Michael D. Bach Garden
Welcome to our Garden
We welcome you to the Michael D. Bach Garden. The Garden
has been a four year project that was conceived by our landscape instructor,
John Hippley. Mr. Hippley wanted to do a project on the school's grounds
which would teach his students the many facets of the landscape industry.
You will notice here that our garden encompasses hardscapes, retaining
walls, the creation of beds for planting, water gardening, plantings,
and turf installation.
The Garden was designed by its namesake, Michael D. Bach. Mr. Bach was Marlington's
first horticulture instructor when the program began in 1964. A graduate
of Ohio State University, Bach retired in 1994. As the story goes, Mr.
Hippley, who replaced Mr. Bach, asked him to create a garden to the north
of the Horticulture building. Mr. Bach went home and returned the next
day with a yellow paper and a design that the Landscape Construction/
Maintenance class used as their guide in the development of what you
see today.
The garden was made possible through a grant from The Ohio State University.
The Marlington Horticulture program has now received over $10,000 in grant
monies to develop the garden. One day, a group of middle school students
came to tour the garden. After showing them around and explaining everything
to them, one student asked, “Isn’t this a big waste of taxpayers’ money?” Although
some people might look at it like that, we in the Horticulture program
have a different view. We believe that not all students learn best in
a classroom setting. Although we could lecture our students in the classroom
on how to build a brick walk or construct a water garden, our belief
is that experiencing the hands-on construction is a better way to learn.
The Ohio State University has made that learning experience possible
to our students, and to them, we are grateful.
For those who toured our grounds a few years ago, you may have noticed
that the garden did not exist. During the 2001-2002 school
year, an old field
nursery existed on this site. The Landscape Construction class began
digging those plants and moved them so that the beds you see today
could be installed.
Eighty tons of topsoil was brought to the site the first year, and the
beds were developed.
During the 2002-2003 school year, the garden changed dramatically. The main
walkway from north to south was installed, the water feature and sunken
garden were constructed, and sod was installed. At the end of the school
year, the garden was dedicated to its’ designer, Michael D. Bach.
Last year (2003-2004, year three), the garden’s walkway was extended
25 more feet to the south in order to reach the horticulture driveway.
In addition, the walkway was extended west to give fans more access to
the athletic fields.
What does the future of The Bach Garden hold? The landscape classes will
obviously be kept busy maintaining the garden. One of our goals to help future
classes is the placement of identification plaques on all plants. Lighting
is projected to be installed within the next few months. Underground irrigation
is also a future goal, and a gazebo and benches have always been in the original
design. We hope to include perennials to add a little color to the garden.
There are even plants to stretch the garden to the east (towards Moulin Avenue).
The Horticulture program is currently waiting word on a new grant for more
funding to help our future plans become a reality.
The Michael D. Bach Garden is not only a learning tool for the Landscape
class here at Marlington. It is also intended for the enjoyment of the
community. We are working hard to heighten community awareness of the
garden. If you like what you see, stop here and visit and watch as the
garden changes over the years. We appreciate you coming to visit us today.
Clubs Homepage
Marlington High School Home Page
FFA Home Page
Contrubutors to the Bach Garden