On a gently sloping hillside between Prospect and Mansfield streets grows a giant white oak tree, several centuries old, perhaps even as old as the University itself.
It shows the ravages of time, having lost some of its branches over the years to hurricanes and other storms, most notably the tornado that swept through the area in 1989. Yet, for its stateliness and endurance, this tree was chosen last year as the logo for a tranquil green space on campus where one can appreciate native New England trees, shrubs, flowers and wild grasses as well as more exotic flora, or just come for a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of campus life.
Called the Marsh Botanic Garden, the nearly eight-acre property also boasts giant beech trees native to Europe; a white-flowering Franklinia tree, named after the American statesman and scientist, and believed to be extinct in the wild; and a graceful Dawn Redwood, which was known only from fossil records until it was discovered in a temple garden in a remote area of China in 1944, after which its seeds were distributed to botanical gardens around the world.
"Because of the varied topography of the site, quite a variety of trees, shrubs and wildflowers grow here, including some that one would not expect to find in this region," says Mary Helen Goldsmith, director of the Marsh Botanic Garden since 1986, chair of environmental studies, and professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology. "Being in New Haven by Long Island Sound, the weather is relatively moderate, and we can grow species in protected locations here that you'd usually expect to find further south. New Haven marks the end of the distribution of southern flora and the beginning of a more northern flora, so the flora in southeastern Connecticut is quite diverse."
Yale acquired the site in 1899, when paleontologist and alumnus Professor Othniel C. Marsh (B.A. 1860), famous for his discoveries of dinosaur fossils, bequeathed his home, grounds, greenhouses and plant collections to the University. He stipulated that the property be used as "a University Botanical Garden and for no other purpose."
The botanical garden surrounds and extends down the hill behind the grand four-story house the paleontologist once inhabited, now called Marsh Hall and home to the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. The arched windows of the turret overlook the hillside and several greenhouses below filled with plants ranging from banana trees to orchids.
Administered as a University facility, the Marsh Botanic Garden today serves both teaching and research needs. The greenhouse staff grows a variety of plants used by faculty and students for investigations in molecular genetics, plant development, evolution and ecology.
Halfway down the hillside, a spring bubbles up at the base of a swamp white oak, creating a miniature wetland that drains through a stand of cattails and sedges into a vernal pool amidst the rock garden. Here, students can study a variety of plant life commonly found in wetland habitats. Students in a plant biology course co-taught by Goldsmith also use greenhouse-grown coleus, tobacco, strawberry and sunflower plants to study basic plant anatomy and to experiment at the cellular and biochemical level.
Recently, Goldsmith has been consulting with faculty ,members in several departments on plans for restoring the garden and enhancing the diversity of its collections. The plans recognize the historical importance of the garden, which was designed by Beatrix Farrand, the first woman in the country to become a landscape architect. From the 1920s to the early 1940s, Farrand created the Marsh Botanic Garden as part of her overall design for the entire Yale campus. She is famous for her design of the gardens at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C. as well as for her landscaping of college campuses.
In its early "glorious days," Goldsmith says, "several full-time gardeners worked with Farrand, and the garden was truly a community showplace. People would come to see all the daffodils, tulips, irises, magnolias and other spring flowers in bloom."
With the approach of World War II and Farrand's eventual departure from Yale, the botanical garden became neglected. In the 1950s, Greeley Memorial Laboratory was built on the site, and, over time, many of Farrand's plantings were overgrown by weeds. The 1989 tornado demolished a grove of white pines and damaged many other trees. Hemlocks fell prey to Japanese wooly adelgids and the elms to Dutch elm disease.
Plans to beautify the garden call for restoring the paths and rock garden in keeping with Farrand's 1927 design, and elsewhere planting natural groups of native trees, shrubs, wildflowers and grasses useful for the teaching of plant systematics and ecology. Although today's more naturalistic design requires only a single gardener, Goldsmith hopes that once again the garden will become a place where students and townspeople will come to learn more about plants.
Much progress has already been made in the restoration of the garden. With careful consideration of the soil and exposure, Goldsmith, with the advice of her faculty colleagues, has selected new plants, shrubs, trees, wildflowers and grasses that can thrive in the garden, and has overseen removal of more invasive exotic species. Last year, in celebration of both the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies' and the garden's centennial, labels with both the scientific and common names as well as the native habitats of the plants were placed near both newly planted and older trees and shrubs. The labels include the garden's new logo -- the drawing of the giant white oak -- by Lauren Brown FOR '73. Students in "Terrestrial Ecosystems" and "Biology of Plants" courses helped inventory the plants for the labeling project.
