GARDEN COLUMNS
Spring / Summer 2023 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1
Inside:
Saving an imperiled Alabama tree PAGE 8
Hidden gems at the Garden PAGE 10
Butterflies: More than meets the eye PAGE 12
Home gardening checklist PAGE 14
ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN PAGE 16
BOTANICAL GARDEN
HUNTSVILLE
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Our ADA-accessible paths and frequent garden benches let you enjoy the Garden at your own pace.
On the cover: Summer is a great time to bring the family to the Garden for an event, a class, or simple together time.
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Greetings from our CEO
Hello everyone!
From bright fresh blossoms to buzzing bees, this is a time of new growth and beginnings in the Garden. Spring and summer roll from budding growth to thriving plants as we all wake up from winter. As days lengthen, we can all luxuriate in the sunshine and stroll through the Garden to relax and reconnect.
This time of year, there is something new to see every day with so many things emerging. In serving our mission of connecting people to plants, the Garden is always seeking chances for you to learn, explore and play in nature.
Join us for ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN where larger-than-life sculptures inspired by the traditional Japanese art of origami are featured throughout the Garden. On Sundays, get brunch at the Garden Cafe and take a walk along our numerous paths.
In this issue of the Garden Columns, discover staff-recommended “hidden gems” in the Garden, find out how you can attract butterflies to your home landscape, and learn about exciting research on the Boynton oak, an imperiled Alabama native tree.
We hope this issue inspires you to connect with nature. From opportunities in the Garden to your backyard, take time to reengage and recharge.
See you in the Garden!
2022-2023 Board of directors
Jeff Showalter, Chair
Wes Kelley, Vice Chair
Kathi Tew, Vice Chair
Will Pylant, Treasurer
Carla Bossard, Assistant Treasurer
Carol Tevepaugh, Secretary
Frances Akridge
Elaine Alspach
Tracy Barrett
David Bier
Penny Billings
Gary Bolton
Clinton Carter
Lynn Collyar
Kristina Hendrix
Leta Hornbuckle DeMaioribus
Brenda Martin
Eric Mills
Thomas Petty
Prudence Pollard
Lindsay Rice
Ruchi Singhal
Brandy Smith
Sue Wagner
Julie Stephens
Jennifer Wu
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What’s inside Page 8 Saving an imperiled Alabama tree Page 10 Hidden gems at the Garden Page 14 Home gardening checklist and more! Visit us: 4747 Bob Wallace Ave. Huntsville, AL 35805 hsvbg.org Contact us: Phone: 256-830-4447 Email: info@hsvbg.org FACEBOOK-F @HuntsvilleBotanicalGarden INSTAGRAM @hsvgarden TWITTER @hsvgarden LINKEDIN @huntsvillebotanicalgarden Page 16 ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN Page 12 Butterflies: More than meets the eye Brunch at the Garden Sundays, 11 AM - 3 PM The perfect pairing. Savory food and a stunning view WHAT’S BLOOMING
Photo by Edna Farrar
Photo by Edna Farrar
Photo by Edna Farrar
Photo by Jessica Alldredge at lifeinbama
Photo by Kimberlea Hood
Photo by Lisa Shier
Photo by Lisa Shier
Photo by Lisa Shier
Photo by Lisa Shier
Share your photos with us using #hsvgarden! GARDEN COLUMNS 5
Photo by Lisa Shier
Events and exhibits at the Garden
APRIL
April - August
Art in the Garden: ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN
4, 6, 15 Nature Academy
7, 22 Seeds to Sprouts
8 Plein Air Paintout
8 Plant a Pot: Container Design
21 - 22 Family Campout
28 Huntsville Symphony Orchestra
29 Arbor Day Race
MAY 30 - JULY 28
13 - 14, (rain date) May 20 - 21
Fantasy Playhouse presents Tinker Bell
19 - 20 Family Campout
20, 26 Seeds to Sprouts
21 Founder’s Day Celebration
29 Memorial Day
*Free admission for military personnel and immediate family
JUNE
3 Propagation 201: Intermediate Propagation Techniques
6, 13, 20 Firefly Garden Hike
9, 24 Seeds to Sprouts
23 - 24 Family Campout
MAY
4 Spring Hat Luncheon
6 Propagation 101: Basic Tried-andTrue Methods
11 Hypertufa
12 - 21 Go Public Gardens Days
24 From Garden to Vase: Cut Flower Gardening
27 Firefly Garden Hike
JULY
4 Independence Day
*Free admission for military personnel and immediate family
7, 15 Seeds to Sprouts
11, 18, 25 Firefly Garden Hike
12 Plein Air Paintout
21 - 22 Family Campout
AUGUST
11, 12 Shakespeare in the Garden: Midsummer Night's Dream
11, 26 Seeds to Sprouts
15, 17 Nature Academy
18, 19 Shakespeare in the Garden: Henry V
18 - 19 Family Campout
SEPTEMBER
