Celebrating 30 Years of Growth at the Western Kentucky Botanical Garden
Writer’s note: As a journalism teacher, I rarely let my students tell a story in first person in an informative piece. However, it is 2023; anything goes. I’m writing this article from a picnic table in the semi-shade at Holiday World, which is – as far as outdoor venues where there is some effort at landscaping- the exact opposite of the Zen of the Western Kentucky Botanical Garden.
Just 48 hours ago, I set out to meet with the Tylers at the Botanical Garden and talk to them about their contributions to what has become a community showpiece. After driving down West Parrish and realizing – like I do every single time I begin to go to the WKBG – that after nearly 20 years in Owensboro, I still don’t know where I am on that side of the county- I sat down with the venerable couple in the cool, calm serenity of the cottage.
The distinguished couple – for they certainly are distinguished – in their manner, dress (no Generation X gardener would look as put together as they do while playing in the dirt), and the regard in which they are held locally- are gracious. They have been interviewed numerous times about their involvement in the garden, yet were totally willing to go through it all again for me. Throughout our time together, I was struck by the partnership of their repartee. It’s easy to see how their partnership played a role in, and continues to influence, the success of the garden.
“When we owned the Weatherberry (the former bed and breakfast that now serves as the welcome and events center for WKBG) the master gardener club would meet on the back porch and talk of creating a botanical garden, and that’s really where it started,” Susie recalls with fondness.
As has been well documented, the couple donated the acreage for the garden and Bill, a master gardener who describes himself as having “always been interested in environmental issues and enjoyed aspects of gardening,” led much of the original design and planting with the assistance of an army of volunteers organized by Susie. Bill says, “In the beginning, we just kind of went forth with the attitude of ‘If people like it and support it, fine; if they don’t, well we’ll put it back in soybeans.”
For the couple, it is difficult to separate the origins of the garden from the experiences they had in the ten years they operated the Weatherby. Together, they remember that in the 1990s, they hosted many visitors from faraway places. Wax Works brought people from the movie business, KWC brought speakers from around the country, and the Weatherby accommodated notables such as the Bidens and Ralph Nader. They also hosted many people who were looking to start or relocate businesses, and Susie says, “We learned they were interested in quality of life more than things like tax breaks.” The Tylers felt that this desire blended perfectly with the idea of a botanical garden, which attracts tourists and events. “Honestly, it’s just worked out wonderfully,” she states.
Bill, who is a retired specialist in internal medicine, is proud of the opportunity the garden offers people to experience nature. “The healing power of nature is well documented,” he says. “We want to be sure that people can continue to see and learn about different plants and enjoy the environment of the garden.” Nature’s correlation to science and medicine presents itself over and over again in the garden, he says, explaining that just as in people, bugs in a garden get resistant to treatments and new ones pop up. “A few years ago, there was a terrible rose virus.
Of course, the rose garden is a big draw, and we nearly had to tear it all out. We waited, and the next year it was less, and then less again the next year, and now there’s almost no problem.”
Daylilies, for which Dr. Tyler is renowned for hybridizing, remain his favorite element of the garden. They are Susie’s favorite, too. The pair, who still spend 30 to 40 hours a week at the garden “doing things that need to be done,” such as dead heading and watering, continue to adjust to the changes and progress at the garden.
Executive Director Laurna Strehl says she is happy the couple has been able to witness the enhancement and transformation of the garden. She says, “They have shared their passion and have inspired others to bring the garden to the best it’s ever been.”
