All the Dirt on Gardening

Robin Macy and her husband, Kentucky White , live at Bartlett Arboretum where they are stewards of a garden that was built in 1910 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. The Arboretum, at the corner of Highway 55 and Line Street, is at the edge of Belle Plaine, a little Kansas town south of Wichita, population 1,680. The house at Bartlett Arboretum In April and May, while the daffodils and hellebores begin to fade, the Arboretum positively shines with blooming wisteria and the 36,000 tulips lovingly planted by Macy and a team of volunteer gardeners. An arborist who lives in the hexagon-shaped residence on the property continuously works to maintain the 20 State Champion trees, as well as caring for the more recently planted trees and shrubs. Macy said, “I am in the garden every moment there is daylight, except for the hours I spend writing grant proposals, organizing group tours, doing the paperwork, speaking to promote the garden and other things that k...