Preserving America's Exceptional Gardens
Fellow Profile
2009
Katie Mullen
Elizabeth Lawrence Garden, Charlotte, NC
Kathleen (Katie) Mullen has a head start on her upcoming stint as the ninth annual Marco Polo Stufano Garden Conservancy Fellow, this year designated to serve the Elizabeth Lawrence Garden in Charlotte, North Carolina. Ms. Mullen has been at work there part time since February of this year, labeling plants and creating a database of all plant material; assisting in the development of weekly flower charts; hosting guided tours; and doing general garden maintenance. When the nine-month fellowship term commences in September, Ms. Mullen will be able to work at the garden, a Conservancy preservation project, full time.
Though Ms. Mullen brings extensive garden-related experience to her fellowship year, for the first time she will have the opportunity to learn and develop skills needed to operate and manage a public garden. She earned her bachelor of science in horticulture from the North Carolina State University in 1994, was a field manager for Carolina Nurseries, has run her own gardening and landscape design businesses in the Charleston and Charlotte areas, and has worked in landscape sales and project management.
During her fellowship year, Ms. Mullen will work exclusively at the Lawrence Garden, alongside staff from nearby Wing Haven Garden and Bird Sanctuary, which owns the Lawrence property. Her tasks will be to care for the garden, revitalize portions of it, document the plant material, and help develop the garden as a horticultural study center.
The Garden Conservancy holds a conservation easement on the Lawrence Garden and collaborated with Wing Haven to develop a management plan, which was adopted this year.
Preservation Fellowship
Established in 1999, the Marco Polo Stufano Garden Conservancy Fellowship offers a gardener or horticulturist an opportunity to make a significant contribution to the preservation of American gardens. As we look forward to preserving our garden heritage in the twenty first century, it is essential to foster tomorrow’s horticultural leaders. The Fellowship offers an opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to manage an exceptional garden and develop it for public education and enjoyment.
The Fellowship has fostered a number of promising professionals, who have elevated the level of maintenance and horticultural distinction of these exceptional gardens and each of them has completed a special project such as a management plan, garden documentation or plant inventory. These skilled individuals have gone on to distinguish themselves in the field of public horticulture and to inspire in others a greater appreciation of excellence in horticulture, garden design and garden preservation. (For profiles of the Marco Polo Stufano Garden Conservancy Fellows, please click on the Fellow Profile.)
For more information about the Fellowship, to become involved in supporting the Fellowship, or to apply for the current position, click here or call the Preservation Projects office at (845) 265-9396.