September
Art in the Garden: Anna Zoladz
8 - 9 Family Campout
8, 23 Seeds to Sprouts
12, 14 Nature Academy
15, 29 Fall Night Hike
19 Garden Soiree
21 (Member Preview Sale), 22, 23
Fall Plant Sale
To learn more about the Garden's upcoming events, visit hsvbg.org/visit
⛺
SUMMER STEM CAMPS
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It’s that time of year again… Register your growing gardener, scientist, or explorer for Summer STEM Camp at hsvbg.org/camps! MAY 13 MAY 27 JUNE 3 JUNE 17 JULY 1 JULY 15 JULY 29 AUGUST 12 AUGUST 26 SEPTEMBER 2 SEPTEMBER 16 SEPTEMBER 30 Monarch tag and release MARCH –AUGUST *INCLUDED IN ADMISSION APRIL 13 (MEMBER PREVIEW SALE) APRIL 14–15, 20–22 SEPTEMBER 3 – OCTOBER 31 WEDNESDAY EVENINGS MAY – AUGUST Spring Plant Sale Festifall & Scarecrow Trail The Golden Hour Spring / Summer Butterfly Releases Join us for a butterfly release at the Garden!
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Your spring and summer checklist for home garden success
Follow these easy tips to help keep your garden healthy and your plants happy!
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Member corner
Our members provide essential support to the Garden and our mission every day.
Learn more about the benefits of Garden membership at:
hsvbg.org/membership membership@hsvbg.org
256-830-4447 ext. 255
Edna Farrar sought escape at the Garden while coping with the death of her mother.
“I’ve found the Garden to be one of the most healing places,” said Edna. “From young families to those grieving a loved one, the Garden is laid out well for everyone to find what they need. It has a way of bringing people to nature and nature to people in any cycle of life.”
Edna has been honing her photography skills in the Garden almost daily, and now she serves as a volunteer.
“I love how the Garden staff thrill in your growth and celebrate everyone’s talents,” Edna said enthusiastically.
Save the date
Founder’s Day Celebration calendar May 21
Garden Soiree calendar September 19
Volunteers by the numbers
Volunteering is flexible, inclusive, impactful, and fun! Volunteers give their time and talent to amplify the Garden’s mission every day. Join our team! Email volunteer@hsvbg.org for details.
1,156 Volunteers gave 23,583.65 hours in 2022 in 55 areas
Saving the Garden more than $600,000
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Details at hsvbg.org/gardensoiree
Unfolding inspiration: Unfolding
To inspire. “To inspire.”
That was the top priority for Santa Fe artist Kevin Box when he began creating the experience known as ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN.
Huntsville Botanical Garden is the temporary ‘home away from home’ through August 27 for 18 pieces of monumental origami sculptures from the collection. The exhibit is included in daytime admission to the Garden, and together with a companion audio tour and interpretive signage, Box has created an insightful experience for those seeking inspiration.
inspiration:
with artist Kevin Box
By Laura McPhail
A new take on an ancient art
Box first started making paper airplanes and little frogs in elementary school, but he had no idea at the time that folding paper into shapes was a Japanese art form called ‘origami.’ He credits his mother’s work as an archivist as a source for this love of paper and preservation.
After graduating from art school, he looked for a way to marry his old fondness for paper to his new love of and skill with bronze sculpting. Several years of experimentation led to some successful castings of paper into bronze, which he then painted white—an anathema concept for most sculptors working with bronze.
“It was not well received by my colleagues, but I wanted to capture the delicate nature of paper with museum-quality metal,” said Box.
Undaunted, he kept at it and refined his technique. A few years later, he showed a piece at his first outdoor sculpture show in Austin, Texas.
“All weekend, all I heard the whole time was, ‘Oh, that's so cool. Is that origami?’” said Box. “And honestly, maybe I'd heard the word in passing, but I never truly had encountered it before.”
Capturing light
In fact, the idea that people considered his sculptures origami didn’t sit well with him at first. He didn’t feel like it aligned with his concept as an artist.
“I wanted to describe the architecture of the soul,” Box explained. “What does the invisible nature of our being look like in a visual way? And to me, a star of white light sort of resonates with many cultural interpretations of spirit.”