"We plant and label new specimens annually, always with the goal of making the garden both useful educationally and attractive to the community," explains Goldsmith.
Bayberry bushes, black-eyed susans, sunflowers, goldenrods, asters and meadow grasses now grow on a once weed-filled, steep bank behind Marsh Hall that was created by the excavations for the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies' Greeley Laboratory. These plants, along with red osier dogwoods, have helped reduce the erosion of the bank and the severe flooding that occurs below after heavy rain. Likewise, the brambles and invasive exotic plants that choked Farrand's once well-tended rock garden were removed and replaced with ferns native to Connecticut as well as other understory shrubs -- blueberries, viburnums, shadbush, elderberry and azaleas.
"The paths through the rock garden were literally buried beneath several inches of debris and silt. We've only recently discovered them again," says Goldsmith. "We carefully excavated the old stonework; Farrand had hauled in rocks to create this nice rock garden. Since we have begun restoring it, we've seen some of the wildflowers from Farrand's time coming back."
Professor Michael Donoghue, who joined the faculty in ecology and evolutionary biology last year, is also very engaged in the effort to enhance the collections both on the grounds and in the greenhouses. The newest greenhouse in the garden was built for growing plants he and his students use for research on the evolution of flowering plants using molecular techniques. The other faculty members who have advised Goldsmith on the garden are Diana Balmori of the School of Architecture; Mark Ashton, Graeme Berlyn and Oswald Schmitz of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; Timothy Nelson in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology; Leo Hickey of the Department of Geology and Geophysics; and Robin Winks of the Department of History.
Goldsmith, whose own research specialty is plant physiology and the way plants grow and respond to various environmental stimuli, admits that the restoration has been a learning experience and somewhat of an ongoing experiment for her. She has attended seminars on garden restoration with native species and is always on the lookout for "good deals" when purchasing plants for Yale's garden. She has purchased many of the new additions to the Marsh Botanic Garden from the Connecticut College Arboretum, which she says has been an inspiration to her in planning the garden restoration at Yale.
Michael Doherty has been helping Goldsmith in the restoration of the outdoor garden for several summers. He graduated in June with a degree in horticulture from the University of Vermont and is serving this year as a gardener/technician before heading off next fall for graduate work in landscape architecture. Leonard Sabilitz and horticulturist David Garinger exclusively tend the greenhouse collections. The routine maintenance of the garden's grounds -- grass cutting, limb removal, etc. -- is handled by Walter Debboli and the gardening staff of the University's Grounds Maintenance department.
In addition to the collections of insectivorous and tropical plants in the garden's greenhouses property, Garinger cares for a collection of cacti and other succulent plants housed in a small conservatory at 285 Prospect St. This part of the Marsh Collection includes plants from arid and desert regions of the United States, South Africa, Mexico and various South American countries.
Goldsmith is particularly gratified when students develop an interest in the garden or in plants in general.
"Plants form the basis of every terrestrial ecosystem," she says. "I'm always thinking about how to get students interested in plants and how they function in their environment. If students aren't aware or don't care, then I don't think there's much hope of saving the diversity of life we have here on earth."
Nevertheless, she admits, "I'm satisfied if they go on and are just interested in plants for the fun of it. That's what's wonderful about the garden -- it can be enjoyed just for its beauty or for the possibilities it affords for scientific discovery and to further our understanding of our wonderfully fascinating and diverse plant life."
Those interested in contributing to the Marsh Botanic Garden Restoration Fund can contact Goldsmith at (203) 432-3511 or via e-mail at mary.goldsmith@yale.edu.
-- By Susan Gonzalez
T H I S
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Davies Mansion to be renovated, renamed
Yale-developed 'icon' molecule can target tumors for destruction
Curator 'sleuths' have reunited altarpiece panels
Ando describes dream of mixing nature in architecture
News reporters take on the role of teachers during campus visits . . .
'Post-Attack America' is topic of Poynter Lecture
Experts to discuss the hostile use of biotechnology
Yale Rep to present 'primer' by Tennessee Williams
Fair will feature special treasures of Yale libraries
Restoring garden to its 'glorious days' is ongoing effort
Artists will show off their work, studios in city-wide festival
Series explores implications of terrorist attacks
Curators to discuss museum's changing focus on Latin America
New Music New Haven to highlight works by Yale composer
Memorial Service
Campus Notes
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News|Bulletin Board
Yale Scoreboard|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines
Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs Home|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page
