Dear Horned Frogs,
The TCU campus is a treasure in itself. Meticulously cared for year-round by our outstanding landscaping and grounds crew, there is always something new to discover and appreciate. The enduring oak trees, colorful flower beds, and manicured lawns are just some of the elements that create the welcoming campus we all enjoy.
Springtime reveals the true magnificence of the TCU campus: tulip season. The bright shades of purple, white, pink, yellow and red, all reaching toward the sky, seem to demand that every person walking by take notice and appreciate their beauty.
Preparation for tulip season begins in the fall. In November and December, the landscaping and grounds crew busily plant over 20,000 tulip bulbs ahead of the first hard freeze. I joined our amazing crew along with the Garden Frogs (a group of students, faculty and staff who enjoy gardening) in planting bulbs around The Harrison. It was a fun and fulfilling project, and even more so when we gathered again to celebrate the tulips in full bloom.
Our stunning campus is also made possible by a generous donor who had a passion, appreciation, and love of horticulture. In 1987, the Mary Evans Beasley Endowment Fund for Campus Beautification was established to ensure the maintenance of campus grounds. (Read more about this gift and the Beasleys in the TCU Magazine archives.) Since that time, TCU has won countless awards and recognition for landscaping. Some of the most recent awards include:
- Recognized as a “Tree Campus USA for Higher Education” by the Arbor Day Foundation for 7 years in a row.
- The Princeton Review, top 20 Most Beautiful Campuses in the nation
- Grand Award and Honor Award recognition for excellence in grounds management by the national Professional Grounds Management Society.
This spring, I hope each of you will take time to pause, look around you, and appreciate the true gift that is the TCU campus. For those interested in joining the Garden Frogs, let me know through the Share Your Ideas form on the website, and I’ll connect you with others who enjoy planting and nurturing the TCU grounds.
Go Frogs!
Daniel W. Pullin
