Spirit of Place at Garden Filled with Fond Memories

Posted in Learning Experiences on November 23 2010, by Plant Talk

Landscape Design Alumni Give Back in Honor of Fellow Student

Valerie D’Antonio holds a Certificate in Landscape Design from The New York Botanical Garden’s Continuing Education program and is principal and owner of D’Antonio Landscape Designs, Inc.

The principle of genius loci, a Latin phrase indicating the spirit of a place, is one that landscape designers use to get a sense of a space before they begin to create a garden.

The idea is that every space has its own unique qualities and atmosphere, factors that should be respected during design. There is a feeling one gets when experiencing the intangibles that define a space. For example, a long, winding path through the woods can evoke a quiet, churchlike air.

This particular drizzly, cloudy day as I drive through the Conservatory Gate at The New York Botanical Garden, which I have done countless times, I am greeted by exuberant waves of giant striped grasses, blood-red coleus, and purple Russian sage, which light up the gray skies and fill me with excitement and anticipation.

Another wonderful space, the allée of majestic tulip trees, leads me to the beautifully restored Library building, which gives me a feeling of calm and wonder. The Jane Watson Irwin Perennial Garden, designed by Lynden B. Miller and punctuated with evergreen ‘Sky Pencil’ hollies, Japanese maple fall-colored leaves, and bird-favorite seed heads of perennial black-eyed Susans and coneflowers, is another one of the Garden’s spaces that exudes a feeling of lushness and beauty.

As I walked through these spaces, memories of joyous get-togethers with a special group of friends over the seasons and years flooded back. I was nearing our center, our meeting place. I remembered Bob and his love for the Garden.

We were gathering this time for two poignant celebrations. The six of us who graduated from the Garden’s Landscape Design Intensive were here to celebrate our 10th anniversary of completing the program and to celebrate the life of our friend and fellow graduate, Bob Patterson, who passed away this spring. We were returning once again to where we first met that day in July 2000 to begin the Intensive program. Since then the Garden has been our meeting place to catch up with each other and to refresh our spirits.

As always we enjoyed delicious Italian cookies. This time Phil brought them from Brooklyn. Bob started the tradition of sharing cookies and conversation, and Phil continued it today.

Bob’s wife, Sheila, joined us this day because part of our celebration would include the dedication of a bookplate that we donated to the Garden in Bob’s memory. We selected Page Dickey’s book, Gardens in the Spirit of Place. The book was then placed in the Garden’s LuEsther T. Mertz Library. This was our small way of giving back to the Garden.

Gardens in the Spirit of Place is appropriate because of the connection between Bob and NYBG. The title of the book got me thinking about genius loci. Through our shared stories, Bob’s laughter, joy, and friendship echoed throughout the Garden that day, filling it with his spirit.

Telling stories about Bob and remembering his welcoming smile, twinkling eyes, and hearty laugh brightened up a cloudy day in the Bronx. Now Bob’s joyful spirit is forever merged as part of the genius loci and the magic of The New York Botanical Garden.