Bob Byers, associate executive director for Garvan Woodland Gardens, seems right at home at the botanical garden where he spent more than 20 years as resident landscape architect.
He and Susan Harper, the garden's visitors services director, sat outside the Pratt Welcome Center on Thursday with peacocks strolling and calling nearby. Harper pointed out how close the birds stay to Byers and called him the "peacock daddy," as he first proposed their presence some years back.
Byers became fully immersed in the 210-acre botanical offering of the University of Arkansas when he was named the full-time garden curator in September 1994. But now, Byers has decided to leave Hot Springs and become director of Texas' Fort Worth Botanical Garden beginning April 20.
His beginnings in landscape architecture go back to when he was a child, he said Thursday.
"I was probably 5 or 6, and I talked my dad into giving me a row in the vegetable garden. I planted petunias and beets and Indian corn. The petunias didn't come up, the beets didn't do anything, but I made three little old ears of Indian corn, and I just thought it was the coolest thing in the whole world," he said.
Early work at the gardens included documenting what philanthropist and namesake Verna Cook Garvan had done in years before -- planting rare specimens on the property -- and developing a comprehensive topography plan.
In 1996, the first master plan was created, and for the next 10 years a large part of his job was to make sure personnel understood the vision of the garden and to oversee their actions, ensuring all were sympathetic to both the vision and plan.
"We actually made a lot more progress in the first 10 years than we expected," he said.
One person instrumental to that progress was David Slawson, who designed the garden's renowned Japanese style Garden of the Pine Wind. Byers said Slawson has been a great source of inspiration over the years.
"He's really intuitive and really in touch with the way people respond to landscapes emotionally, which was helpful to me and very formative in the way I thought about gardens," Byers said of his mentor.
Another influence has been visiting other public gardens. He's likely seen 150, he said.
"If there's such a thing as a garden geek, I'm him," Byers said.
Among Byers' own contributions to the botanical garden has been the highly popular Holiday Lights, featured each November and December.
He said the first year, staff members got started late hanging bulbs. Then, every weekend of the display, it rained. "It was just flooded," he said.
Harper and Byers laughed, remembering the low figure of about 485 visitors that Christmastime, compared with 2014's more than 65,000 guests for the winter offering.
He also enjoyed the creation of the Evans Celebration Garden, which he designed with help from former intern Shannon Wallace. The feature is a source of pride in his career, he said.
"It just turned out to be so much exactly what we wanted."
Byers' last major project has yet to reach construction. In the planning stages for the past four years, the "tree space" is projected for completion in mid- to late 2016. He has aimed to challenge people's ideas of what a treehouse is and said of its design, "It doesn't look like anything you would have ever imagined."
Harper couldn't be more impressed by Byers and his work, she said Thursday.
With tears welling, she said, "Bob is the heart of the garden. I'm really going to miss him."
Though he told Harper in early March he'd be leaving, within a few hours of accepting the Texas position, she said, "I still haven't come to grips with it."
There are not yet plans for a successor, and Harper said it won't be easy to find someone new.
"It's a big, big hole for Garvan," she said.
She is, however, thrilled for his prospect of a new leadership role and is certain Fort Worth will benefit from his presence and expertise. "He's an absolute walking encyclopedia of knowledge," she said, and "a terrific guy."
Byers' bon voyage reception will be from 4-7 p.m. April 13 at the pavilion, weather permitting, with remarks and presentations at 5:30 p.m. Cake and punch will be served and the public is welcome.
Harper grinned through misty eyes and said attendees should bring their own tissues.
Byers said he plans to visit Garvan as often as he can.
"We'll make sure he doesn't have to pay when he comes back," Harper said.
NW News on 04/06/2015