Inspiration in solitude

I could not speak more highly of my time working at Spring Grove. Out of all of my horticultural jobs, this opportunity allowed me the most time to self-identify species and apply my secondary education. This was the perfect complementary work-study! It was the quietest work space I’ve had in my life thus far. Ironically, it was also the loudest work space with the 17-year cicada emergence of Brood X, which emphasized the importance of personal protective equipment (PPE) (hear video below).

Most of my day-to-day tasks involved routine landscape maintenance - limbing trees, mulching, invasive plant removal, turf care. There were also many first-time experiences, such as using wood chippers and learning about pesticide application. I would equate working at Spring Grove as a parallel to a national park, with tombstones and mausoleums peppering the background. What a magical and mysterious place!

Spring Grove Cemetery is a U.S. Historic National Landmark (1 of 7 national cemeteries to hold this status) and the third largest cemetery in the United States, measuring in at 715 acres, with 450 acres currently utilized. It is also an ArbNet Level III arboretum (1 of 47), which has accredited 738 international locations. As of 2024, Spring Grove is also listed in the Morton Register of Arboreta, which contains 2,476 international arboreta, spanning 42 countries. Accreditation criteria can be viewed here, but the most impressive checkmark for Level III and Level IV is the requirement of a minimum of 500+ labeled woody plant species and must also engage in conservation efforts. Spring Grove also houses 24 Champion Trees for the state of Ohio, 1 of which is a National Tree Champion (September Elm, Ulmus serotina).