Plant Sciences undergraduate student Ashlynn McManus got to put her Sustainable Landscape Design coursework to work through her internship with UT Facilities Services Design Group. Ashlynn worked with the UT Facilities Services Design Group, under the Campus Landscape Architect, Ted Murphy, to create a design that would provide a naturalistic backdrop to the Robert D. Hatcher Jr. Educational Rock Garden, located on the east side of Strong Hall. Find out more about her experience below!

What year are you?

I am a third-year undergraduate student in the Department of Plant Sciences, concentrating in Sustainable Landscape Design.

When did you do this internship? Are you still interning with Facility Services?

I have been working as a student intern with the UT Facilities Services Design Group under the Campus Landscape Architect, Ted Murphy, since February 2024. I plan to continue this internship until I graduate.

How did you find this internship?

I learned about this position from my academic advisor, Mike Ross, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Plant Sciences’ Sustainable Landscape Design (SLD) concentration and the School of Landscape Architecture.

Can you talk more about your planting at Strong Hall? Why did you choose Strong Hall? How did you design it, choose the plants, etc.? How long did it take?

In my SLD courses, I have learned computational planting design skills such as AutoCAD and the Adobe Suite (i.e., Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign). I have had the opportunity to practice these skills in a workplace setting during my internship with UT Facilities. For each project with the Design Group, our team identifies areas around campus that would benefit from updated planting schemes. Recently, we were tasked with creating a design that would provide a naturalistic backdrop to the Robert D. Hatcher Jr. Educational Rock Garden, located on the east side of Strong Hall.

I visited Strong Hall to conduct an in-depth site analysis, which involved quantifying the existing conditions and layout of the space. I then selected an ideal plant palette suitable for the densely shaded area beneath the large oak trees using the NC Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. This tool allows you to filter plants that grow in the Southeastern United States based on prevailing site conditions. Afterward, I used Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to explore possible plant placements and color combinations.

Once the preliminary design was completed, I began arranging the agreed-upon plants in a scaled AutoCAD drawing, determining spacing requirements and mature sizes for each species by consulting various online resources. Throughout the process, I met with the Design Group for weekly meetings to gather professional feedback on my drawings. After incorporating the expert input, I finalized the designs, which were then sent to a design contractor for cost estimates and feasibility assessments. About a month after my initial site analysis, the design was successfully installed, thanks to the hard work of the Facilities Landscape Services team. Over the next few years, with upkeep and occasional replanting in sparse areas, the design will mature and evolve, providing a dynamic backdrop that highlights the Educational Rock Garden and makes the space more prominent for students and visitors passing by.

What is your next project (if you have one)?

The project I am currently working on will be installed in the bioswales along Volunteer Boulevard. My goal is to enhance the functionality and aesthetics of these swales, promoting optimal infiltration of stormwater runoff from the roads and nearby infrastructure. With newly installed plants, these swales will filter chemicals and toxins from the environment and prevent flooding in the surrounding area.

What makes the SLD concentration stand out, and why did you choose it?

For many people, spending time outside daily, weekly, or even monthly is a privilege they do not have. In many places, due to the constraints of daily life and community layout, areas rich with local plants and wildlife are scarce, preventing people from experiencing the benefits of being immersed in nature. Like all species, humans depend on the environment for survival and optimal mental and physical well-being, yet most of us are incredibly disconnected from it. Creating networks of native plantings that attract native birds, pollinators, and other wildlife is extremely important to me. All species—human and non-human alike—deserve habitats and accessible green spaces. The rendering techniques I have learned in my program help me make my ideas both visually digestible and logistically feasible. I wish more people knew about Sustainable Landscape Design and the invaluable knowledge this concentration provides to students who engage in it!

For more information about the Department of Plant Sciences Sustainable Landscape Design Concentration, click here.

For more information about UT Facilities Services, click here.

Are you a member of the Department of Plant Sciences and would like to be featured? If so, let us know by emailing Victoria Cavaliere at vcavalie@utk.edu.

By Victoria Cavaliere