Tue, May 13 2008
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Christina Childs
cchilds@weatherforddemocrat.com
As Steven Chamblee meanders along the winding paths weaving through Chandor Gardens, his mind spins with ideas and visions for beautiful landscape laid out before him. But before he ever lifts a finger, he stops to ponder one important thing, asking himself a single, definitive question — What would Douglas do? Douglas Chandor that is.
“Lets face it, Douglas made this garden and I’m just working in it,” Chamblee said, as he looked out over the lush acreage. “I can’t take credit for what he did.
“The bottom line for me is to make good decisions now that will perpetuate this garden in the future.”
The gardens offer Chamblee a peaceful feeling, and anyone strolling through would be hard pressed not to feel the same. Peaceful and laid back the setting may be, but Chamblee is far from lax in his duties as chief horticulturist at the well-known Weatherford landmark.
And, although Chamblee is now an admitted plant fanatic, it wasn’t always that way, in fact, it took him more than 18 years to find what he calls his “vocation.”
“I used to be one of those guys who couldn’t tell an oak from an elm,” he said. “But, a day after my 18th birthday, I arrived in Texas and started helping my dad transplant trees.
“It’s weird you know, I had been separated from my father for some time, and I found my vocation the same time I was getting to know my father.”
From there, one could easily say Chamblee was all in, to horticulture that is.
His first venture into landscaping was in early 1980s, when he formed Southern Lawn Care. From there, curiosity motivated the young entrepreneur to further his plant perception at Tarrant County Junior College, where he earned an Associate’s of Applied Science degree in horticulture.
In 1986, Chamblee joined the team at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden as a gardener.
While continuing to work at the garden full time, Chamblee went on to attain a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from Tarleton State University and a master of science in Public Horticulture Administration from the University of Delaware.
After working his way up the ladder at the Botanic Garden, Chamblee looked to Chandor Gardens, a place he had been drawn to for some time, a place he longed to restore to its full potential.
“I have been in love with this little garden for a long time,” he said. “The first time I saw this place was during it’s fallow period, it was in complete ruins. I could imagine what this garden could be.
“Being here is like being on the other side of the earth. Everything here is handcrafted, that’s what makes it delightful and worthwhile.”
Chamblee said he loves every aspect of the gardens, and equated choosing a favorite place to a parent choosing a favorite child.
As he walks, he describes the plants, trees and flowers in great detail, stopping often to feel the leaves or examine a new bloom. He said he finds pride in his accomplishments at Chandor, but credits the people around him for the facility’s success as well.
“No man is an island, like they say,” Chamblee said, pausing to look at the brightly colored koi dart to and fro in the crisp pond water. “What makes the job so wonderful is the people that surround me.”
In the year since arriving, Chamblee has instituted major, and most would say magnificent, changes at the Parker County landmark, but his work is not done, not even close.
Chamblee has a plan, to stay active, constantly thinking up new ways to cultivate what Douglas Chandor envisioned, while at the same time repaying the little garden that has lent him so much.
“I came here to rebuild this garden in a fashion that would do it justice,” he said. “I feel very blessed to work in such a beautiful place.
“I can’t imagine working in any other place. I don’t know if I’ve just gotten used to it or it has spoiled me, probably the latter, but this garden has the power to invoke peace and healing.
“You know, a garden can teach you a lot, if you’re open to learning.”
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