SPRING 2023
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND
I have been contemplating what to say and how to say it for a month or so and now I am on deadline. The “what” is the easy part. I have loved every minute of the last seven years I have occupied the office on the second floor of the Mansion. I learned something new every day, something about myself, something about others, something about how to cultivate an atmosphere of growth and creativity, not discounting trial and effort. Then it occurred to me that what I want to say is Thank You:
To my incredible staff: I don’t have enough space to enumerate the many talents and enthusiasm they each bring to our shared mission. Seven years ago, I was pretty much on my own trying to figure out how to jump start this nonprofit. It took a while for the furies to do their work in bringing the seven of us together. Maybe 7 is the lucky number.
To the best Board president: Becky Henry has been the force driving the completion of the Nature Education Center. When there were uncertain moments, she was the one making sure none of us doubted our mission or that we would not complete the project. There were more than a few doubtful moments. Becky remains our biggest cheerleader. Her faith in us never wavered.
To our City Partners: Hours of “city time” have been devoted in support of our projects as well as advice given, solutions sought, and then delivered. I am reminded of the saying, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. We benefited from their experience.
To our NEC creative team (Ziger|Snead, architects; CityScape Engineering (civil engineers); Intreegue Design (landscape architects); Metcalfe Architecture and Design (the exhibits); and the two companies who made made sure it all happened: Lewis (construction management); Art Guild (museum exhibits); and keeping everyone on track, Robert Proutt (owner’s representative).
To our state delegate: Sandy Rosenberg launched us into our NEC endeavor by securing kick-off support in the form of state funding for the project.
To all our volunteers: Their devotion to Cylburn Arboretum makes our work possible. I will see you soon in the gardens, or on the trails, or leading a tour.
To anyone, anywhere, anytime who donated to our efforts, thank you. Keep up the good work.
I leave you in good hands. It has been my privilege to have contributed to the success of this organization. Not good-bye…see you soon.
Patricia Foster, Executive Director Cylburn Arboretum Friends
Paeonia 'Jan van Leeuwen', Stachys byzantina, and Iris sibirica are a beautiful combination in late spring within the Mansion Circle Garden.
Prunus x imcamp 'Okame'. Okame Cherry was developed by Captain Collingwood Ingram of England with the goal of creating a cherry that had the hot pink to carmine red flowers of P. campanulata but without its sensitivity to cold. Blooming earlier than other cherries, ‘Okame’ is a welcome site in the early days of spring.
"Change is a continuous process.... When a seed is sown into the ground, you cannot immediately see the plant. You have to be patient. With time, it grows into a large tree. And then the flowers bloom, and only then can the fruits be plucked"
–Mamata Banerjee
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rebecca Henry President
Nancy B. Hill Vice President
Hilles Whedbee Secretary
Robert A. Cook Treasurer
Mariayne Brodnicki
Linda Wright Butler
Will Clemens
Beverly Davis
Emily Dillon
Alan Gilbert
Sandra P. Gohn
Mae Hinnant
Sorrel King
Jo Middleditch
Ramesh Moorthy
Douglas Nelson
Jack Owens
Nell B. Strachan
EX OFFICIO
Melissa Grim
Chief Horticulturist, Baltimore City Department of Recreation and Parks
Colleen Vacelet
Owner, Intreegue Design
SEASONS is published by Cylburn Arboretum Friends
Written and edited by
Patricia Foster
Executive Director
Brooke M. Fritz
Director of Development
Erika Castillo
Director of Education
Brent Figlestahler
Head Gardener
Bill Geenen | Communication Design Layout and Design
Cylburn Arboretum Friends Nature Education Center • GRAPHIC SUBMITTALS • ENTRY GRAPHICS • FINAL April 7, 2023 ENTRY DISPLAY • CORRIDOR SIDE 1.04.00 • Small graphics These graphics are meant to prompt visitors’ visual observations of specimen displays. One prompt per label. What can you see? How many colors can you see? How many kinds of feet can you find? LEAF SHAPE GRAPHICS 1 CONTENTS OUTGOING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR SAYS FAREWELL PAGE 2 “SNEAK PREVIEW” THE HIDDEN WORLDS OF TREES PAGE 8 THE JEAN AND SIDNEY SILBER TEACHING GARDEN PAGE 12 MARK YOUR CALENDAR BACK COVER 12 2
8 4915 Greenspring Ave. Baltimore, MD 21209 Info@cylburn.org
(410) 367-2217 Cylburn.org
Phone:
Outgoing Executive Director Says
Farewell
After seven years, Cylburn Arboretum Friend’s executive director, Patricia Foster, is ready to take a second retirement. After stepping in to “help for one year,” Patricia has overseen one of the largest growth periods that the organization has ever experienced. From growing the staff, to expanding programming, to overseeing the completion of the Nature Education Center – a lot has happened during her tenure.
