A Behind-the-Ivy Look into What—and Who—Keeps UChicago’s Landscape Thriving

Main Quad, Harper Quad, Crerar Quad.
Ida Noyes, Swift Hall, Hull Court.

What links these iconic UChicago locations together?

The unifying thread is the hard work done by the University of Chicago Landscape Services Team, who carefully maintain the vegetation on campus.

Managing more than 20 gardens and over 4,000 trees on a more than 200 acre campus, UChicago Landscape Services works tirelessly to not only ensure a quality landscape known for its radiant look but also prioritize the health of its thousands of animal and plant species that inhabit UChicago. From developing schematic designs to reintroducing wildlife to Botany Pond, every choice is intentional down to the micro-details. Every landscaping decision builds on another, resulting in the University’s eye-catching flowers, trees, and critters that decorate the curves of gothic architecture.

UChicago Landscape Services successfully maintains the thriving ecosystem of campus while keeping in mind student and animal safety, avoiding existing barriers such as underground lines, and exercising practical sustainability practices. Despite many variables to consider, by adopting a well-designed system of dividing campus into North, Central, and South Zones and efficiently addressing the needs of UChicago community members and wildlife, members of UChicago Landscape Services can provide a welcoming environment for decades to come.

It’s All In The Details

When it comes to deciding which plants need tending during the day and during each season, even the smallest–perhaps imperceptible–detail makes a big difference. Each decision is measured carefully and made intentionally.

For example, collecting each tree’s identifying information is useful for determining when a tree should be replaced or if its species will be impacted by a disease. Each specific tree’s age, size, species, and condition is recorded to examine its health at different points in time. This information helps determine what the ecological state of campus may look like decades into the future. The ArborScope Campus Tree Inventory, an online database that houses this data, is updated every five years, with the next update being scheduled for this upcoming year.

Being able to predict the condition of campus in advance establishes a foundation for the landscape’s ecological success. Tracking the life cycle of a living organism on campus keeps growth and bloom in sync throughout the seasons and provides insight into when pruning or tree removal should take place.

“Seasonal tree and shrub pruning is completed on a yearly basis and structural pruning is completed as needed. When a tree reaches the end of its lifespan and must be removed, we schedule the removal and replacement. A wide range of trees with varying genera, species, and families are selected. This helps protect against insects or diseases that can pose a risk of major canopy loss. The original UChicago landscape plans contained monocultures of trees that were devastated by disease and pests,” Kathleen Golomb, Manager of Campus Environment, explains. “Diversity of species, especially among trees, is vital.”

This detailed decision-making is also reflected in the process of deciding which project the Campus Environment Team should move forward with.

“It’s about looking at priorities, where our budget might fall, areas the University is looking to grow, adjacent projects…so there’s a lot that goes into these decisions,” explains Katie Martin Peck, Associate Director of Campus Environment.

Precise decision-making is essential, as every choice must ensure the thriving success of the UChicago landscape.

Beauty That Doesn’t Disrupt

Students are an integral part of the UChicago community, and the UChicago Grounds Department works intentionally to be considerate of their experiences on campus. Ongoing classes, transition periods, and sports events are all accounted for when deciding when and where landscaping work should be done.

Lead groundskeepers Crishawn Cook, Arturo Ortiz, and Keith Bayes start their work early in the morning before the Quad or surrounding classrooms and offices crowd with busy students, faculty, and staff. They make sure to finish any work that requires loud tools like lawn mowers, blowers, or weed wackers before 8:00 a.m. They also ensure any projects underway do not disrupt the flow of bustling students during the day.

More than tending to any plants’ needs, they are also responsible for students’ safety (especially during the winter season) by plowing snow, salting the stairs, and cleaning the entryways, ADA ramps, campus docks, and 15+ campus parking lots.

“We know you guys have classes,” Cook says, “so we try to not disrupt the classes.”

Horticulturist Emma Thran, who works closely with UChicago Grounds, adds, “Because we are on an early schedule, we are usually done with the bulk of our work before students are even getting to campus.”

