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Blog Post 8 - Course Reflection

“I’d like to learn about the history of landscape design.” A quote from my first full blog post that has definitely been addressed by this class!

I learned about how landscapes can be used in a variety of ways, including for aesthetic purposes, as a strategy, as a place, and as an idea. My favorite of the big three you highlighted in class is strategy. Especially in this age of climate change, I love the use of landscapes to mitigate carbon dioxide in the air or help remove excess runoff from our cities.

For my project this semester, I focused on Owensboro Health Regional Hospital in Owensboro, Kentucky. I am planning to visit my high school best friend, Sarah, who goes to Brescia University in Owensboro. I plan to visit in the spring so we can both see the hospital grounds reemerging from winter die back. 

In my first post, I talked about the possibility of going to graduate school. My situation has changed a little from when I wrote that post, so while I may not go to graduate school directly after my bachelor’s degree, I am certainly planning to go eventually. My boyfriend and I are planning to move to Colorado upon graduation, so I am mostly looking into a landscape architecture program at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Overall, I really enjoyed this class. I wish my semester wasn’t as hectic as it was so I could have enjoyed it more.

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Blog Reflection 7 - The Performance of Appearance

I think a great summation of Elizabeth K. Meyers’ essay titled, “Sustaining Beauty. The Performance of Appearance. A Manifesto in Three Parts” is encapsulated well by her quote: “We are sustained by reducing, editing, doing less bad. But we are also sustained, and regenerated, through abundance, wonder, and beauty.”

I very much agree that sustainable implementations should certainly have aesthetic quality to them. Generally, humans get pleasure from being around nature, and well designed natural installations/ remediation strategies only add more interesting qualities to these natural spaces.

As for a project that makes me rethink beautiful sustainable landscapes, I recently learned that the city of Portland, Oregon has been encouraging its citizens to learn more about rain gardens and giving people resources to understand their benefits. Portland has been flooding more and more recently, and the addition of many rain gardens around the city, as well as some updated infrastructure, will help lessen the extent of flooding. The city is not only using water management to persuade citizens, but also the beauty of these rain gardens in comparison to just plain grassy areas. They are starting to understand the beauty that can accompany sustainable urban development.

I believe areas that are constructed mainly for aesthetic purposes are still valuable to the human experience, but it is important that going forward at least, designers remember to incorporate areas for indigenous flora and fauna.

This is a picture from a city owned rain garden installation in Portland, Oregon.

Resources: East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District 

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Extra Credit - Stormwater Scavenger Hunt

Green Infrastructure

Deane Hill Stormwater Wetland

I work at Kohl’s at Deane Hill as a seasonal associate, and it was nice to see this installation so close to work! It is definitely better than the gray areas I visited today, with its thoughtful habitat and plants other than typical Kentucky bluegrass. I think this is a great step forward for Knoxville’s water management strategies! I will be back by to see the growth in the summer.

UT Gardens Constructed Wetland

This was probably my favorite stop today. I have been in the gardens for classes before, but I rarely get time to actually stroll through and see everything. This walk around was a great experience, although I wish many of the plants didn’t freeze already! This wetland was a great flood control measure that the University installed. It is also great habitat for insects in the area to reproduce. I went to the Bug Motel for Insects installation last semester, and I learned how many diverse bug species live in the gardens. I am sure they love this wetland in the summer!

Volunteer Blvd Green Street

I had previously not seen this installation on Vol Blvd, and I am very surprised! I love the many plants and I wish Tennessee would adopt a similar approach to the many interstate dividers that are devoid of anything interesting and are instead covered with Kentucky bluegrass. Imagine how gorgeous it would be!

Gray Infrastructure

Tyson Park Outfalls

I had never been to Tyson Park before, so I got to explore a little before taking pictures. I am not sure that this is exactly where you sent us for the scavenger hunt, but it is definitely still gray water infrastructure next to Tyson Park so I hope this is okay! Compared to the green ones, it is just so sad to look at this area with its obvious lack of plants or wildlife. It doesn’t look to have any real ecosystem services other than water movement. If I were in charge and had the materials to fix it, I would try to create a wetland environment similar to UT Gardens’ installation for more biodiversity as well as aesthetic quality.

Food City Detention Area

This stop was just generally depressing. There is nothing aside from Kentucky bluegrass... again... meant to absorb the water that I assume comes from a single pipe. Many inexpensive water loving plants would work well in this area, and it would make great habitat for lots of insect and small animal species. These plants would also add some sort of aesthetic quality to this otherwise desolate lot. I hope the city decides to make some changes in this water management strategy, or lack thereof.

Being new to Knoxville made this assignment a lot of fun! I enjoyed looking around at different areas that I did not know existed.

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Blog Post 6 - Landscape Performance + Social Justice

This story is heartbreaking and deserves more press than it will likely ever be given. Low income areas are disproportionately affected because of increased Urban Heat Island effect in their areas caused by more gray spaces and less access to capital to cool their homes.

I live in what is considered “government housing” here in Knoxville. While my boyfriend and I do not qualify for a housing voucher because we are students, we are gaining a greater understanding of problems associated with living in these homes. Our apartments are next to Ijams Park, so we do not really experience higher temperatures due to the Urban Heat Island effect; however, our apartment was well over 70 degrees Fahrenheit for a lot of last semester even though our air conditioner was running. Our electric bill was over $200 in August, more than double what it had been at our old apartment. The problem is our windows; I can stick my hand outside one of them without even touching the window. We asked our landlord for new ones and they said they had to ask permission before they could have them ordered. It is now November and our windows will (supposedly) be here next week. Our windows are still currently duct taped together.

