Though his tenure of less than two years at the Gardens is relatively short, Bloodworth can rattle off lists of the 800 species found in his garden alone and also share insight into the hard work that goes into maintaining the Gardens' seemingly effortless perfection and tranquility.
But first off, he wants to clarify, "[The Sarah P. Duke Gardens] isn't a park, but a collection of rare specimens."
The range of breath-takingly beautiful plants varies with the seasons, Bloodworth explains, pointing out some to look for now:
"Well, anyone interested in seeing beautiful colors at this point in the season should look for a few plants that are about to bloom. The Bottle Brush Buckeye will be mid-October. Right now there's the Hearts-a-busting--also known as the Strawberry Bush--which is an evergreen shrub that has fruit right now. There are just some spectacular shrubs out there," he says enthusiastically.
Bloodworth's path to the Gardens was hardly a straight one. Many parents and relatives try to soothe anxious college students with the old adage that oftentimes "something will turn out when you least expect it." And for Bloodworth, that was exactly true. He went to college, and then graduate school, with no idea that horticulture lay in his future.
Born in what was then the Watts Hospital--now the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics on Broad Street--Bloodworth grew up in the Triangle. After college he studied forestry, and while taking classes decided to make some extra money by starting his own business on the side. "Up until then I really only had job experience with carpentry and landscaping," Bloodworth explains. He found his calling when he created his own landscape design business. Forestry flew out the window and made way for seeds, weeding and fertilizer.
Less than two years ago, Bloodworth heard about an opening for a horticulturist in the Sarah P. Duke Gardens. He could not pass up the opportunity to work at such a prestigious place. "The Gardens are pretty much universally recognized as one of the best of its kind--a specimen garden," Bloodworth says. He explains that the Gardens do not recreate a habitat, but rather display rare and diverse specimens.
Bloodworth says he has enjoyed the experience immensely thus far. "The Sarah P. Duke Gardens is great because its mission is conservation of native flora," Bloodworth says. The education department at the Gardens hosts a variety of lecture series, talking about anything from practical issues like 'How to do' this or that, to discussions on particular types of plants, he says.
Working at the Gardens, however, is not always a bed of roses. "I definitely put in my 40-hour week," Bloodworth insists. On any given weekday during the Gardens' open hours--8 a.m. until dusk--one need only go to the southeast region of the Gardens, in between the Terrace Shop and the main path, to find Bloodworth grooming and improving the Blomquist Garden.
"Each season means a different job for me in the garden. Right now it's fall, so I'm planting," he explains. The planting cycle varies with the temperature, and his planting now focuses on hardier specimens that can survive the colder weather. Among these types are ferns--the leafy, moisture-loving plants that are said to be older than land animals and even dinosaurs--and sedges--the decorative grass-like plant which comes in a variety of flowering species.
After fall come the winter months, and for Bloodworth, that means one thing: infrastructure. "During the winter we focus on various types of permanent infrastructures. This includes stuff like pathways, building, or moving boulders." As soon as the warm weather returns, so does the planting. "Once spring is here I'll go back to planting. But you can only plant up to a point; once it's too warm, you can really only water and weed. That takes us through the summer," Bloodworth concludes.
Whether talking devotedly about the plants with which he works or readily pointing out the significance of certain names, Bloodworth shows his love for his profession. "It's just one of those jobs where you are very emotionally invested," he says. "The garden is like a baby. Well, a lot of babies, because of all the plants."
This mentality could explain why there is hardly any turnover in the Gardens' staff. "The superintendent, Harry Jenkins, has been here for around 30 years," Bloodworth says. "Then there's a staff member in China right now who has been here nearly 20 years. Others have been here over 10 years. So you really become close."
The seasoned staff has been privy to a number of stories and happenings in the Gardens over the years. A little probing reveals quite a bit of activity the average Gardens-goer might never imagine. "I guess the Gardens close at dusk," Bloodworth muses, "but everybody knows that lots of things go on after they close. And there is some weird stuff after hours. I once found a little velvet bag with stones and bones inside. I think it was for voodoo or something like that."
Bloodworth also remembers a time when the Global Positioning System (GPS) adventure-game craze in which players use their GPS systems to connect clues that would lead them to a hidden cache with prizes inside came to the Gardens.. The Sarah P. Duke Gardens provided a hiding place for the prize during a recent round of the game, which is also known as "geocaching". Bloodworth recalls how, for a period of time, there were people walking around the Gardens looking like they were trying to find a treasure. Finally, Bloodworth happened to find the cache under a bridge. "I think stuff like that is great, but unfortunately I had to stop it," he says, explaining that such activities could have damaged the flora and fauna.
This lack of respect for the plants is one thing that can really get under Bloodworth's skin. "Kids will be here playing ultimate Frisbee, and then one will go walking all through the beds. Even when it doesn't look like there's a plant in the ground, it could just be an ephemeral one that has died but will come back next season. So it's really important that students and visitors just show respect." As he walks around his garden, he passes by two undergraduate students with bug nets, on their hands and knees in a bed. Even though these budding entomologists traipsing through the plants ranks at the top of his list of annoyances, he exhibits the peacefulness he has exuded all day and calmly asks them to be careful. "Guys, I don't want to be mean, but that's ruining the bed. I'm really sorry, but could you just look for bugs without going into the bed?"
But Bloodworth is also quick to point out the benefits of having over 300,000 visitors a year to the Gardens. While walking around the Blomquist Garden, he points to marks in the gravel path.
"Those are rake marks from children. Once a week autistic children from the Durham School of the Arts come here to help in the Gardens," he explains. "It's really a great way for them to be outside, have fun and make a difference." And, of course, the more visitors that come, the more donations the Gardens will likely see. "A lot of people think that the Gardens receive large sums of money from Duke. But the truth is a lot of it needs to come from donations, and that's important for people to realize," he says.
With all the time and energy that Bloodworth dedicates to the Blomquist Garden, he still finds the time to run his own landscape contracting business and watch his five-year-old son play soccer.
When reflecting on how he works in his garden each day, Bloodworth says he doesn't need to listen to the radio or music. "I just enjoy the quiet in the garden. There are usually birds everywhere, and it's nice to have solitude."
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