Friends of Secrest Arboretum (FSA) has a busy year coming up and I hope to see you at some or all these events! They could not happen without the support of volunteers and members.
New Grant
FSA was recently awarded a $3,000 grant from Enbridge Gas Ohio Fueling Futures to help Secrest convert all handheld gas-powered tools to battery powered tools. FSA did a 150% match to complete the conversion. Please read Matt Shultzman’s article for details and benefits.
Member Communications
FSA is working to be in closer touch with its members. Watch for emails about upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, projects, and other topics. We hope that members find these communications useful. (We do provide an opt-out option.)
Spring Plant Discovery Day Sale
Our Spring Sale is always a great opportunity to add interesting specimens to your plantings. As always Secrest staff and Master Gardener volunteers are available to answer your questions and to make suggestions. The members only presale is 3 pm to 4 pm on Friday, May 8th and the public sale 9 am to 12 pm on Saturday, May 9th. Members, as always, receive a 10% discount on their plant purchases from FSA.
Sixth Annual Music at the Arboretum Series
FSA is again partnering with ORMACO (Ohio Regional Music Arts and Cultural Outreach) for the sixth concert season of Music at the Arboretum. All concerts are scheduled for 6:30 pm at the John Streeter Garden Amphitheater with the Secrest Welcome and Education Center as a backup location. FSA will soon be mailing a donation request to support these concerts as FSA pays 100 percent of the artists’ fees.
Concerts are listed in the upcoming events section.
Fifth Annual Secrest Garden Fair
As described below FSA is again sponsoring the Garden Fair which will be held June 13th.
Secrest Select
The 2026 class of Secrest Select plants was approved at the December Secrest Arboretum Support Council meeting. The selections are listed in Paul Snyder’s article. Details for these winners will be added to our website this Spring. Winners from previous years are available at our website SecrestSelect.com. We also highlight these special plants at our plant sales with Secrest Select logos on the pots.
Board Members
FSA recently welcomed two new At Large Board members – Jill Miday and Jack Franz.
Final Thought
By the time this article is published, I will have been President of FSA for almost six years and have never had a better time volunteering. It is an extremely rewarding and educational position. The Board and I are starting to look for the next President as we would like to have a transition of a year or more. If you are interested or have questions about the role, please reach out to me at friendsofsecrest@gmail.com.
–Bob Everett, President, Friends of Secrest Arboretum
Conversion to Battery Power
We are excited to announce that late last year, Secrest Arboretum was awarded the Enbridge Gas Ohio Fueling Futures grant.
The funds, along with a generous contribution from Friends of Secrest Arboretum, have been used to purchase a full lineup of commercial grade, battery powered, handheld power equipment to replace existing gas-powered handheld equipment. The Secrest staff chose to purchase primarily Stihl products so that batteries will be interchangeable between various pieces of equipment. Items purchased includes two chainsaws, one telescoping pole saw, two string trimmers, one backpack blower, two backpack sprayers, a pressure washer, a handheld hedge trimmer and saw, two pairs of pruners, along with eight batteries and two battery chargers.
With a major decrease in noise and air pollution, and a major increase in productivity and efficiency, this will be a massive improvement for not only our staff operating and maintaining the equipment but also for the Secrest visitor, allowing for a quieter, more enjoyable experience in our beautiful gardens.
Thank you to everyone involved for making this happen and thank you to Enbridge Gas Ohio for investing in our community.
–Matt Shultzman, Program Coordinator shultzman.2@osu.edu