The Webster Arboretum has just gotten a little bit better.
Thanks to the efforts of 14-year old Eagle Scout Brandon Seeley, a new pergola has been installed at the very north end of the Arboretum.
A resident of Ontario, Brandon is a big fan of the Arboretum, so the project immediately interested him when he heard about it.
“When (my mentor) Mr. Fulkerson told me a little about it and what it consisted of,” he said, “I thought it would be a good project to do for them…. I really like it here. I thought it would be nice to give back to them for giving us all of the things they do here.”
The finished pergola — a kind of an open-air gazebo with a thatched or latticed roof, designed to support climbing plants — is large, measuring about 9′ x 15′ x 8′ tall. Brandon was assisted by a team of 16 fellow Scouts, family members and friends, who took less than a week last October to complete the project.
Brandon’s leadership, a critical part of every Eagle Scout project, also helped things run smoothly.
“I set out all the dates, told everyone what to do, and what to bring,” he said. “When everyone showed up here I gave everyone a different role to do so people weren’t just standing doing nothing.”
“I think everyone had a good time, and I really appreciate all their help coming out here.”
Webster Arboretum board member George Riehle acted as Brandon’s contact through the project’s completion. It was actually something the Arboretum has been planning for several years, only recently getting enough funding — and some willing hands — to complete it.
The plan is to create what Riehle calls a “fruit demonstration garden,” designed to introduce home gardeners to a variety of lesser-known fruiting vines and shrubs that grow well in our area, won’t take up a lot of space, and require little maintenance. Northern kiwi, for example, will be draped across the top of the pergola, and underneath that, several hazelnut shrubs. Other varieties filling beds in front of the pergola will include gooseberries, currants, honeyberries and dwarf cherries.
Riehle expects the planting to begin later this spring and be completed by next spring.
The pergola is located at the very north end of the Webster Arboretum, most easily accessible from the parking lot near the playground. It’s about 100 yards beyond the bridge.
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(posted 2/28/2024)
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