My testimony is not meant to ask for pity. We are doing more than fine right now, but we are learning a lot about the problem in a very direct way. Landlords are in charge in these grayscapes. Landlords have the capital and the ability to make changes on their lots, but since they do not live here and do not have to experience the conditions caused by their (lack of) actions, they do not care enough to make changes.

Low income areas do not appreciate the benefits of landscape because they cannot afford to, and people in this situation often have little say in how their landscape is being managed.

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Blog Post 5 - Performance Project Selection

For my Landscape Project Selection, I have chosen Owensboro Health Regional Hospital’s restoration. This project has been designated by Audubon International as the first Certified Signature Sanctuary in the state of Kentucky and as the first hospital in the world to achieve this certification. It has large retention ponds and rain gardens which help divert approximately 177,016,500 gallons of water from the Ohio River annually. The hospital campus also features a large healing pond and trail for hospital patients to view from their windows or walk around and enjoy.

The biggest reason I chose to use this project for my Performance Selection is because my friend Sarah goes to Brescia University in Owensboro, Kentucky. After I go through and fully learn about this project, I plan to visit Sarah and see the project in person!

I also chose this project because it focuses on sustainability and storm water management. My geology minor has taught me some about storm water management practices, and I would love to read about them in practice. I also really enjoy the natural aesthetics of the project.

Resource: https://www.landscapeperformance.org/case-study-briefs/owensboro-hospital#/challenge-solution

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Blog Reflection 4 - Wildflower Fight

I believe, in general, individuals and city parks should both be allowed to use their space as they see fit so long as it does not threaten the surrounding community, regardless of their neighbor’s aesthetic opinions. This is true especially in this case as the space in question was donated to the park with the intent of creating a wildflower meadow there. This meadow is great habitat for small animals in the area, as well as pollinators. The neighbors’ need for pest control seems to be minimal at best, and should be seen as minor in comparison to the animals’ needs for habitat among the surrounding urban sprawl.

To combat the controversy, the park could continue to create more space between the plant growth and the sidewalk to keep the plant species and possible inhabitants at bay. The park can also provide the surrounding community with literature about the necessity of such spaces for biodiversity in the area, as well as some general pest control ideas.

For what it is worth, though, I love the wildflower patch idea! For my future dream home, I would love to have a backyard that was allowed to grow up naturally and create native habitat for small animals and pollinators.

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Blog Assignment 3 - Detroit Future City

I think the biggest value this website offers is its ease of access for anyone to learn how to manage vacant lots effectively. On the other hand, I think this website’s only real weakness is its scope because many people will not know that it exists to be able to use it. I think good advertising on Google with varied key search words could fix this problem though!

This website is a great resource for the many people who would like to help make positive change but may not know where to start when it comes to landscape remediation or sustainable landscape design. The economic impact this site provides is in its wide variety of plans for several types of budgets. The social impact this site promotes is group action, which can help empower many communities while providing learning opportunities as well.

I chose to read more about the “8 Mile Rain Garden” design because I am working on a rain garden design for an assignment in Plant Science 280 and I thought this would be a cool chance to do a deep dive into a completed rain garden design. I was shocked at how inexpensive it can be to install a rain garden with the estimated price between $50-$1000. I love that propagation was suggested rather than purchasing new plants because of the added expense, and local plants are always the best! The low bar for upkeep helps this design appeal to people who may not have the greenest thumb, and the printable design plans are well laid out and very helpful!

Overall, I think this website is a great free resource!

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Personal Favorite Garden from Class

While I can really appreciate the gardens of the Renaissance because of their perspective and drastic angles which create depth, I am partial to the Japanese gardens overall. 

As someone who started my undergrad in Geology, I absolutely love the use of rocks in Japanese gardens. Instead of manicuring every rock, they allow the rocks to show their own beauty through their innate natural qualities. Many of the gardens in the slides, especially from the “Hill and Pond Garden,” showcased the stratigraphic layers in the rocks, placing them all in the same direction. All the layers stayed horizontal while the rocks were turned which I feel like really helps really bring motion to the garden while also allowing it to be grounded in the direction the rocks were formed.

I also really appreciate the concept of “shakkei,” which pulls the far background into the garden. This, along with the absence of partitioning, really makes the gardens feel open and welcoming.

My boyfriend is minoring in Japanese, and we are both planning to visit sometime soon! I look forward to seeing all sorts of gardens (and Hello Kitty World, to be honest) while we are there! 

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Class Goals

A little bit about me: I am a Plant Science major with a Sustainable Landscape Design concentration. My minors are Geology and Soil Science, and I love pretty much anything to do with rocks, dirt, and plants! My username comes from the email I made when I was 12 years old that just kind of stuck as my username for everything- “lilluvsrocks.” Since I have switched majors from Geology to Plant Science, though, I thought it was only fitting for my username to switch up, too!

As for this class, I’d like to learn about the history of landscape design. I think a foundation in landscape history would be really helpful in my future career. My aspirations are still a little undecided in that I do not know if I want to go to grad school for Landscape Architecture or go directly into the workforce as a Landscape Designer. I’m hoping this class might help me decide between the two.

I also really like learning about the ecosystem services landscapes can provide, like how patches of clover fixate carbon or how rain gardens help prevent as much runoff during heavy rainfall. I’d also like to learn more about if/how landscapes can help mitigate climate change.

Peace, Love, & Plants,

Lilli Johnson

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Hi, my name is Lillian Johnson, but I usually go by Lilli. This blog is for my Plant Science 180 class at UT Knoxville.