2024 NNLA Field Day

On Thursday, September 19th, NNLA hosted its annual Field Day event with guided tours of the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, City of Lincoln Public Gardens District, and the Pioneers Park Nature Center. The day began at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo, which encompasses 10 acres in the center of Lincoln, NE. Members were welcomed by NNLA President, Brett Schroer. Isaac Fuenning, Director of Horticulture, led attendees on a guided tour of the zoo, highlighting plants of interest. The Zoo, which opened to the public in the summer of 1965 and is now home to more than 400 animals, also features around 300 species of plants and trees, approximately a third of which are native to the Great Plains region. To accommodate the 92 attendees, the Zoo tour was given at both 8am and 9am, giving those not on the tour time to explore the Zoo grounds on their own. The tour began in the gardens of the Zoo’s education center which featured many native plants and their cultivars. One especially effective plant combination was a bed of little bluestem and blazing star or liatris. Also featured in this area was ‘Sugar Shack’ buttonbush, a smaller cultivar which likes moist soil conditions and reaches about 4 feet wide and tall. Issac shared that they have had particular luck in planting plug sized plants and that most areas of the Zoo have drip irrigation in the landscape beds. He favors Korean feather reed grass over the ‘Karl Foerster’ cultivar for overall performance in the beds he manages. The Zoo features a 200-plus-year-old sycamore that predates the establishment of the Zoo. The Zoo recently became a Nebraska Statewide Arboretum Landscape Steward Affiliate Site.

Attendees then walked over to the Hamann Rose Garden where they were split into three groups for guided walking tours of the Sunken Gardens, Rotary Strolling Garden and the Hamann Rose Garden, as well as the Cascade Fountain and surrounding landscaping. City of Lincoln parks planner, Kaylyn Neverve, provided a tour of the Cascade Fountain. The fountain was originally built in 1978 to honor all educators and their dedication to excellence. In 2019, the City began working with the public to create an updated vision for the fountain and surrounding gardens. Kaylyn explained that they kept the plant palette very simple and that there has been a lot of trial and error with plants in this area. Some successful plants include ‘Gro-low’ sumac, prairie dropseed, little bluestem, sideoats grama, and carex species. They have faced challenges with the existing slopes and erosion. Kaylyn explained that there are plans to install more trees along the 27th Street side of the plaza that sits south of the fountain. 

Next, Mike Fallon, City of Lincoln public garden horticulturist, led attendees through the Sunken Gardens. Formerly a neighborhood dumpsite, this 1.5 acres was first developed in 1930, and has been transformed into an iconic feature of Lincoln. The garden has been designed around a theme since 2006. This year’s theme is “Golden Hours” featuring many annuals in shades of red, orange, and yellow. The upper level of the garden is the White Garden which uses white flowers and silver foliage to inspire calm, serenity, and meditation. The Sunken Gardens features many statues which have been commissioned over the years. The gardens rely heavily on volunteers which help to wake up the beds in the spring and to put the garden to sleep in the fall. Mike estimates that 1,000 to 1,500 volunteer hours go into planting and maintaining the Sunken Gardens each year. They add horse manure compost mixed with leaf mulch to the beds each year. The ponds are full of Japanese koi which live in the ponds year round, hibernating in the bottom of the ponds over winter. Many plants such as bananas, cannas, and elephant ears are harvested from the gardens at the end of the growing season and stored in a greenhouse.

Jeff, Sophia, and Dana, all on the City of Lincoln public gardens team, guided attendees through the Hamann Rose Garden and the Rotary Strolling Garden. Jeff detailed the challenges of managing a rose rosette outbreak in the rose garden. They have had to remove hundreds of infected roses over the past couple of years. Along with the Lincoln Rose Society, they are working to plant to new roses. As a precaution to prevent future spread of the virus, the roses are being planted further apart with fewer roses in each bed. Removal of some of the boxwood hedges is being considered to allow for more air flow through the rose garden. The Hamann Rose Garden has several volunteers that help with pruning, composting, and mulching each year. The staff follow a heavy spray program throughout the year to keep the roses looking their best. All of the roses are on drip irrigation which is installed and managed by public gardens staff. The Rotary Strolling Garden, just north of the rose garden, is full of drought-tolerant perennials, grasses, shrub roses, and other small flowering shrubs. Jeff described this garden as very “pro-pollinator” and explained that they avoid using chemicals. This garden is meant to be an informal garden which contrasts with the formality of the Hamann Rose Garden. The Rotary Strolling Garden features several unique sculptures as well. 

After completing the three public garden district tours, attendees were invited to have lunch on their own and to reconvene at the Pioneers Park Nature Center on the southwest edge of Lincoln. Half of the attendees enjoyed a presentation in the Malinovskis Auditorium given by Jamie Kelley, the Nature Center coordinator, and Sara Hartzel, parks planner for the City of Lincoln. The presentation highlighted the history of Nature Center grounds and facilities, their habitat and land management, including their garden and trail areas, and the Prairie Corridor. Pioneers Park Nature Center encompasses 668 acres of tallgrass prairie, woodlands, wetlands and a tributary stream of Salt Creek. Since 1963, the Nature Center has served the Lincoln area as an environmental education center and wildlife sanctuary. More than ten miles of hiking trails wind through various habitats, gardens, historic buildings, and a small herd of bison. The Prairie Building was the first building in Lincoln to be Leed Certified and features a green roof and rainwater harvesting infrastructure.The presenters updated attendees on the progress of the Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch which will connect the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center with the Pioneers Park Nature Center via 14 miles of trails as well as tallgrass prairie, wetland, and wooded habitats. 

As the presentation was going on, the other half of the attendees split into three groups for outdoor tours of the Pioneers Park Nature Center grounds. Neil gave a tour of the attempted buffalo grass lawn, the green roof, and the demonstration garden featuring prairie plants used in an intentional, designed landscape. Janet led attendees to the Louise Evans Doole Herb Garden, Irene and George Alexander Bird Garden, and the children’s garden. The herb garden was originally established in 1972. The children’s garden is enjoyed by children participating in Nature Center programming and camps. Aaron Druery, district park supervisor, guided the groups through the open prairie areas north of the Prairie Building. He shared how the prairies are managed with a rotation of haying, grazing, and burning with a focus on maintaining ecological resilience. 

At the end of the guided tours and presentation, attendees were able to continue exploring the Pioneers Park Nature Center grounds and facilities until they closed for the day. This well-attended field day provided much opportunity for networking, connecting, and learning about some very unique public gardens in and around Lincoln.