By Bernheim
Bernheim is excited to welcome Renee Frith as the Director of Horticulture and Sustainable Landscapes. Bernheim’s Horticulture Department promotes ecologically sound practices and has a long history of growing plants and creating beautiful panoramic views.
Frith was born and raised in Selma, Alabama and studied at Auburn University, where she graduated in 2003 with a Bachelors of Science in Horticulture.
“My love for trees started with my parents,” Frith said. “I often golfed with my dad and spent more time playing in the wood line than focusing on the game. I also spent many hours in a local Garden Center with my mother, perusing the plants and delighting in saying aloud all the elaborate botanical names.”
Frith’s career spans almost two decades and includes commercial landscape construction and maintenance in Florida and serving as Curator of Woody Plants for Norfolk Botanical Garden in Virginia, where she gained her International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Arborist Certification and served on the Board of the Chesapeake Arboretum and Virginia Camellia Society. She also served as Director of Greening Programs for The Delaware Center for Horticulture (DCH), where she collaborated with non-profits, government agencies, volunteers and local citizens to provide green infrastructure in low-to-moderate income housing tracts.
“Renee’s unique experiences thus far in her career serve as a great foundation and launching pad to help us continue our mission of connecting people with nature,” said Bernheim Director Dr. Mark Wourms. “She will be a tremendous asset to lead our horticulture team, as they care for the arboretum landscapes and support programs beyond our borders.”
One such project that reaches beyond Bernheim’s borders is the Green Roofs program, which creates living roofs to help reduce pollution and provide habitat for birds and butterflies. Green roofs or “living roofs” incorporate climate-friendly features, including the reduction of radiant and reflected heat; plants that help to clean rain water and city air. Bernheim has installed green roofs on many urban buildings including the American Life Building on the Louisville Belvedere and the University of Louisville Physicians Novak Center for Children’s Health.