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St. Jude Medical -- Restoration and Prairie Gardens on a Corporate Site Page 7 of 7 bluegrass lawn draw attention to the formal gardens when they are in bloom. Once the prairie matures, these lines will frame the native prairie and allow it to steal the stage in July, August, and September. Hagstrom's goals for this project were clear. They specified a prairie, a savanna, and gardens -- not a restoration. But the prairie and savanna on this site meet some of the requirements of a restoration. The model of oak savanna was very appropriate for this site. I believe design considerations had more impact than ecology when a "short dry prairie" was prescribed instead of a more mesic prairie with mixed tall and short grasses. It will be interesting to see if, over time, the taller grasses move into the short dry prairie. This restoration has structural integrity -- the plant materials fit the models and regional ecotypes were generally used. In addition, this landscape replicates some of the functions of an ecosystem such as handling water, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity. However, because the restored areas are small and not necessarily contiguous, the site cannot function as an ecosystem. Focusing on the plant material, and not the large scale ecosystem dynamics seems very appropriate for this project. The only thing that I question in this corporate landscape is the creek. Most of the site is bold and challenges us to expand our view of urban and suburban landscapes. The creek seems a concession to a romantic view of nature. With its stone edges cutting between the prairie and the woodland, it is more a back -yard water garden than a creek. One could argue that a romanticized approach to nature has a cultural and historical place in American life, and is appropriate here. (The true romantics are blind to the huge pump in the savanna that carries water to the head of the creek.) But, for me, the style of the creek detracts from the honesty and integrity of the rest of the design. It is possible that as the native vegetation along the creek matures there will be a more natural merging of rock and vegetation. A more deliberate transition zone from Hosta and Hemerocallis into the prairie might also help. CONCLUSION The landscape at St. Jude Medical is exciting and ambitious. The company had the courage to try something different and the wisdom to have specialists design, install, and maintain it. Hagstrom brought his love of native plants together with a sensitivity to human needs and perceptions. He has designed a truly inviting landscape that both gives pleasure and educates. Though some would not call this landscape a restoration, it helps one understand the continuum from garden to restoration. REFERENCES Information for this case study came from discussions with landscape architect Jim Hagstrom, reviewing project notes and blueprints, and site visits in August 1995 and April 1996. Return to the Restoration & Reclamation Review Home Page http: / /www.hort. agri. umn .edu /h5015 /96papers /gayner.htm 2/22/01 •