People and Happenings
People and Happenings
Volunteer Profile : Irene Dygas A Breath of Fresh Air
By Lauren S . Marsh , Communications , Grants & Events Coordinator
Spending time at Mount Auburn ’ s greenhouses with volunteer Irene Dygas is as refreshing as taking in a deep breath of the scented air in the Experimental Garden . Irene is one of those people you feel lucky to have met . She ’ s spunky , upbeat , and a treasure trove of horticultural information . Just after spending under half an hour with her , in fact , I found myself able to inform someone how snapdragons ( Antirrhinum majus ) acquired their name .
“ I ’ ll show you how ,” Irene had said , gently pulling back two of the delicate petals and letting them snap back into place .
Irene has been a volunteer at the Cemetery for several years , and she has always felt close to this place . She ’ s been walking along these lovely paths , dells , and hills since the mid-1980s , and when she moved back to Cambridge in 2001 , she decided to volunteer . At first she was helping out in the Administration Office , but when she learned that they were building an Experimental Garden and there was an opportunity to lend her support to the Greenhouse staff , she jumped at the chance .“ It was like I had Irene Dygas found my calling ,” she says .
“ They call this the obedience plant ,” she ushers me over to the stalks of Physostegia ( below ) with pale lavender blooms .“ And this is why : because on any other plant if you want it to grow a certain way and you move a flower , it will pop right back into place . But if you move a flower on this plant ,” she demonstrates ,“ it will stay that way .” It ’ s no coincidence that Irene is a natural teacher . She taught sixth grade for years , first in Connecticut , then in Germany and England for the Department of Defense , and in Fall River , Mass ., where she grew up . She ended her career in education in Belmont , Mass ., retiring in 1998 .
Her work in our greenhouses is more like relaxation . She has always loved horticulture and the diversity of flowers , how each one is made so differently , and how even weeds can be beautiful . She maintains that her favorite flower is still the rose . I watch as she shows me how to stick a wire through one of the decorative strawflowers ( Helictheysum ). She then pulls out a long box filled with these beauties that she finished yesterday . In addition to wiring flowers , she also assists with transplanting , deadheading , and the creation of floral arrangements .
“ You can see why I love it here ,” she says as we stroll through the back garden by the deep purple asters and the vibrant red , magenta , and yellow zinnias .“ Everybody who works in the greenhouse is a totally different character . Take Tuti , Danny , and Francisco – they ’ re teaching me Spanish . They ’ ve taught me more than the class I was taking at a senior center . And Maurene is always a treat to see . Aside from the fact that I love the plants and
what I ’ m doing , I love the people here . They are just wonderful , and they take such good care of me .”
We are thrilled that Irene chooses to spend her time helping our Greenhouse staff and rejuvenating all of us with her exuberance . As of July 2010 , Mount Auburn has nearly 50 active volunteers generously giving of their time .
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