Guy Robbins worked for 25 years transforming the UT Martin grounds into a showplace college-campus setting. The Guy Robbins Hosta Garden at Discovery Park of America in Union City, named for the longtime horticulturist, now stands as a tribute to Robbins’ university work and his contributions to landscape horticulture in the region. Family members and friends gathered to honor Robbins with a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 11 for the new plant feature, which is located within DPA’s larger American Garden near the park’s familiar chapel.
DPA is a 50-acre heritage park that includes a 100,000-square-foot museum, which welcomes more than 250,000 visitors annually. Among DPA’s features is an immaculate, creatively designed landscape managed by John Watkins who grew up near the Robbins Nursery and home. Watkins attended UT Martin from 1983-88 and began learning his craft as a student grounds worker under Robbins.
Scott Williams, DPA president and CEO, welcomed attendees and thanked Robbins “for the inspiration and knowledge that he has shared not only with John but with countless others who share a love of horticulture and landscape design.”
Robbins’ son, Scott, also thanked those attending, and he recognized his father’s long commitment to horticulture.
“Dad, we’re proud of you, all of us are, he said. “You’ve done a great job, and this hosta garden is going to be a great thing for people to walk through and know that Guy Robbins was a big part of horticulture in the Northwest Tennessee area.”
Guy Robbins earned his bachelor’s degree from UT Martin and a master’s degree from Mississippi State University. Before returning to Martin to manage the university’s grounds, he was senior horticulturist for the Memphis Park Commission and director of the Memphis Botanic Garden. He retired from UT Martin in 1995.
Watkins came to DPA in March 2013 just before the park’s official opening and recalled asking Robbins more than a decade ago about adding hostas to the DPA landscape. Robbins responded, saying, “Well, John, where are you going to put them?” The new landscape was still taking shape, and no shade was available to support a hosta garden. Now with trees and shade in place, the Guy Robbins Hosta Garden is a reality.
Watkins told the audience about his brothers working for the UT Martin grounds crew while they attended the university and heard their stories about working with Robbins. He joined the grounds crew soon after enrolling in UT Martin, and in time, John added his own stories, recalling one that spoke to how Robbins treated people.
“I didn’t really know what I was doing, but at some point in there, Guy came to me, and he said, ‘John, they are rebuilding the football stadium and making a new entrance. There’s a bunch of plants over there, plus the greenhouse – go pick out a bunch of those and go lay that out and plant it.’” Robbin’s confidence in his student worker, who was willing to learn, resulted in a new visual experience for fans entering the stadium.
Watkins noted the similarities in their careers as the years have progressed.
“We both graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin,” Watkins said. “We both pursued a master’s degree. … We both worked with some private families … and we went from there to both being the grounds director at college campuses.
“Not only that, but he started up the All-America Selection Garden at UT Martin, and we have just added one here (at DPA), so again, things kind of repeat themselves.”
Both were also members of the Professional Grounds Management Society while working at college campuses. He told of Robbins’ work leading UT Martin to earn a national Grand Award from the Professional Grounds Management Society in 1993. Decades later at Berry College in Mt. Berry, Georgia, Watkins led that campus to win a similar award for one of the best-maintained college campuses in the U.S.
“I just want to thank you so much,” Watkins said as he spoke directly to Robbins from the podium. “It meant so much to me for you to get me started in horticulture, and it’s come full circle where I can honor you back a little bit today.”
The new hosta garden had been completed about a month at the time of the ribbon cutting. The plants are noted for their beautiful leaves in varied sizes, which can range from green to multicolored. The American Hosta Society says that more than 10,000 varieties of hostas exist, according to Watkins, and DPA will continue add plants to the collection. He chose hostas for the garden because of his personal fascination with the plants and seeing Robbins grow them at his nursery, which provided more than half of the current planting.
Following the program and ribbon-cutting, Watkins remembered what he learned from the veteran horticulturist that has most influenced his own career.
“He was very creative with what plant materials he used and where he planted around campus,” Watkins said. “He was obviously very trusting. … He knew kind of how to inspire people and then turn them loose and let them go do it, and that’s the way I wanted to be treated.
“That’s how I hope I treat my workers now, and it’s just a good way to treat everybody.”
UT Martin Chancellor Emeritus Nick Dunagan and his wife, Cathy, whose family once lived near the Robbins, were among those attending the ribbon cutting. Guy was among the first people Nick met at UT Martin when he joined the university’s administration in 1973. He remembered Robbins as a popular speaker when he talked with groups about his horticulture work.
“In addition to helping shape the careers of folks like John Watkins, he was the primary reason that UT Martin developed a regional and national reputation for its beautiful landscaping,” Dunagan said. “The fact that his hostas will continue to be available to the people of this area through Discovery Park makes me smile and so happy for Guy.”
“Inspire children and adults to see beyond” is both a mission statement and a promise to Discovery Park of America visitors. The Guy Robbins Hosta Garden speaks to that mission and now serves as a living reminder of a man who inspired others through his knowledge and love for plants, which he used to make his corner of the world a more beautiful place.
PHOTO: Family members and friends gathered June 11 to officially name the Guy Robbins Hosta Garden at Discovery Park of America in Union City. The new plant feature, named for longtime UT Martin horticulturist Guy Robbins, is located within DPA’s larger American Garden near the park’s familiar chapel. Pictured are (l-r) Stacey Hicks, Guy Robbins’ daughter; Shelley and Scott Robbins, Guy Robbin’s son; Guy Robbins; John Watkins, DPA director of grounds; and Marti Nonemaker, Guy Robbins’ daughter. Tessa Ann Maloney, granddaughter of Scott Robbins, is pictured lower left.