In some of her last moments as director, Patricia reflected on her time at the Arboretum as well as her upcoming plans. Patricia’s final day as Executive Director is June 1, 2023
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This is your second retirement. Was your career always focused on horticulture? Absolutely not. I was always interested in horticulture because my mom was an avid gardener. It was an important part of my life when I was a child. But I had a full career well outside of horticulture before I found my way to Cylburn Arboretum.
I studied chemistry in college and have an A.B. in Chemistry. After college, a marriage and three children, I went to work for a scientific publisher in Manhattan as a copy editor – and that started my first career in
science communications. I became Director of Publicans at Stony Brook University, part of the SUNY system, but when I moved to Baltimore, I got a job editing at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The last job I had in communications was as the Director of Online Publications at Howard Hughes Medical Institute before my first retirement in 2012.
Excited to start something new, I launched a small gardening business with a friend. We called ourselves Garden Keepers. I liked being outside and getting back to my love of gardening. I had become a Master Gardener
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"I know that as I start my next chapter in life, CAF will also commence its own next dynamic chapter with the opening of our Nature Education Center."
—Patricia Foster
about ten years earlier. It was then, and remains now, one of my favorite volunteer experiences. I am excited to re-engage more deeply with the Master Gardeners now that I am retiring yet again.
What initially drew you to get involved at Cylburn Arboretum?
As a Master Gardener working to install the first rain garden at Cylburn Arboretum, I met long-time CAF Board Member and volunteer, Bev Davis. She asked me several times to join the CAF Board of Directors. After the third time, I agreed, and I never looked back. Within the year, I stepped into the role as Executive
Director with the intent of staying for one year. Seven and a half years later…
What part of the job have you enjoyed the most?
I consider myself a problem solver and there were plenty of challenges to overcome when I started the job. It made every day interesting. I also loved discovering, for my own self, what Cylburn Arboretum had to offer to the city and the neighborhood.
I know that as I start my next chapter in life, CAF will also commence its own next dynamic chapter with the opening of our Nature
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Above, Patricia toured the Art Guild facility with the CAF team to see the NEC Exhibits being constructed offsite. Right, Patricia at the NEC Ground Breaking with Doug Bothner (Ziger|Snead Architects) and Mayor Brandon Scott.
Education Center. As we have prepared for our new “home” at Cylburn, we have grown the organization and added more scope to our work. I think all of those things have really increased visibility in the community, as we shed that “best kept secret” title that Cylburn held on to for so long.
Cylburn Arboretum has so much to offer, and I deeply appreciate all our community partners, public officials and daily visitors for enriching this beautiful arboretum and public garden. It has made my job very enjoyable.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of?
I love the team that I have built during my time with Cylburn Arboretum Friends. Working with them makes my job a joy. I feel confident that the CAF staff members are going to do incredible things in the coming years, and I am excited to see it all happen.
What has challenged you along the way?
The deer. City bureaucracy. The journey to financial stability – although we are all so happy to be where we are today. I feel pleased to be leaving the organization in a very stable
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Above, The CAF team and volunteers visiting Mt. Cuba Center on a field trip. Far left, Cylburn visitors enjoying the circle garden in front of the mansion. Left, Patricia at ArBREWretum.
position. I only wish I could also leave them without any deer inside the deer fence.
As we are planning for our 55th Market Day at Cylburn Arboretum, do you still remember the first one you helped to plan? I will never forget that first Friday as we were getting set up. One of our board member volunteers was not at her station so a semitruck tried to get under the Mansion porte-cochère (the covered area where carriages used to disembark) and took off the corner corbel. We had to dislodge the truck and it was not easy, nor was it fun for anyone. And of course, it was raining. That seems to happen more often than not. We are hoping for sunshine this year to send me off.
Are you going to miss the view from your desk window?
We planted a tree to honor my sister outside my current office window. I will miss the view of that tree, but I can come back to visit. And I plan to do it frequently.
Have you thought about what you would say to the volunteers who helped to establish the Cylburn Wildflower Preserve and Garden Center if you met them today? The first thing I would say is “thank you for all that effort!” I walked into something established but I am always curious about
what drives people to start something new. In the 1950s the purpose of the Cylburn Wildflower Preserve was twofold: to enable adults and youth to understand and enjoy the out-of-doors and to preserve the existing natural beauty and facilities of “Cylburn Park.”
Our Mission today is to fulfill our commitment to the Baltimore community by supporting the Cylburn Arboretum through stewardship and educational programming. All these years later our work retains the essence of the original Wildflower Preserve.
