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  • S2E11: Shaping Light: The Past and Present of Oak Spring's Trees

    S2E11: Shaping Light: The Past and Present of Oak Spring's Trees
    2025/11/17
    In this episode, we explore the evolving landscape of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, beginning with a conversation with Clif Brown, who has been stewarding the land since 1988. Clif reflects on his early years working for Mrs. Mellon, when the property was still shaped by horse meadows and Thoroughbred breeding. He shares how Mrs. Mellon taught him to see trees not just as plantings, but as sculptural forms—guiding him in pruning techniques that shaped light, avoided harsh silhouettes, and prevented heavy, dark spaces in the canopy. His stories offer a rare glimpse into a historic landscape in transition, and into the horticultural philosophies that continue to inform Oak Spring today.

    The episode then turns to landscape architect Thomas Rainer of Phyto Studio, who collaborated with Peter Crane and the Oak Spring team to design the ambitious Oak Spring Arboretum that will grow to contain over 400 trees. Since 2024, more than 150 trees have been planted on Rokeby—about 80% of them native to Virginia. The remaining selections include East Asian disjuncts, close relatives of North American species with shared evolutionary histories. Thomas discusses his plant-centric design approach, the ecological thinking behind the arboretum, and the emotional framework he brings to his work—one rooted in both grief for environmental loss and optimism for what thoughtful stewardship can cultivate. Together, these conversations illuminate Oak Spring’s past, present, and future through the voices of those shaping its living landscape.

    Host: Chris Stafford
    Oak Spring website: https://www.osgf.org/
    Subscribe to the Oak Spring Newsletter:
    Email: program@osgf.org
    Instagram: @oakspringgardenfoundation
    Twitter: @oak_spring
    Facebook: Oak Spring Garden Foundation
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    1 時間 6 分
  • S2E10: Step Inside the Library

    S2E10: Step Inside the Library
    2025/10/27
    Mrs. Mellon's library is at the heart of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation, driving much of the research conducted by Oak Spring's residents and fellows, and providing resources and materials that help inform the foundation's gardens and programming. Its collection comprises over 19,000 objects, including 10,000 reference books, 2,000 rare books, over 200 unpublished manuscripts, and various other works of art and decorative objects. The collection is guided by Mrs. Mellon's personal interests in plants, gardens, and landscapes, and as she once wrote, "these books about the outdoors live not in dusty darkness, but behind simple, pale oak doors, easily opened to the world they tell about."

    In this episode, we bring you inside the Oak Spring Garden Library for a conversation with Tony Willis, Oak Spring's Head Librarian, and Carter Hulinsky, Oak Spring's Metadata Librarian and Special Collections Cataloger. Tony grew up locally and has been working at the library since 1980, when he was brought on as an assistant during the initial development of the library building. Carter has worked in the library since 2023, but first came to Oak Spring in 2022 as a participant in one of the library's short courses. Together they speak with Chris Stafford about the history of Oak Spring's incredible collection and how the foundation is working today to activate its materials among researchers on-site and to the broader public through online outreach.

    Host: Chris Stafford

    Oak Spring website: https://www.osgf.org

    Subscribe to the Oak Spring Newsletter: https://www.osgf.org

    Instagram: @oakspringgardenfoundation

    Twitter: @oak_spring

    Facebook: Oak Spring Garden Foundation
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    41 分
  • S2E9: Narratives in Nature - Fall Reading List

    S2E9: Narratives in Nature - Fall Reading List
    2025/09/09
    In this episode, we begin with Aleya Fraser, author of Caribbean Herbalism, who shares the rich traditions of plant medicine rooted in Caribbean communities. Aleya discusses ancestral knowledge, everyday remedies, and the cultural practices that have kept this wisdom alive across generations. Her work highlights how plants nurture resilience, connection, and healing.

    We then turn to Storying Plant Communication, a book that uses narrative and storytelling to shift our understanding of plant behavior. Through this conversation, we consider how plants communicate, interact, and shape the world around us in ways that often go unnoticed, and why language and story matter for making those connections visible. Together, these interviews invite us to see plants as both healers and communicators, bridging science, story, and tradition.

