One of the perks Nova Southeastern University boasts about to new and prospective students is the beautiful scenery on campus. NSU’s campus is lush with many different species of plants and flowers, but who actually decides what landscaping displays go where and what sort of plants to use?
Jeff Heard is the grounds supervisor for the Physical Plant at NSU. Heard explained that multiple teams of people oversee the construction of new landscaping as well as upkeeping the landscaping that NSU currently has.
“We have new landscaping that we’re continuously evolving and working, but for what I like to call the landscape enhancement work, where we’re continuously caring for and improving the natural elements on campus, that is done by myself and the Office of Physical Plant,” Heard said.
One such landscaping project that Heard oversees is the changing of flower beds to match the season.
“In the summer, you might see gold and red flowers around campus, but in the winter you might see tropical impatiens from New Guinea. We have a diverse palette of plants and I think it’s nice for students to walk around and see how the plants evolve,” said Heard.
When NSU has new major landscaping ideas, they consult with a general contractor and the design must be approved by the town of Davie. In the last few years, the Office of Physical Plant has also worked with a Tree Committee in association with Tree Campus Higher Education.
“The committee features a faculty member and a student manager who work with the facilities team and give us insight and ideas. We talk about conservation issues and which plant species are best suited,” Heard said.
Paul Arena is an associate professor in the department of biological sciences and the faculty advisor for NSU’s Nature Club. He said that one of Nature Club’s objectives on campus is to work on the removal of invasive or non-native plants on campus and replace them with native plant species.
“I wasn’t really focusing on the importance of using native species until I became aware of the issues the state has with invasive species and how it impacts the local environment, and now I really try to make people more aware of these issues,” Arena said.
Arena explained that invasive plant species can end up altering the surrounding environment and negatively impacting the local flora and fauna.
While the facilities team does collaborate with the Tree Committee to follow city guidelines and try to plant as many native species as possible, Heard says that NSU is gifted with a unique tropical environment that can support many beautiful plant species from all over the world.
“A special plant we have all over campus are palm trees, which actually come from all over the world and are cultivated right here in South Florida, so it’s really a mix of thinking about conservation while also safely circulating aesthetics,” Heard said.
If students are ever concerned about whether a landscaping display might be invasive to the environment on campus, they can bring it to the attention of clubs on campus who can work alongside facilities to replace the display with equally beautiful native plants. Both Arena and Heard agreed that they work hard to make the campus beautiful, while also respecting the native species of plants that grow in South Florida.
