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AN INTERVIEW WITH GARY SMITH Q. You have been described as an ecological designer. Can you explain how this influences your approach to the design of public gardens? I like to look to nature as a primary source of inspiration for design, not necessarily to reproduce what you see in nature, but to seek out shapes, patterns, and forms that can be abstracted to define a visual vocabulary for garden design. Q. New Mexico has a distinctive, natural beauty. What kinds of visual ideas will you borrow from the natural landscape when designing the botanical garden at Museum Hill? I’m really taken with the austerity of the more desert-like places, contrasted with the lush beauty of natural springs and tended gardens. The Leonora Curtin Wetland is a place I find particularly inspiring. So, I’m hoping the new botanical garden will have something from both extremes -- the simplicity and drama from the desert, and the diversity and exuberance from more gardenlike places. Q. The new garden runs along a length of the Arroyo de los Pinos and one element of the project includes its restoration to mitigate erosion damage. Do you intend to incorporate the arroyo project as an educational element in the overall garden design? Yes, I’m looking forward to offering visitors a full range of experiences and educational opportunities, from ecological restoration to fine garden design. The arroyo restoration will be major part of the visitor experience. Q. The collections policy for the new garden will specify the inclusion of both New Mexico native plants as well as adapted non-natives. How will this policy broaden the design possibilities artistically and also provide an educational resource for visitors interested in adapting ideas for their own gardens? I have an undergraduate degree in “Ornamental Horticulture” -- how plant-nerdy can you get? But then my graduate school training was with the great ecological designer and planner Ian McHarg, who was one of the founders of the modern environmental movement. I love bringing non-native plants into the garden in an ecologically conscious way. We can add non-natives to the mix to enhance drama. We need to stay away from non-natives that might be invasive, and use our favorite ornamentals in ways that are not only environmentally sensitive, but actually help to heal the natural environment -- providing wildlife habitat, preventing soil erosion, allowing groundwater recharge, and not requiring excessive irrigation or chemicals to keep the plants healthy.
Gary Smith was presented with the Association of Professional Landscape Designers’ Award of Excellence in 2002 citing his three projects in the Pennsylvania/Delaware region – Enchanted Woods at Winterthur, Peirce’s Woods at Longwood Gardens, and the Stopford Family Meadow Maze at Tyler Arboretum. The new Naples Botanical Garden in Naples, Florida, a redesign of the John A. Sibley Horticultural Center at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain Georgia and a redesign of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center are among his other projects.
Visit www.santafebotanicalgarden.org to learn more about how Santa Fe Botanical Garden celebrates, cultivates and preserves the rich botanical heritage and biodiversity of the region. |
