Counselor Plants Campus Flower Garden
Colorful assortment of blooms blossom behind Lester Hall
OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi counselor Houston Griffith has transformed a corner of the campus into a vibrant flower garden that offers plenty of natural beauty.
The stunning assortment of flowers has blossomed behind the University Counseling Center at Lester Hall, creating a buzz of appreciation among students, faculty and staff members.
Griffith, who grew up on a farm in the Mississippi Delta, recognized the potential the outdoor open space offered. He pitched the flower garden idea to Juawice McCormick, the counseling center's director, last winter.
Met with excitement and approval, he got to work in the spring.
"He showed up here one day with a tiller and all kinds of gardening stuff, and he has done every bit of the labor on this thing himself," McCormick said.
"It feels peaceful as you're admiring and enjoying the flowers, and if this is something that's helpful to a staff member – to feel like they're more invested here and that they're growing here – that's a great thing and we all benefit."
Mammoth and black oil sunflowers tower over colorful flowers, pumpkins, sweet potatoes and watermelons. Bumblebees and butterflies have taken notice, and Griffith added a special feeder after squirrels also began visiting.
"We've been feeding the squirrels to keep them distracted from eating everything else," said Griffith, who also engineered a watering system for the garden.
Giant black oil sunflowers add a brightness to the area behind Lester Hall. Houston Griffith, the garden's creator, says he chose sunflowers intentionally to help remove potential metals from the soil. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services
"I planted the sunflowers because they are really good at taking up heavy metals that may have been in the soil."
Griffith's green thumb is being met with budding interest from many who pass by.
"He has put the labor into it and the love and the care," McCormick said. "We have all really benefited in multiple ways from the presence of Houston Griffith.
"He is a thousand times a better counselor than he is a gardener, so imagine how skilled he is. He is one of the kindest and dearest people in the world. He is just incredible."
Top: Houston Griffith, a counselor at the University Counseling Center, has transformed the bare patch between Lester and Sam halls into an eye-pleasing space filled with colorful flowers and select vegetables. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services