collaborative problem-solving, creating a positive mindset, and finding opportunities in less than ideal situations.** It was my second week on the job as director of buildings, gardens, and grounds at a historic 5.5 acre urban public garden and museum in the mid-atlantic. Upon arrival I … More Pivoting Boxwood Blight, Part I
As Director of Gardens and Grounds at Tudor Place, one of my tasks is to manage the garden volunteer program. I was blessed to inherit a wonderful group of loyal volunteers who have been working in the garden for several years. Its a very symbiotic relationship between organization and volunteer. Good relationships bring numerous rewards … More Getting Creative in Volunteer Management
When I first arrived at Tudor Place, my biggest fears were dealing with the massive boxwood collection as well as caring for the rose garden. Both are usually fairly low maintenance when following a best practices protocol, but things can go wrong very quickly. However, another responsibility is caring for the historic Sago Palms. According … More Fun with Sago Palms!
Joshua Meyer 