Are you excited to no longer be a full-time employee of Cylburn Arboretum Friends?
No. I will miss it. I am excited to have time, but it will be a big change and I will miss seeing the grounds and the friendly faces who make this place come alive. Although ask me again in another year and I might have a very different answer!
What does your second retirement look like to you?
First, I am going to clean my house. And then my garage! But after that I am excited to have time to get back to my own garden and have the opportunity to volunteer. I want to get involved with the Master Gardeners again and I am looking forward to enjoying the opening of the Nature Education Center here at Cylburn.
What advice do you have for your successor? Take time to smell the flowers.
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Right Center: Patricia teaches Cylburn Nature Camp students in the Master Gardener's "DIG" Garden.
Over the next few pages, we offer you a “sneak preview” of the CFG Bank Exhibit Hall at Cylburn Arboretum’s new Nature Education Center (opening Summer 2023!). Our hope is that this exhibit will pique the curiosity of our guests and enrich their explorations of the arboretum, helping them to come to a deeper understanding of the hidden complexities of the arboreal world.
What
Mission of the Cylburn Arboretum Friends
Our commitment to the Baltimore community is to support the Cylburn Arboretum through stewardship and educational programming.
1.01.02
Graphic: 31” x 76.875”
THE HIDDEN WORLD OF TREES What are some things you may have never considered about trees? Center • Entry Graphics for review • OVERVIEW 1.01.02 1.01.02 Graphic: 31” x 76.875” DTM 1/2'' MULTIPLY; Z-BAR 30'' x 80'' x 3/4” (now 31” x 76.875”) 1.01.01 Graphic: 31” x 76.875” DTM 1/2'' MULTIPLY; Z-BAR 30'' x 80'' x 3/4” (now 31” x 76.875”) Have you ever… Touched smooth and rough bark? Heard the wind in the branches? Seen animals feed or shelter in the tree? Smelled the flowers on a tree? Tasted the fruit of a tree?
is an arboretum? An arboretum is a cultivated (planned and cared for) outdoor space that focuses on the collection of trees and other woody plants. This makes Cylburn Arboretum unique among Baltimore parks. In our 200+ acres you can find hundreds of specimen trees and shrubs, plus gardens and woodland trails. As an arboretum, we not only collect and grow trees and plants, we study them. Some of our trees are native to this area, while others are from around the world. We hope you enjoy your visit and plan to return, as each season rewards the careful observer. We take trees for granted, even though they are an essential part of the natural world we live in. Even when you are in the center of Baltimore you are in the natural world. During your visit to Cylburn Arboretum, we invite you to shift your perspective toward the natural world, to refocus your attention on the world of trees and the creatures—including you!—who depend on them.
What
inspire a love of the natural world.
Our vision is to
DTM 1/2'' MULTIPLY; Z-BAR 30'' x 80'' x 3/4” (now 31” x 76.875”)
1.01.01
DTM 1/2'' MULTIPLY; Z-BAR 30'' x 80'' x 3/4” (now 31” x 76.875”) Have you ever… Touched smooth and rough bark? Heard the wind in the branches? Seen animals feed or shelter in the tree? Smelled the flowers on a tree? Tasted the fruit of a tree?
Graphic: 31” x 76.875”
200+
find hundreds of specimen trees and shrubs,
gardens and woodland trails. We take trees for granted, even though they are an essential part of the natural world we live in. Even when you are in the center of Baltimore you are in the natural world. During your visit to Cylburn Arboretum, we invite you to shift your perspective toward the natural world, to refocus your attention on the world of trees and the creatures—including you!—who depend on them. Mission of the Cylburn Arboretum Friends Our commitment to the Baltimore community is to support the Cylburn Arboretum through stewardship and educational programming. Our vision is to inspire a love of the natural world.
is an arboretum? An arboretum is a cultivated (planned and cared for) outdoor space that focuses on the collection of trees and other woody plants. This makes Cylburn Arboretum unique among Baltimore parks. In our
acres you can
plus
8 Cylburn Arboretum Friends Nature Education Center • GRAPHIC Cylburn Arboretum Friends •
Bird Collection that we might otherwise Infact,oneof displayhereis extinct.Canyou 6.01.02 Bird panel 11” diameter, Print DTM on 1.01.02 What is a tree to you? Have you ever… Touched smooth and rough bark? Heard the wind in the branches? Seen animals feed or shelter in the tree? Smelled the flowers on a tree? Tasted the fruit of a tree? When was the last time you really looked at a tree? We take trees for granted, even though they are an essential part of the natural world we live in. Even when you are in the center of Baltimore you are in the natural world. During your visit to Cylburn Arboretum, we invite you to shift your perspective toward the natural world, to refocus your attention on the world of trees and the creatures—including you!—who depend on them. 1.01.01 Welcome to the CFG Bank Exhibit Hall
Nature Education
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TREES
What can you find?