Directly informing students and involving them in UChicago’s sustainability practices is one of UChicago’s biggest goals. Maureen McMahon, Communications and Engagement Specialist for the Office of Sustainability, shares, “We want to create a culture of students who identify as caring about the environment. We have a student sustainability pledge. The idea is to foster dialogue, engagement, and sustainable everyday actions.”

What challenges hide under the dirt?

More than just selecting which flower color would look best in what corner of campus, there are also limiting factors to take into consideration when developing new landscaping ideas. One of the biggest challenges is posed underground. With hundreds of utilities, water, gas, sewer, and streamlines to account for, there is a need for strategic planning. Peck and her team always consider whether a landscaping choice is safe and practical as well as beautiful. One of these choices involved reusing the existing sandstone and working around two Bur Oak trees that have stood outside Swift Hall since before 1890, when UChicago was founded.

Though every microdetail matters, not every area of campus is well traveled. Thran shares that “sometimes there are areas where you could put all the work you want into it and no one is going to see it.” Next time you’re taking a walk through campus, look out for the tiny details that Thran and her team worked hard on.

The experience of landscaping on the Quad is very different. “People recognize your work more,” Cook shares. “Good people, they pass by everyday, compliment you, ask you how you’re doing.” Cook enjoys working on frequently visited spaces like the Quad, more than the less gratifying low-traffic spaces.

Looking Forward To Spring

This spring season, Botany Pond will enter a new stage in its renovation process. The reintroduction of native plants and pollinators is an exciting opportunity for the health of campus.

“We are starting to bring in more native plants and pollinators as a big move for sustainability,” Peck says. “They’re there and providing all sorts of benefits for our environment, even if it’s not the most in-your-face-thing.” Recently, Botany Pond has also received its first filtration system, a natural filtration system, which Peck notes as a great change because it relies on water movement and healthy bacteria to filter the water, as opposed to a traditional mechanical system.

An eye-catching addition to Botany Pond this summer will be the reintroduction of wildlife. Thran for one couldn’t help her excitement when she said, “We’re going to be getting some wildlife back!” The team will monitor the microorganism population added this past fall and add more if appropriate. Ducks have already started to return on their own, and this summer they will introduce snails, tadpoles, fish, and turtles.

Even The Trees Prepare For Convocation

As the big day approaches for graduating students entering a new phase in their lives, campus prepares to exhibit a new look. Golomb describes this transition as the time to “gear up and restore campus” as we exit another winter season.

In preparation for the big day, the team must be mindful of the life cycle of pollinators that the vegetation attracts. Dead plant material from garden beds, Thran explains, usually remains untouched during the winter season for sustainability purposes, because pollinators hibernate beneath the leaf litter. When winter comes to an end, pollinators come out of hibernation and the cleanup process begins.

In preparation for Convocation, Cook and Thran share a similar feeling of taking on more of a leadership role than what their typical day-to-day responsibilities involve.

Cook describes this as shifting into a more “hands on role” because his focus is no longer only on the North Zone of campus but on all three zones: North, Central, and South. His goal during this period is to ensure that everything is ready to welcome students and families exploring campus. He shares, “I try to make everything as perfect as possible.”

Thran explains the fluid nature of her role as one where there is an “ebb and flow of energy,” especially during the transitions between seasons or important events.

“I know during Convocation that I am bouncing around trying to address anywhere anyone can see [weeds].”

Thank you!

Through rain or shine, snow or heat, the UChicago Landscaping Services Team proves that landscaping, especially for an expansive environment like UChicago's campus, requires a sharp eye, a focused mind, and multi-tasking skills.

Thank you to the UChicago Grounds Department and Office of Sustainability for taking the time to provide us with insights on the kind of work you do.

To all the hardworking individuals constantly caring for the UChicago campus, we recognize and thank you for all your efforts! Your carefully thought-out work and impact on this campus does not go unnoticed.

Explore the campus gardens through the garden map.