Written by: Anne Poarch, Director of Advancement for Capital Trees

In early February, I had the opportunity to attend the CVNLA Winter Symposium at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, Growing Wellness: Plants, People, and a Thriving Planet. The day was rich not only in information, but in feeling — a reminder that our work in public greenspace is as much about the human spirit as it is about horticulture.

What Was Personally Interesting

What struck me most was the emotion bubbling to the surface. 

Dr. Juliet Sargeant reframed gardening in a way that brought feelings of joy.  Her approach for “cultivating nature” felt grounding and expansive, and her practical creativity — like mud kitchens for children — offered simple, sensory invitations for young people to reconnect with soil and imagination.

There was also sadness. One statistic lingered: the likelihood of children regularly visiting greenspaces has halved in a single generation. That reality underscores both urgency and opportunity.

And then, I felt hopeful.

Hearing how institutions and municipalities — from Salem, Oregon’s water district to the Oregon State Penitentiary — are embracing Japanese healing garden principles demonstrated leadership willing to turn toward the earth as a source of restoration. Hoichi Kurisu’s language of “fostering” rather than “maintenance” resonated with me. The shift felt subtle but powerful.

Closer to home, our Executive Director, Shelly Barrick Parsons’ presentation affirmed that Capital Trees is already at the forefront of these forward-thinking concepts. Her words reflected the healing power of shared landscapes and the role our organization plays in shaping places that invite gathering, belonging, and renewal.

Photo credit: Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

What I Will Apply at Capital Trees

The symposium reinforced something central to our mission: we are not simply stewarding landscapes. We are fostering places of wellness. 

I am especially drawn to adopting the concept of “fostering”. What if yard work — or public greenspace work — were reframed as a peaceful act that feeds the soul? 

And how might we create more interactive elements — like mud kitchens or tactile planting spaces — within our public greenspaces to invite the next generation back into relationship with the earth?

Ultimately, the symposium affirmed that Capital Trees is not only planting and stewarding — we are cultivating wellness. As more leaders nationwide recognize the inherent power of turning to the earth for healing, we have an opportunity to continue shaping Richmond’s public greenspaces and gardens as places where people, plants, and pollinators thrive together.

The day left me with gratitude, clarity, and renewed hope.

And perhaps most importantly, a reminder that tending the land is also tending one another.