{"id":1545,"date":"2021-05-26T18:40:08","date_gmt":"2021-05-26T18:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/?p=1545"},"modified":"2021-12-22T23:07:25","modified_gmt":"2021-12-22T23:07:25","slug":"a-living-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/a-living-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"A living legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Kelly Chadwick stands among some of the plants she’s raised for the last 37 years in the University Center at the University of Montana. Chadwick retired from the job last week, leaving behind a showpiece and refuge of sorts in the UC and other gardens around the UM campus.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A laurel fig tree grows over 40 feet tall in 37 years. At least, the one in the student union at the University of Montana<\/a> (UM) did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelly Chadwick, \u201977, planted it in the building\u2019s atrium when she first started her job there back in 1983. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI never got bored,\u201d Chadwick said of her long tenure as the University Center Garden Manager. \u201cI was so lucky to fall into my job: It suited me so well and I loved it. If you get to know plants, you can always get to know more.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chadwick gained her horticultural<\/a> know-how on-the-job, but said her liberal arts education<\/a> at EOU prepared her for a career of continual learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University Center was designed around massive planters positioned beneath a glass ceiling, so Chadwick\u2019s first task was to fill out the oversized terrarium with plants that would thrive inside. Along the way, she ran into a few challenges presented by indoor gardening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIndoor gardens are limited by temperature and light,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a totally unnatural environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even with a glass ceiling, the tropical plants required supplemental lights to artificially extend the day length. Chadwick installed a pond to increase humidity in the planters, but pruning and pest control were the biggest challenges to managing a jungle of tropical plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe flooded the building several times by overflowing planters,\u201d she said. \u201cControlling insects is the hardest thing to do, but most beneficial insects stay up high and eat the bad insects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chadwick has released 10 batches of 1,500 tiny parasitic wasps and five swarms of 500 ladybug-like beetles to keep leaf-eaters at bay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a cruel little world, but benign to people,\u201d she said. \u201cThese species don\u2019t care about people at all, and predators in general follow a curve that\u2019s in balance with prey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also developed a team of student workers who hunted insects and used non-toxic means of controlling pests. But the hours of work by Chadwick and her crew paid off when visitors were blown away by the living centerpiece of the student center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI planted almost every one of the plants in that garden, so I\u2019m attached,\u201d Chadwick said. \u201cI\u2019m simply growing plants, but at the same time I\u2019m constantly educating myself and students.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She selected specific varieties that could enhance educational opportunities. Biology and pharmacy classes have observed, touched and smelled medicinal plants humans have shaped for millennia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe initial value is beauty and making the building attractive, but it has many uses: breaking up sound, providing oxygen,\u201d she said. \u201cPlants are important and plants can be used in an educational way.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She takes that approach outdoors, to a native garden that\u2019s been cultivated for decades on the UM campus. Chadwick is part of a cohort of volunteers who nurtured renewed interest in the plot of flowers and shrubs that have adapted to Montana\u2019s harsh conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She credits lectures and field trips from the native plant society with much of her botanical education. Chadwick went on to serve as a volunteer coordinator and organized those field trips for 15 years. She also expanded the range of species with several new gardens. She helps maintain the gardens year-round, and has been meticulously recording the first flower opening for every species for 7 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love those native gardens, somehow my heart is in those gardens,\u201d Chadwick said. \u201cI found a group of kind, generous, admirable, humble people\u2014they\u2019re the heart of that garden. I just hope I can continue that passion with a new generation of outstanding people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chadwick even chooses hikes based on finding a particular plant. She\u2019s passionate about connecting people to native plants even if they can\u2019t make it to the peaks and crags where they occur naturally. The garden also increases habitat for pollinators, and inspires visitors and students to plant native species at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creative writing classes toured the garden to practice observing and capturing nature in words. Environmental studies students have done projects there, too, and a vegetable garden grows food for students, staff and the food pantry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chadwick sees plants as a gateway for connection, and an opportunity for humility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you really look at plants, they have adapted so well and they are so detailed,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you stop and look at a little white flower, there\u2019s this intricate detail. Plants can make you pay attention.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019s worked with peers who can identify a plant from the impression of a leaf in the snow. Their place in the ecological web is equally complex inside as outside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlants are interconnected with us,\u201d Chadwick said. \u201cThey are critical for our survival. They\u2019re our food, they prevent erosion, they provide habitat, they\u2019re material for our clothes, but they\u2019re also important for their own sake and interesting on their own. They\u2019re pretty amazing creatures.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Happy houseplants<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Alumna Kelly Chadwick cared for some really big indoor plants, and she has a few tips for anyone whose houseplants could use a lift. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Most people care too much.<\/strong> Many people over-water their plants. Chadwick said it\u2019s the No. 1 killer, and most plants do best when they\u2019re allowed to almost dry out between waterings. Choose one day a week to water your plants. Always check first to see if the soil is dry, and leave it alone if it\u2019s still damp.<\/li>
  2. Plants change seasonally, even inside.<\/strong> Differences in temperature and day length affect indoor plants, too. Running an air conditioner or a fireplace can affect the humidity in each room. Chadwick recommends being aware of the changing environment inside and out.\u00a0<\/li>
  3. Touch your plants!<\/strong> A plant\u2019s leaves can tell you about water needs. If they\u2019re firm, that means there\u2019s moisture. Soft leaves mean the soil is drier.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Alumna Kelly Chadwick talks plants when her horticultural story at UM is shared. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":525,"featured_media":1547,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,61],"tags":[78,80,77,79],"class_list":["post-1545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni-stories","category-spring-2021","tag-garden","tag-houseplants","tag-plants","tag-university-of-montana"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/525"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1545"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1545\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1604,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1545\/revisions\/1604"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}