Aligning with Nature
By Peter Wimberg, CGC Board President Elect
As a lifelong resident of Cincinnati, I’ve come to deeply appreciate the rich history of our city. From its early settlement and the origins of its name to our remarkable architecture, vibrant residents, thriving businesses, diverse restaurants and passionate sports teams, there is much to be proud of. The 82-year history of the Civic Garden Center (CGC) aligns perfectly with this tradition of organizations making a meaningful impact in our community.
While I sometimes fear that we are losing our connection to the natural world, the CGC serves as a vital resource to keep us grounded. It offers classes on everything from starting a vegetable garden to eradicating invasive species. The CGC leads efforts to bring gardening to areas that lack green spaces, creating working gardens that serve as sources of hands-on education and community pride. It unites people from across the region in understanding, working with and appreciating the natural world.
My love of plants, particularly native plants, is nurtured by my time in the woods. Be it on my bike, exploring trails in the Smokey Mountains or walking around the local park, being close to native habitats inspires the plant selection I’ve made for my own garden’s design. I’ll admit I think it’s almost impossible to replicate what we see in nature in a residential landscape by purposefully planting it. Nature just does a better job of dispersing the plants, but we can get close and have fun doing it. I love ferns and wildflowers and grasses and flowering shrubs, and lots of them. I’d rather pull a few weeds (weeds have a difficult time taking hold in a densely planted landscape) and divide plants than mow a lawn. It’s just more fun and peaceful.
I consider myself incredibly fortunate that, at a young age, I chose to do odd jobs in the neighborhood, such as lawn mowing and pulling weeds, to earn some money. Over the past 45 years, this has evolved into a career not only for me but also for family members and hundreds of people who have been part of our Wimberg Landscaping team. Spending a career in an industry that works with plants, navigates the extremes of weather and changing seasons, and offers creative solutions for improving and maintaining the environment has been both challenging and rewarding.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my work has been the native plant movement and the desire to have our gardens becoming more aligned with nature. Movements take root (excuse the garden pun) and slowly establish a strong following of thoughtful gardeners and landscape designers working to improve our garden experience.
Extreme adopters of the movement have taken the stance that all lawns are bad and should be eliminated. I often find that in landscape movements, as with just about anything in life, the extreme is never realistic. Somewhere in the middle is where most homeowners will fall—between being solely driven by our lawns and a desire to create a more natural landscape.
Bringing my experience and love for plants to the CGC and continuing to learn from fellow board members, the staff and the CGC community is truly a privilege. I’m ready to dig in, in more ways than one!