The more he pondered it, the more things started to click into place, and he came to embrace the idea, with his own unique interpretation.
“That white piece of [origami] paper to me was light,” Box continued. “By folding and creasing, it was creating a star, which we all have within. And it sort of described the architecture beneath the surface of who we are.”
Interestingly, Box’s work reflects the meaning of ‘light’ not only in visual and spiritual contexts, but also in terms of weight. When viewing his origami sculptures, one can’t help but note how weightless the subjects appear. They look like actual large pieces of paper folded and refolded rather than hundreds of pounds of bronze that defy gravity.
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unfolded the fruits of his labor. What he saw in the creases further affirmed the connection between the craft and his concept. The creases in the unfolded crane looked like a star. He later discovered that no matter what design he chose to create through series of folds, when unfolded, a star was revealed.
“That ability for origami to describe what we see with our eyes in nature and in life—a flower, a bird, a boat, an airplane— but to be able to unfold that thing and see all the choices and decisions that created that thing, to me, is the expression of the invisible,” Box said. “That’s the most important and most valuable component of what makes us who we are and what makes up life around us, this great mystery that we are all participating in.”
contemporary, and beautiful,” said Box. “Michael really stood out to me because he makes the paper that he folds, and paper wouldn't exist without plants.”
Bringing origami to the Garden
When Box graduated from art school, he intended to do public art. However, as he got deeper into origami, he started to realize that his work didn’t quite fit in with public art world. As he and his wife, Jennifer, refined the concept of ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN, they agreed that origami’s ties to nature made viewing the sculptures in a garden setting made more sense than seeing them in a museum. They have been pleasantly surprised by the result.
included in the price of regular daytime admission, and includes an audio tour with comments from the artist about each piece. To learn more, visit hsvbg.org/origami.
Thank you to our Corporate Partners!
The Corporate Partner Program is designed to strengthen the relationship between the Huntsville Botanical Garden and the corporate community in the Greater Huntsville area. Through the annual support of these corporate partners, we can provide first-class programs that allow children, families, and Garden guests to connect to plants and gain a deeper understanding of the role they play in their own environment.
Platinum Huntsville Area Association of Realtors ValleyMLS.com
Silver Aviagen, Inc.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama
Dynetics, Inc.
LG Electronics
Bronze Barrios Technology
Blue Origin
CFD Research
Global Ties of Alabama
Invariant Corporation
Mission Driven Research
MTSI
RJ Young
SCHOEL Engineering
Signalink
Thompson Gray, Inc.
Turner Construction Venturi, Inc.
Supporter
a.i. solutions
Cadence Bank
Crestwood Medical Center
Green Mountain Research
Grounds Guys
Kona Grill
Lawn Pride
Northwestern MutualShane Stromei
PeopleTec
Radiance Technologies
Van Valkenburgh & Wilkinson Realtors
Vulcan Materials Company
A stroll through the Garden's lush and verdant landscape is a sensory spectacular in the warmer months.
Learn more about the Corporate Partner program at: �� hsvbg.org/corporate-partners ✉ development@hsvbg.org MOBILE-BUTTON 256-830-4447 ext. 257
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Corporate events
You bring the vision, we’ll supply the views
If you’re planning a corporate meeting or company retreat, Huntsville Botanical Garden is the perfect place for your organization’s event. From company meetings and team presentations to training workshops and holiday celebrations, our facilities are equipped to fit a variety of needs.
Our unique venues are second-tonone with the perfect combination of technology & tranquility. We house state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment while providing a beautiful backdrop for breakaway sessions and lunch breaks.
To make the planning process easy, our team of sales specialists and coordinators will work with you to plan and prepare a successful corporate event that exceeds expectations and leaves a lasting impression for all who attend!
Email events@hsvbg.org to book your corporate event today.
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Like what you read? We want to hear from you! Scan the QR code to take our survey. This magazine is printed on recycled paper by an FSC ® certified printer. See inside for details. March 3 – August 27 INTHEGARDEN ORIGAMI Presented by: PNC Window World United Rentals Huntsville Utilities + TVA Redstone Federal Credit Union OASYS, Inc. Alabama State Council on the Arts Huntsville Blast International Paper Jean Wessel Templeton Pei Ling Chan Charitable Trust, David A. Chan Trustee Thank you for sponsoring ORIGAMI IN THE GARDEN!
always make
better, happier and more
are
“Flowers
people
helpful; they
sunshine, food
and
medicine for the soul.”
NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID HUNTSVILLE, AL PERMIT #110 4747 Bob Wallace Ave. Huntsville, AL 35805
Luther Burbank
