In Profile: Melissa Martin capitalizes on her passion for horticulture
When she is not tilling the soil in her garden, hiking or fossil collecting, you can often find Texas Tech alumna Melissa Martin strolling through the tropical butterfly house or the 7.5 acres of landscaped grounds that make up the Texas Discovery Gardens in Dallas. As executive director of the second-oldest botanical institution in Texas, gardens are more than just a job for Martin; they are a way of life.
"My fate really was sealed when I was in high school," she said. "I was blessed with a progressive teacher who taught my advanced biology class. We spent our class time wading chest-high in ponds, measuring tree densities in the forest and learning how to study and collect data, which culminated in an once-in-a-lifetime study trip to the Cloud Forest in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Nothing inside ever interested me again."
Still, Martin was not sure of her future. Despite enjoying her biology experiences outdoors, Martin said she was uncertain about what she wanted to study when she arrived at Texas Tech.
After a couple of stops along the way, Martin settled into a major in ornamental horticulture. She was given the opportunity to gain experience working in her field of study in the Department of Plant and Soil Science. It was here, Martin said, she learned how to be resourceful and work hard.
Today Martin calls Dallas home, but a piece of her resides in West Texas and with Texas Tech. She said she looks back at her time in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources with fondness for her professors and their enthusiasm for their subjects.
These days, in addition to promoting horticulture education programs, she wears many hats as the executive director of Texas Discovery Gardens, a non-profit botanical garden located on city park land in Dallas.
Texas Discovery Gardens features native plants and species from around the world that have been adapted to grow in the North Texas region. All of the gardens' plants provide a beneficial habitat for native wildlife like birds, butterflies and bugs. In 2003, Texas Discovery Gardens became the first 100-percent-organic public garden in Texas.
Today, Martin's home gardens as well as the Texas Discovery Gardens are run organically. The gardens are maintained using methods that help conserve water and protect the environment. From maintenance issues to getting her hands dirty by planting the gardens' annual plants, Martin is involved in many aspects of her field.
Martin considers herself lucky to be involved with the gardens not only as an administrator but also as a teacher. "The thing I enjoy most is teaching and connecting people with nature," Martin said. "I love seeing the interest people have in gardening, especially those who are just starting to learn how to plant and take care of their first garden. They are so eager to learn everything they get me excited too."
Written by Bonnie Rose & Kendall Rompf
CONTACT: Thomas Thompson, professor and chairman, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2838 or thomas.thompson@ttu.edu
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Davis College NewsCenter
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