    Book links:
    Carribean Herbalism by Aleya Fraser
    Storying Plant Communication by Mariko Thomas

    Links to tickets and information about Oak Spring Programs:
    Threads of Oak Spring Quilters Competition, apply by November 18th, 2025
    Rokeby Community Festival, Saturday, September 27th, 10:00am - 4:00pm

    Host: Chris Stafford
    Oak Spring website: https://www.osgf.org/
    Subscribe to the Oak Spring Newsletter: https://www.osgf.org/
    Email: program@osgf.org
    Instagram: @oakspringgardenfoundation
    Twitter: @oak_spring
    Facebook: Oak Spring Garden Foundation
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    55 分
  • S2E8: From Seed to Sovereignty

    S2E8: From Seed to Sovereignty
    2025/08/11
    In this episode, we explore the deep connections between land, seed, and self-determination through conversations with two inspiring women who have dedicated their lives to sustainable agriculture, community building, and creative expression.

    We begin with Ira Wallace, a seed saver, educator, and author who has been a lifelong advocate for food sovereignty. Ira is a key member of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, where she works to preserve genetic diversity in food crops and empower gardeners and small farmers to reclaim control over their seeds. Drawing from her childhood in Florida, her early activism in the organic movement, and decades of experience living in intentional communities, Ira reflects on the importance of seed saving, ecological stewardship, and intergenerational knowledge-sharing. Her insights offer a powerful vision for how local food systems can shape a more equitable and resilient future.

    We also speak with Melissa DeSa, an ecologist, farmer, and artist whose work bridges the worlds of agriculture, seed saving, and botanical pigments. Melissa shares how a residency at Oak Spring Garden Foundation unexpectedly transformed her artistic practice—introducing her to the world of plant-based pigments and botanical dyes. Melissa's interests in seeds led her to co-found a nonprofit, Working Food, which aims to cultivate and sustain a resilient local food community in North Central Florida through collaboration, economic opportunity, education, and seed stewardship.

    Host: Chris Stafford
    Oak Spring website: https://www.osgf.org/
    Subscribe to the Oak Spring Newsletter: https://www.osgf.org/
    Email: program@osgf.org
    Instagram: @oakspringgardenfoundation
    Twitter: @oak_spring
    Facebook: Oak Spring Garden Foundation
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    58 分
  • S2E7: Belonging and Becoming: Conversations on Place

    S2E7: Belonging and Becoming: Conversations on Place
    2025/07/08
    In this episode, we sit down with Maxim Loskutoff, a writer whose fiction and essays explore the evolving landscapes and identities of the American West. From an early age, Max was drawn to stories, and he made a conscious effort to devote many years of his life to living and working in places and ways that would support his writing. Drawing from his upbringing in Missoula, Montana, he reflects on witnessing the region’s shift from a logging-based economy to one centered around outdoor recreation, and how this transformation shaped his own sense of belonging and the identities of those around him. His insights reveal the complex intersections of place, culture, and change.

    We also talk with Gretchen E. Henderson, a writer and educator whose work invites us to reconsider our relationship with the natural world. She discusses her project Dear Body of Water, which encourages communities nationwide to honor water as a collaborator and living peer, rather than merely a commodity or threat. Gretchen also shares some of her pedagogical philosophies that inform her teaching, including the two courses she leads at Oak Spring, where she helps participants engage deeply with place and the environment through creative practice. Both Max and Gretchen open up about their personal journeys into writing, offering listeners a glimpse into the experiences, questions, and passions that led them to their creative paths today.

    Gretchen's classes at Oak Spring include Literary Ecologies: Reading to Reinhabit the World, and Writing the Landscape.

    Host: Chris Stafford
    Oak Spring website: https://www.osgf.org/
    Subscribe to the Oak Spring Newsletter: https://www.osgf.org/
    Email: program@osgf.org
    Instagram: @oakspringgardenfoundation
    Twitter: @oak_spring
    Facebook: Oak Spring Garden Foundation
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    1 時間
  • S2E6: Roots and Rhythms: A Conversation with Michael Donoghue

    S2E6: Roots and Rhythms: A Conversation with Michael Donoghue
    2025/06/16
    In this episode, we speak with evolutionary biologist and Oak Spring board member Michael Donoghue. Michael specializes in the plant genus Viburnum and has spent his career researching the history of plant genetics and evolution. He shares stories from his unconventional path into biology—shaped in part by his anthropologist parents and his mother’s later venture into sheep farming.

    Michael reflects on how his longtime connection with Oak Spring’s President, Peter Crane, beginning in the 1980s, led to his invitation to join the board. In addition to his scientific work, Michael is also a devoted old-time musician. He helped pilot Oak Spring’s new music residency and performed with his band at the Rokeby Community Festival this past fall. He shares his enthusiasm for bridging science, agriculture, and the arts as Oak Spring continues to grow its vibrant interdisciplinary community.

