Horticultural science students win design scholarships
From left are Dr. Pat Lindsey and her students Chris Reid, Erica Pineiro and Chris Erwin at the Wakefield Renaissance site.
Photo by Art Latham
Not long before their May graduation from N.C. State University, Christopher Reid and Chase Erwin each won a $1,500 scholarship from Wakefield Development Co. The awards came in recognition of the drought-tolerant landscape the two College of Agriculture and Life Sciences students designed for a village green at Raleigh’s Renaissance Park community.
Reid’s and Erwin’s winning design, “Olio Trace,” combines elements of historic Tryon Palace architecture with an appeal to Generation X lifestyles and includes drought-tolerant ornamental grasses, trees and perennials, as well as open-space pockets. On-site work began on implementing their design in mid-June, Erwin said.
Reed, Erwin and other students in Dr. Pat Lindsey’s principles in plant design course in the CALS Horticultural Science Department first visited the site early in the spring semester. They then created and presented drought-tolerant design plans.
In the first project of this kind in the department, Lindsey asked the class to incorporate both low-maintenance “hardscapes,” which include structural elements and produce a strong sense of design, and “softscapes,” which include a plant and grass selection attractive to birds and butterflies. They also had to include an educational component for homeowners.
“This project was huge,” said Erwin. “It took two months and probably a couple hundred hours collectively between us to complete. But the opportunity was too great not to put everything into it.
“Money is always motivation for a college student,” he said, “but for us, the idea of seeing a real design come into fruition was the ultimate push. We do countless designs in school that never get implemented, so the appeal starts to wear off towards your senior year. You find yourself saying, ‘Oh, just another design that vanishes into thin air.’ So when we were selected, the excitement and relief were immeasurable.
“It was the icing on the cake for our senior year.”
The winning team was chosen by a panel of industry experts, with input from Renaissance Park residents.
— Art Latham
Reid’s and Erwin’s winning design, “Olio Trace,” combines elements of historic Tryon Palace architecture with an appeal to Generation X lifestyles and includes drought-tolerant ornamental grasses, trees and perennials, as well as open-space pockets. On-site work began on implementing their design in mid-June, Erwin said.
Reed, Erwin and other students in Dr. Pat Lindsey’s principles in plant design course in the CALS Horticultural Science Department first visited the site early in the spring semester. They then created and presented drought-tolerant design plans.
In the first project of this kind in the department, Lindsey asked the class to incorporate both low-maintenance “hardscapes,” which include structural elements and produce a strong sense of design, and “softscapes,” which include a plant and grass selection attractive to birds and butterflies. They also had to include an educational component for homeowners.
“This project was huge,” said Erwin. “It took two months and probably a couple hundred hours collectively between us to complete. But the opportunity was too great not to put everything into it.
“Money is always motivation for a college student,” he said, “but for us, the idea of seeing a real design come into fruition was the ultimate push. We do countless designs in school that never get implemented, so the appeal starts to wear off towards your senior year. You find yourself saying, ‘Oh, just another design that vanishes into thin air.’ So when we were selected, the excitement and relief were immeasurable.
“It was the icing on the cake for our senior year.”
The winning team was chosen by a panel of industry experts, with input from Renaissance Park residents.
— Art Latham