Riverwalk Flowers and Trees: A Walk with Riverwalk Park Specialist, Tiffani Howell

Created on Monday, 13 May 2013 16:15

Written by Sue Omanson

On Arbor Day, April 26, I had the opportunity to walk along the Riverwalk with Tiffani Howell, the Naperville Park District’s new parks specialist who will be managing the beautiful Riverwalk flower beds this summer.

Tiffani Howell, Riverwalk Park Specialist.

Appreciating the Value of our Trees
On Arbor Day, we selected nine trees along the Riverwalk to mark with tags provided by the Morton Arboretum to promote the environmental benefits of trees.  We measured the circumference of each tree at breast height (4 ½ feet from the base of the tree), divided by pi (3.14) to find the diameter, and then entered the diameter and species name into the benefits calculator at www.treebenefits.com.  The benefits calculator returns the estimated annual value of the tree, including its ability to absorb rainwater on site, conserve energy, clean the air, raise property values, and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. For example,
• The linden tree in the photo has a diameter of 20.4 inches and provides an estimated annual environmental benefit of $164.
• A honey locust tree with a diameter of 17.8 inches provides $204 in environmental benefits.

The larger the tree, the more benefits it gives; however, young trees that are well cared for will soon grow larger and will return benefits for years to come.

Try This at Home
 To calculate the value of your trees at home, you can use the benefits calculator mentioned above or contact the Morton Arboretum at www.mortonarb.org.

About Tiffani Howell
Tiffani comes to the Naperville Park District from the Morton Arboretum, where she managed Arbor Court and the Maze Garden. With a B.S. in horticulture from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, she is familiar with trees and all kinds of landscape plantings; however, what she enjoys most is managing flower beds. Tiffani is looking forward to working with the Riverwalk’s 30 flower beds, caring for the annuals already ordered for this summer and beginning the design of the 2014 flower beds.

I asked Tiffani how she approaches the design of flower beds. “I start with a color theme and choose an exciting plant to feature in the arrangement. Next, I look for other plants that will bring out the color and blend it into the surrounding landscape,” she said.

Tulip Bulb Sale on May 17
Before the 2013 annuals can be planted, the tulips that bloomed late this year will be removed and placed in bags for the Park District’s Tulip Bulb Sale on Friday, May 17. Tulips from the Riverwalk and Park District Administration Building will be sold for $3 a dozen beginning at 8:00 a.m. at the Riverwalk Pavilion near the Administration Building parking lot.  The sale is open to the public and will continue until the bulbs are sold. There is a limit of ten bags per customer.

Examples of some of the varieties of bulbs available for purchase on May 17.