Horticulture Staff Spotlight
Deborah Lalumondier - Senior Horticulturist
25 years at Missouri Botanical Garden
Just two weeks after graduating from University of Missouri in Columbia, Deb Lalumondier began her career at the Missouri Botanical Garden in the Climatron. Her Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture included Horticulture as an area of emphasis.
Even though Deb has spent all 25 years in the Climatron, she relates that she never becomes bored with maintaining the Garden's tropical collection. Watering, pruning, mulching, and planting are just a few of the tasks that support the 23,000 square foot surface enclosed by the Climatron's dome.
Deb coordinates the Integrated Pest Management System. This approach begins with the simplest and least invasive method of controlling pests before progressing to more aggressive and/or chemical methods. Very few chemicals are used in the Climatron, thanks to Deb's use of beneficial predators and parasites to control plant pests.
Many things have changed since Deb joined the Garden in 1982. The Horticulture Division grew from 15 to over 60 staff members. Ridgway Center opened just weeks after Deb's first day. New greenhouses were added. The Mediterranean House was torn down and replaced by the Shoenberg Temperate House, adjacent to the Climatron. The Desert House was demolished.
The change that impacted Deb the most was the two-year renovation of the Climatron. From 1988 to 1990, the Climatron was closed to the public while extensive exterior and interior renovations took place. The Climatron's horticultural staff teamed with other Garden employees to add new landscape features, to replace the clay-based soil, and to replant all but a few plants that remained during renovation.
Deb must really enjoy working with plants because she devotes much of her free time to gardening. She also finds time to read and to continue a family tradition of quilting.
Over the years, the Climatron has come to feel like home to Deb. She looks forward to the seasonal tasks involved in caring for the plants she knows so well. The Garden hopes to have Deb's special caring touch in the Climatron for 25 MORE years!