COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A garden of Ohio State University's Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens, which showcases over 1,000 native Ohio trees, has been given an official designation in honor of the visionary who helped establish the collection.
Arboretum North, located north of Lane Avenue and west of Fred Taylor Drive near the new Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center in Columbus, has been named The Colour Columbus Native Tree Collection. The new name is in honor of Cherie Lucks, past president of Colour Columbus, a nonprofit corporation promoting landscape and horticulture improvements. Colour Columbus donated the trees and helped to establish the garden site in 1998.
"Community leader and plant lover Cherie Lucks comes about her tree-planting diligence almost genetically -- she is the great, great grand niece of Johnny Appleseed," said Mary Maloney, director of Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens. "She represents the true spirit of all things horticultural, to preserve and enhance the scenic character of Ohio's communities and countryside."
Lucks' horticulture contributions to the community are numerous. She has served on the board of Scenic Ohio since 1996, and is an active member of the Franklin Park Conservatory and the Little Garden Club of Columbus. She actively promotes the Ohio Heritage Garden at the governor's residence and is involved in a number of local horticultural activities.
The dedication was part of Chadwick Arboretum's Arbor Day celebration on April 25. This is the 136th observance of Arbor Day in Ohio.
In addition to recognizing Lucks' contributions, the event showcased the dedication of two American Yellowwood (Cladrastis kentuckea) trees honoring the retirement of OSU Extension assistant director Steve Baertsche and OSU Extension horticulturist Jane Martin.
Baertsche began his Ohio State University career as an OSU Extension sheep specialist in animal sciences in 1980 before moving into the assistant director position in 1993. The Hardin County native said OSU Extension has been successful in aligning itself with the needs of its clients and Chadwick Arboretum has been part of that success.
Martin worked at Ohio State University for 30 years as Franklin County Extension horticulture educator. Last year she received the National Association of County Agricultural Agents Distinguished Service Award for excellence in Extension education programs, and has been recognized for numerous awards in the past. By instilling her own professional horticultural excellence through education and training, she nurtured volunteers and horticulture institutions creating a legacy among consumers and commercial gardeners. Her influence is present at Chadwick Arboretum.
Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens is part of the university's College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. To learn more about the arboretum, log on to http://chadwickarboretum.osu.edu.