Campus landscapes are enhanced by the seasonal splashes of color from the ornamental beds dispersed throughout campus. The grounds department is responsible for the care and maintenance of the gardens, including weeding, mulching, and pruning. The department is also responsible for the placement and development of garden beds across campus.
Staff has taken care with design aesthetics, making sure to include native plants and plantings with four-season interest. Gardens also incorporate features like regional rocks and boulders and well user-friendly pathways that mesh with the natural campus traffic flow.
Several featured gardens on campus include the following:
Established: 2010 Location: southeast of Dillman Hall
The Keweenaw Boulder Garden features glacial boulders, examples of the foundational rock of the Copper Country. This garden is a dream fulfilled for geoscientist and Professor Emeritus Bill Rose, who explains how the boulders are a learning lab as well as a restful spot to relax on campus. This is primarily a foliage garden—leaf and stem color, shape, and texture are the focus—so as not to distract from the rocks.
Established: 2009 Location: east side, Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts
The perennial garden planted when the Rozsa was built is now an expansive 30-foot-wide display, featuring strong, vertical elements like white firs and small deciduous trees. Resident hawthorn and apple trees had their limbs shaped. Multi-stemmed bushes and large perennials were split and arranged to draw the eye through the garden. The garden features a grass walkway through the middle (an outdoor window-cleaning aisle is at the back).
Established: 2010 Location: southwest side, Memorial Union Building
This major landscape surrounds a single Norway spruce that was planted as a Vietnam Memorial Tree. Trees and bushes were arranged in an arc to buffer the wind. This garden is viewed from the road, the walk, and the interior dining area. Texture and leaf color are the backbone of this plot. Golden spirit smoke bush, golden elderberry, golden showers climbing roses, and Sunkist arborvitae—all emanate the University’s gold color theme. Shaded for most of the morning, the plants need to be able to absorb the hot, persistent, west sun.
The gardens across campus contribute significantly in keeping the University landscapes tied to the natural beauty of the region. Evolution of the gardens on campus is closely tied to the department’s ability to maintain and care for them.
Gardens staff is generally comprised of seasonal student employees. Student workers start in the spring months cleaning up the winter debris and making way for seasonal blooms. Summer requires full-time attention to weeding, mulching and general bed maintenance. Work continues into the fall as students prepare the garden beds for winter.
If you have any questions about gardens on campus, please contact Facilities Management. If you’d like to request services or report a garden maintenance issue, please submit a work request. Work requests will typically be reviewed by department staff within 24 hours. Typical hours of operation for Facilities Management staff is 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.