    Hear music recorded at Oak Spring by the Far Flung Stringband here.

    Learn more about Oak Spring's Music Residency here.
    Host: Chris Stafford
    Oak Spring website: https://www.osgf.org/
    Subscribe to the Oak Spring Newsletter: https://www.osgf.org/
    Email: program@osgf.org
    Instagram: @oakspringgardenfoundation
    Twitter: @oak_spring
    Facebook: Oak Spring Garden Foundation
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    37 分
  • S2E5: Cultivating Purpose: Farmers Today

    S2E5: Cultivating Purpose: Farmers Today
    2025/05/12
    In this episode, Chris is joined by Jason Meyers-Benner and Christine Harris to explore their unique journeys and insights into sustainable agriculture and farming.

    Jason has carried a deep passion for growing food throughout his entire life. He and his wife, Janelle, along with their children, now grow about 80% of the food they consume on their farm. One of Jason’s special interests is chicken breeding. He shares his deep understanding of the unique personalities and traits of various chicken breeds—ranging from feather patterns to foraging behavior. Jason has spent years selectively breeding chickens for specific characteristics, such as productivity, predator awareness, foraging ability, and “sexability” (the ability to easily determine a chick’s sex at birth).

    After her conversation with Jason, Chris speaks with Christine Harris, Oak Spring’s Biocultural Conservation Farm Director. Unlike Jason, Christine’s passion for plants and agriculture developed later in life—during her time as a student at George Mason University. There, she became involved with the university’s organic farm and worked in the Office of Sustainability. Christine joined the Oak Spring Garden Foundation in 2019, just as the idea for the farm was beginning to take shape. Under her leadership, the farm has grown into a vibrant site focused on crops native to Appalachia and the Virginia Piedmont. The produce supports residents and guests on-site and supplies a 50-member Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that helps fund Oak Spring’s educational and outreach efforts. Over half of the farm’s remaining harvest is donated to local food banks.

    Two books are also referenced in the contiuum section of the podcast: An Oak Spring Landscape and Rokeby: A Landscape Biography both by Michael Gaige, include information about the agricultural, human, and ecological history of the landscape Oak Spring Garden Foundation sits on today.

    Enjoy this episode, which highlights the meaningful agricultural work happening at Oak Spring and beyond!

    Host: Chris Stafford
    Oak Spring website: https://www.osgf.org/
    Subscribe to the Oak Spring Newsletter: https://www.osgf.org/
    Email: program@osgf.org
    Instagram: @oakspringgardenfoundation
    Twitter: @oak_spring
    Facebook: Oak Spring Garden Foundation
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    1 時間 9 分
  • S2E4: On Poetry and Movement

    S2E4: On Poetry and Movement
    2025/04/14
    In this episode of the Oak Spring podcast, environmental writers Ariana Benson and Ashia Ajani reflect on their creative connection and shared sensibilities. The conversation opens with Ashia describing the early spring in Oakland, California, which evokes memories of their Colorado roots and a deep appreciation for urban nature. The two writers explore spring as a season of unexpected harvest—lush, pastel-toned, and filled with wonder—and reflect on the idea of “harvesting” in springtime. Their discussion weaves in the work of luminary authors like Annie Dillard and Toni Morrison, especially the recurring themes of waste, nature, and their entanglement in Song of Solomon.

    The conversation then turns toward how books shift in meaning over time. In particular, Ashia and Ariana explore Black migration: the historical compulsion to flee the South, and how literature about that exodus may evolve as more people return to the region. They reflect on the cultural intimacy of the South, acknowledging its structural challenges while also recognizing its potential for transformation and community. The two share other art forms that have shaped their creative lives, with Ariana reflecting on how growing up with dance shaped her storytelling and sense of self, linking choreography to poetic form. They also touch on architecture as a function of nature and highlight how many Black writers today are reckoning with place, displacement, and home. To close, each poet reads a piece by the other, offering listeners an embodied exchange of language, movement, and mutual admiration.

    Host: Chris Stafford
    Oak Spring website: https://www.osgf.org/
    Subscribe to the Oak Spring Newsletter:
    Email: programs@osgf.org
    Instagram: @oakspringgardenfoundation
    Twitter: @oak_spring
    Facebook: Oak Spring Garden Foundation
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    46 分