5:49 p.m., May 14, 2007--Chad Nelson, assistant professor of plant and soil sciences at UD, will lecture on “Building on Marian Coffin's Design Legacy at the University of Delaware” at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 16, in 132 Townsend Hall. At 7 p.m. there will be a UD Botanic Gardens Friends business meeting in the same location.

Nelson will present the background and process of Magnolia Circle renovation at UD, undertaken during the summer of 2005. He will combine historical images of the work of Marian Coffin, the landscape architect responsible for the early landscape plan at the University, with design drawing for the recent renovation.

While working with Rodney Robinson Landscape Architects, Nelson researched Coffin's work at the University and in the region. He used this research as the basis for a new design for this important garden space on campus, which seeks to honor the spirit of Coffin's earlier work.

Nelson practices landscape design with an emphasis on rich plant selections using regionally appropriate plant associations with consideration for maintenance and sustainability. Nelson's background in historic preservation builds upon a tradition of place-making while encouraging contemporary uses for existing sites. His recent projects include the rehabilitation and fountain design of Magnolia Circle, a rehabilitation of South Park Drive, a nine-acre forested section of Brandywine Park in Wilmington and several residential projects.

The lecture is free for UDBG Friends and $8 for nonmembers. For more information, call (302) 831-0153.