Take time to ‘stop and smell the flowers’ but don’t forget to thank the University’s Horticulturalist

If only one person on campus knows how to appreciate life, and stop and smell the flowers, it’s 54-year-old horticulturalist Steve Sweedler. He has made it his career to sell and design the appearance Plymouth State University for nearly 30 years.Early Thursday morning in the center of University, students played volleyball, Frisbee, and the guitar as others sprawled out enjoying the sunny afternoon on the fresh cut green grass. Sweedler reached toward a small tree, his clippers in hand, while he pruned back a branch or two. He stood about six feet tall and his face was seasoned by his work. He wore a green and tan plaid shirt, and tan Carhart pants that had small pruning tools sticking out of the back pocket. He greeted colleagues with a friendly smile and hello as they passed by him. Sweedler walks the campus to survey the different flowers, shrubs, plants, trees and some of his prior projects on and around the campus. He makes a habit of taking pictures of his landscaping projects so he can post them on his website. Most recently, he posted many of the flowerbeds that are now in full bloom.Sweedler sees horticulture as an art form, and uses his landscaping skills to give the Plymouth State campus a vibrant and animated atmosphere. “The appearance of the university is everything,” said Sweedler. His careful attention to the campus horticulture helps promote and sell PSU. Sweedler also keeps the smallest details in mind by carefully hand-picking the landscapes that amplify the attractiveness and welcoming nature of the PSU campus. He responds to the reality that when students and their families tour the campus, the landscape plays a big part in selling the school.With the recent arrival of spring, a new burst of colors has filled the campus and caught the public eye of potential students and their families. While Sweedler enjoys the awe-struck reactions from the Plymouth community, he says that some people on campus may take the landscaping for granted. They may forget that someone worked to beautify the grounds.With expertise and experience, Sweedler can name all of the plants, shrubs and flowers he has planted and tended to on campus. His knowledge of horticulture is seemingly endless, and always comes in handy for Sweedler’s work on campus. He explained that he would help pick out different trees to surround the new suite-style dorms of Langdon Woods according to the soil and placement of the buildings controlling shade, water, and so on. Sweedler and a team of landscapers and building designers were hired by the university, and will team up to pick and choose what they feel is best for the new landscape.Sweedler does not mind the collaboration because he has had the opportunity to plant some really unique natural features around the campus. For example, a tree like the “Camper Down”, recently transplanted to a focal point on campus, has a flat top and attracts much attention with its odd characteristics. The cherry blossoms also seem to help grab people’s attention.Sometimes plants must be dug up to expand the campus. When this happened, Sweedler has done his best to save and relocate the trees, shrubs, and flowers. When the university expanded the HUB a few years ago, Sweedler helped the designer avoid digging up a planted tree during construction. This particular maple is one of the few trees close to the HUB. Sweedler felt that if it had been torn up it would take away from some of the Plymouth green scenery.Sweedler’s horticulture office is located across the bridge in a building shared with the rest of the grounds crew. Though his office has been relocated Steve keeps a greenhouse and nursery on River Street, where his office used to be. The lowest temperature recorded was between -20 and -30, and Steve personally recorded that it was coldest during 1993, by the Pemi River. Once, years ago, Steve thought it got to be about -28 degrees. This affected many of the plants, trees and flowers on campus that year. There was significant damage to the maples, (Steve’s favorite trees). Heat and humidity during the summer that can have the same affect.Sweedler made sure to say that there were no bad parts of campus to landscape, because he adds all of his own compost. Fall and winter can be problematic seasons due to the cold temperatures and the fallen leaves. The raking process is slow because they need to be “broken down” so they turn into soil. When the grounds are raked and the piles of leaves are moved, Sweedler and his crew always notice a considerably large amount of trash, especially empty bottles, cans and cigarette butts. Even after the leaf piles are break down Steve says that he and the grounds crewmembers observe that the bottles and cans stay the same, never decomposing. He said that amount of litter is “overwhelming” and unnecessary.Sweedler doesn’t have any other jobs, but he also does landscaping at his own house, “I like to think I enjoy it” says Steve. He is constantly asked to landscape in and around the Plymouth area, but he just isn’t interested in picking up other projects. He only landscapes his own yard and though he says it’s a small yard, it requires quite a bit of work.While he does work hard, Sweedler manages to take a break once in a while. When it’s time for Steve’s lunch break, he heads downtown to Beidermans. “It’s his routine,” said one of the workers. Steve usually eats there five days a week; they have his sandwich and coffee ready for him when he arrives, along with a seat outside or by the window. “It’s a wonderful place,” Steve says.Sweedler also loves to spend time with his children. The eldest is his only son and his two daughters are college-age, one just settled into Keene State and the other is about to wrap up her education at Plymouth. In his free time, Steve often cycle tours. He has many pictures of him and his touring friends cycling through Italy placed in his office. Many locals are also involved in cycle touring, such as his friend, Stoppe, of Stoppe Rentals. He has also toured France, Spain and Ireland.