What see? The biggest?
What’s
How
What did you see from the other side?
What can you
Cylburn Arboretum Friends Nature Education Center • GRAPHIC SUBMITTALS • ENTRY GRAPHICS • FINAL LAYOUTS April 7, 2023 x 15” visitors’ visual One prompt per label. ENTRY DISPLAY • EXHIBIT (INTERIOR) SIDE 1.05.00 • Small graphics • SIZE: ~11” x 15” Same concept as 1.04.00 but for the view from inside the exhibit space, revealing the other side of the natural objects visitors observed from the entryway.
many
can you find? Try it! How many times can you flap your arms in one second? The Ruby-throated hummingbird flaps its wings more than 50 times per second! That’s why they’re called “hummingbirds,” as this flapping creates a humming sound.
colors
see now?
Cylburn Arboretum Friends Nature Education Center • GRAPHIC SUBMITTALS • ENTRY ENTRY DISPLAY • CORRIDOR SIDE 1.04.00 • Small graphics These graphics are meant to prompt visitors’ visual observations of specimen displays. One prompt per label. What can you see? How many colors can you see? How many kinds of feet can you find? LEAF SHAPE GRAPHICS 10
hidden from view? parts of an animal you see?
LAYOUTS FOR REVIEW 7 Find any surprises? What’s the largest creature you can see? What’s the smallest creature? What’s hidden from view on this side? ENTRY GRAPHICS • FINAL LAYOUTS FOR REVIEW Note lower position for this panel (if possible) What can you find? smallestanimal youcanfind? The biggest? How many kinds of beaks can you find? What’s hidden from view? What parts of an animal can you see? 11
Native Plants
The garden is composed of plants that naturally grow and thrive in our region.
In addition to new plantings, the design and construction team took great care to preserve existing vegetation, such as our Catalpa tree, throughout construction.
The Jean and Sidney Silber Teaching Garden
Cylburn Arboretum is Baltimore’s Arboretum – providing a unique learning environment. As a team we have focused
management, pruning techniques, and the fostering of the best growing conditions. We have recently added a nursery space for propagating shared plants from other arboreta as well as our own materials, enabling us to further diversify the plant collections and enhance our benefits as a free community resource. The new garden attached to the Nature Education Center will offer learning opportunities throughout. Named the Jean and Sidney Silber Teaching Garden, it will invite visitors to observe, learn, contemplate and enjoy the setting. The garden is named for Jean and Sidney Silber, titans of the greater
2 3 5 4 8 7 6 1 (1) Pennsylvania sedge Carex pensylvanica (2) Maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum (3) Cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea (4) Oakleaf hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia (5) Blue moon woodland phlox Phlox divaricata ‘Blue moon’ (6) Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis (7) Pinxterbloom azalea Rhododendron periclymenoides (8) Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata (9) Eastern redbud tree Cercis canadensis (10) American beautyberry Callicarpa americana natural landscape and the built environment. JOB #91459 • Cylburn Nature Education Center • April 5, 2023 4.07.00 GRAPHIC PANEL • INQ. How does your garden grow? • TRIM SIZE: 31” x 76.875” • DTM 12
Even before visitors enter the garden they start learning about what they will see inside the Nature Education Center.
Baltimore world of gardens and horticulture. Their many years of generosity in sharing their own garden, giving away plants, conducting tours and explaining the plants endlessly to visitors and friends encapsulates the spirit of the new Silber garden.
The front area of the garden will feature new and unique plant material to the Cylburn collection as a whole. For example, Juke Box® xPyracomeles will be an exciting addition. It is new to the market and is derived by crossing two genera—Pyracantha and Osteomeles. It is an attractive evergreen that can be used as a boxwood alternative. As an historic property with boxwood hedges, what a wonderful teaching tool to be able to compare the two when speaking to horticulture interns and garden club visitors.
Another exciting addition to the front section of the garden will be two sweetgum trees,
Liquidambar styraciflua 'Clydesform'. The beauty of this cultivar is its narrow form, as it only grows twelve feet wide, plus it has tremendous fall color. As a public city garden, we feel it’s important to highlight trees that are good for city dwellers. This cultivar is compact with sturdy upright branches, ideal for a busy city street. Also, because it grows more slowly than most sweet gum trees, it does not typically outgrow its space.
The Silber garden will provide the setting and array of different kinds of plants needed for both formal and informal gardening and horticulture instruction, and reflects the energy, enthusiasm and love of nature that the Silbers embodied. It is truly a fitting legacy, and we honor and thank Jean Silber for her latest gift in support of Cylburn Arboretum Friends.
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