It was a dream come true for 14 students and a landscape architecture instructor when the UO Campus Operations staff asked them to design and build a garden this spring.
Arica Duhrkoop-Galas, instructor for the Department of Landscape Architecture Plants course, was delighted when “campus operations approached our class to design a garden for the central courtyard of Lawrence Hall,” she said. “It was an amazing opportunity.”
“We had lost the large Horse chestnut tree in a snowstorm and needed to replant the area,” says Jane Brubaker, campus landscape designer, who initiated the idea with the department. “I love the idea of students having hands-on experiences.”
Above: Peter Obermeyer, at left in red shirt, with his classmates, Keegan Oneal, center, and Bryn Davis, at right, planting the new garden in the central courtyard of Lawrence Hall. Obermeyer’s design was selected for his use of drought tolerant, flowering, and aromatic plants. Photo by Cody Rappaport.
The students were asked to design and plant a new garden using their knowledge of plant materials. All year they had studied the form, color, structure, and qualities of plants suitable for the Pacific Northwest and had been learning more about drought-resistant varieties.
Each student was involved in designing a garden for the site, presenting their work at the class’ midterm review. Class members then voted to select the top candidates for the final design, to be planted before the end of the term. Jane Brubaker and Phil Carroll from UO Campus Operations and Duhrkoop-Galas also weighed in on the final choice. The winning design was by Peter Obermeyer, of Bozeman, Montana, who is in his third year of the BLA program.
“I wanted the design to respond to the higher temperatures and drier conditions of Eugene as this area warms up and receives less and less rainfall,” Obermeyer said in discussing his design concept. “I wanted it also to respond to the microclimate of the courtyard and be able to handle the reflected heat off the buildings. It was important to me to have happy plants that would be both visually attractive and fragrant. I wanted plants that can reduce stress.”
Brubaker expressed her support for Obermeyer’s design, noting, “I like the texture and colors and fragrance in Peter’s design. Added to those aesthetic features were the heat- and drought-tolerance of the plants he included in his palette.”
The garden design includes a number of grasses, herbs, and groundcovers that are hardy and drought resistant, and is framed by three Chitalpa trees and an Eastern Redbud. The use of sedums, lavender, yarrow, salvia varieties, and other groundcovers support the design concept of color and fragrance, as well as being well-suited for the sun and shade conditions of the location. Euphorbia and Japanese forest grass were also used in partial-shade areas.
The Plants curriculum uses the UO campus as a living laboratory to examine the deciduous and evergreen trees, shrubs, grasses, ferns, and other plant communities. The class meets outdoors in all weather to observe the plants’ structure, texture, color, and form to be used in landscape architectural design applications. The sequence of classes offered fall, winter, and spring terms takes advantage of the seasonal change in order to learn about the life cycle of the plants.
“I hope this sets a precedent,” says Duhrkoop-Galas.
Added Brubaker, “We absolutely would consider looking at some other campus locations for [similar] projects.”
Above: The planting plan designed by Peter Obermeyer for the Lawrence Hall courtyard.
Above: Landscape Architecture Plants class students install plants based on a design by fellow student Peter Obermeyer. Students involved in the planting are Keegan O’Neal, Robyn LaRue, Bryn Davis, Colin Poranski, Peter Obermeyer, Ryder Coen, Morgan Roberts, and Instructor Arica Duhrkoop-Galas (with shovel). Photo by Cody Rappaport.