Green thumbs for brown plants


Guy Banner, a horticulturist at Red Butte Gardens, said human psychology is crucial for understanding the perceived beauty of human landscapes and gardens.

Banner uses his green thumb to encourage appreciation for the beauty of desert and dry landscapes in an effort to inspire more thoughtful use of water in residential and commercial gardens. On Monday, he shared the efforts that the Utah Public Garden Network is taking to alter perceptions of natural beauty for the second driest state in the nation.

The Utah Public Garden Network is comprised of 12 community gardens throughout the state with diverse but harmonious missions. From water conservation, to support for local economies and species, these gardens exist to change the way people think about their residential green spaces – spaces that some argue should more frequently be shades of brown.

“American gardens are inspired by people coming from Europe,” Banner said. Outdoor aesthetics in the West have and continue to be strongly influenced by the lush deciduous forests to the east. The West goes to great lengths to maintain green lawns and rich foliage, an endeavor that can require significant water and energy resources.

Changing the perception of beauty isn’t the only challenge in altering landscapes to be more sustainable. Adapting gardening techniques for western climate is difficult because of the extreme seasonal fluctuations in climate and weather.

“Getting plants to adapt to these conditions can be difficult,” Banner said. “However, the diversity allows for unique techniques when it comes to gardening and landscaping.”

Red Butte Garden broke ground on their new water conservation garden in 2015 and just finished with construction last year. The work is far from over.

Banner and his staff care for the garden to make sure that soil conditions, plant location and water availability are optimal for the new installment. The terrain and microclimate conditions dictate which plant species can thrive and which plant species need to be relocated to more suitable conditions.

Recognizing the complexity of sustainable gardening in the state, Red Butte Garden and many other community gardens offer workshops and education for the public to help transform or maintain their own flora.

Larry Rupp, a professor and horticulture specialist from Utah State, said the community garden network is useful because of its education efforts. As an extension faculty, Rupp works to spread information about landscape management in Utah and the workshops and certifications offered by the garden network help augment the university’s outreach.

These water-wise and sustainable gardens are possible from significant monetary and time investments. The water conservation garden project at Red Butte Gardens cost about $5 million and Banner and his staff have years of arid-horticulture experience and formal education.

Rupp said through an emphasis on low-water landscaping and gardening, the community garden network can change the way that the residents of Utah use water. However, Red Butte Garden’s newest installment is an example of the time and money that sustainability can cost.

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