Maker Space

New Queen Of Pop

Horticultural artist finds perfect palette at Botanical Garden

NWA Democrat-Gazette/LARA HIGHTOWER Whimsy is a common denominator across the various gardens inside the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/LARA HIGHTOWER Whimsy is a common denominator across the various gardens inside the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks.

For horticultural artist Lissa Morrison, the 46-acre property of the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks is her canvas, plants and shrubs her medium and nature her collaborator. Though the BGO garden manager and designer's artistry is evident everywhere on the currently developed 6 acres, she says she didn't really consider her life's work "art" until recently.

"[Original BGO designer] Susan [Regan] was the one who introduced me to that concept, of how gardening can be art," says Morrison. She worked with Regan -- who was a supporter of the BGO from its early days -- for three years. "She helped me think of this as kind of an art palette. I called her 'The Queen of Pop and Pizzazz' because she was so good at that, and she helped me learn that."

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NWA Democrat-Gazette / LARA HIGHTOWER Morrison says her view of her work has permanently changed as a result of the influence of Susan Regan and her job at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. “I read an article recently, and the name of the article was ‘Artist as Gardener.’ I literally took a marker and turned the name of the article into ‘Gardener as Artist’.”

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File Photo/JASON IVESTER Horticulturist Susan Regan trims a rose bush near the entrance to the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks in Fayetteville in this Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette file photo.

FAQ

Botanical Garden

Of the Ozarks

WHEN — Open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. every day

WHERE — 4703 N. Crossover Road in Fayetteville

COST — $4-$7

INFO — 750-2620 or http://bgozarks.org">bgozarks.org.

Morrison's "art palette" includes the 12 themed gardens on the property.

"I want to have the 12 gardens, all with their distinct personalities, but I also want them to all feel connected in some way," she says. "I think there are some themes that pull the whole garden together. One of them is whimsy and fun, and Susan is very much responsible for that. There's also the whole color concept to consider -- like, not having too much yellow in one space, but instead distributed throughout so it pulls your eye around the whole garden and invites you in.

"I feel like I'm really getting to use everything I've learned in the 40 years I've worked in horticulture."

Prior to coming on board at the BGO, Morrison and her husband owned a nursery and garden center in south Fayetteville. She started out at the gardens as a volunteer before being hired as a full-time employee. She's been with the organization for nearly eight years now.

The struggle is keeping the gardens "pretty and inviting, year 'round," she says.

"There are four distinct seasons in Arkansas, so it's a challenge. Part of the secret is knowing plants well enough so that you can have a continuous bloom, yet try and get some of the heavy-duty maintenance more streamlined. It won't ever go away here, that's not possible, but streamlining is what needs to happen, because our vision sometime within the next five years is that we want to jump across the creek and expand and begin the next phase of development there."

To hear Morrison explain it, tending these gardens is a lot like planning a spectacular, year-long fireworks display: She and her team have to tend to what's flowering currently while planning for the next explosion of color, taking care to never let the excitement or beauty subside.

"There's always something blooming," she says firmly. "Maybe not all the way through the winter, but there's always something interesting happening."

Sometimes, she says, it's a matter of trial and error -- as is the case with the blooms around the fountain in the Founder's Garden.

"We've really struggled with getting plants to really thrive here," she explains. "We weren't really sure why. But this is the best this planting has ever looked, and I'm really pleased that we've finally figured it out." The large, hearty blooms she's pointing to look healthy and colorful.

On a tour around the grounds with Morrison, her love for the organization and its original designers is evident.

"All the people who have contributed to the design of this garden need recognition," she says, pausing for a moment outside of the Sensory Garden, with its lovely butterfly-shaped theme. "There were about three people who did the installation -- Susan Regan, Gerald Klingaman and Scott Starr. It has been such a labor of love and such a process of volunteerism, because this is a member-supported garden, and that means the members are the volunteers. This garden is a 25-year-old dream that didn't end at the dinner table over a glass of wine.

"I say that to acknowledge the contributions of all that went before me -- and lucky, me, I got to come here and play in this already developed canvas."

Don't bother asking Morrison which garden is her favorite. She'll promise to show it to you, only to introduce each garden as "one of her favorites," like a parent with a dozen extraordinary children who all exceed expectations. The Ozark Natives Garden is a favorite because she has championed Ozark natives for some 15 years now. The Shade Garden is a favorite because it "looks lovely and is clean and tidy." The Butterfly House, where she pauses the tour to help a photographer look for caterpillars, is one of her newer favorites, and it's no wonder -- the air inside is thick with flitting, colorful butterflies. It's a lot like being suddenly thrown into a fairy tale.

"Caterpillars would be on milkweed," she says to the eager photographer. "Only milkweed." When her search comes up short, she sends the photographer and her macro lens to find the milkweed in the Ozark Natives Garden.

Morrison's hope is that, with her constantly changing designs, she can lure visitors to the BGO on weekly visits.

"If you want to learn about plants, you'll come more often," she says. "Because then you get to watch as an annual or a perennial comes popping out of the ground and see what it does and how quickly it becomes ratty looking and watch how we cut it back when it does. We have a wonderful horticulture team, and there's lots to learn."

NAN What's Up on 09/22/2017

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