Summer 2006
 |
|
Don Swaney and guide dog Camber take in the scents of aromatic herbs*
|
Ethel L. Dupar’s Fragrant Garden Enters Phase Four of Rejuvenation Effort
It’s summer and Ethel L. Dupar’s Fragrant Garden is in full bloom at the Lighthouse. Hyacinth, scented geraniums, mountain mint, and viburnum are just a few of the plants blossoming in this unique garden designed for the enjoyment of blind and Deaf-Blind people.
“There are a lot of plants with fragrant flowers in the garden,” says Master Gardener Helen Weber, who has led the garden rejuvenation effort for the past three years. “As you sit and eat your lunch in the garden, many fragrances will float to you on the breeze. If you’re feeling adventurous and you feel like getting your hands into the foliage, there are some braille labels for plants in the garden. You can walk along the tall raised beds and touch the plants that you find in front of you, most of which have very interesting smells.”
Since 2003, Helen and a group of dedicated volunteers have worked to restore the garden to its former beauty. “Stage one involved removing degraded plants, -- taking out trees, shrubs, and ivy that had become overgrown, and replanting,” Helen explains. “In stage two we took care of drainage and trenching issues. In stage three we got the greenhouse set up and operating. The new greenhouse is doing a great job of housing our tropical plants in the winter months.”
Helen and her team are entering the next stage of the garden rejuvenation effort. “In 2006 we are continuing to build the infrastructure needed to support a garden of this regional significance. That includes expanding the fragrant plant collection and adding destination signage and interpreting that signage in braille,” Helen says.
 |
|
Quincy Daniels reads braille descriptions of plants*
|
She adds, “On a larger scale, we have an exciting plan to landscape a newly cleared area at the eastern end of the garden. Landscape architects at the Weisman design group have been donating their skills to help us plan this addition. The drawings we have incorporate raised beds and paved pathways just like the rest of the garden so that it matches seamlessly. We’d also like to include a memorial structure which can receive plaques in memory of Lighthouse personnel for decades to come.”
The garden provides an environment where the senses of touch, smell, and sound are all engaged. “There’s the sound environment when the fountain is on in the central area. That’s very pleasant. You hear the splashing water noise,” says Helen. “We have some artemisias that have really nice soft fluffy foliage and we have a particularly nice scented geranium that smells like mint and has very soft leaves. So those are examples of plants that are nice to handle.”
She continues, “I’ve seen a lot of folks using the garden regularly at lunch time and break time. There’s been research published that has shown that being in a garden lowers your stress level. All those indicators -- blood pressure, heart beat, immune system -- all those things are normalized and vitalized being in a garden. Folks who are visually impaired in a society geared towards sighted people have extra stress built into their lives. So it’s particularly useful to have a garden right here at the Lighthouse where they can come out at break time and de-stress.”
“The garden has a good atmosphere about it,” says Quincy Daniels, machine shop production worker. “I like it out there. You can walk around and read the braille.”
“I enjoyed being able to read the braille and learn the names of flowers I’d smelled but never known the name of before,” says Don Swaney, assistant information technology manager. “I enjoyed having a whole variety of smells in one place to explore.”
 |
|
Deng Kong reaches up to touch cherry blossoms*
|
Customer Service Representative Deng Kong loves spending time in the garden during the summertime. “I like hanging out in the fragrant garden on warm weather days. I can spend hours and hours out there listening to the water fountain, the birds, and enjoy the smell from the scented plants,” she says. “I get a sense of inner peace when I am out there like the feeling I get when I go to the mountains. It’s the only garden that I know of that is completely accessible to people with disabilities. I love to be able to read the braille labels telling what plants I am looking at if I can't pick it up by the smell. It has landmarks I can use to get around the garden without getting lost and still able to find my way back to the building!”
The garden’s founder and namesake, Ethel L. Dupar, created the garden for the express enjoyment of people with visual disabilities. The Dupar Foundation carries on her legacy today as the leading supporter of the garden restoration project. The partnership between the Lighthouse and the Dupar Foundation has made this project possible.
“This was very important to my grandmother. She was drawn to anything outside the norm of gardening. It’s important to us because it was important to her,” says the Dupar Foundation’s Shirlee Hargett. “Our goal is to help. It’s an exciting project. There aren’t many gardens like this around. It’s something that’s led us to become more interested in the Lighthouse as a whole in addition to the garden. We look forward to having an ongoing relationship with the Lighthouse in the future.”
*photos courtesy of Robert Hanna, www.twentythirdhour.com.
Previous Page | Horizons Main Page | Home
|