May 28, 2021
Klingaman takes his keyboard on the road; expands his weekly column
By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts:
- Find Klingaman’s blog articles here: Musings on Nature
- Klingaman’s plant of the week columns began in 1997
- Retired extension horticulture specialist has written more 1,000 columns
(325 words)
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Each week, for nearly a quarter of a century, retired extension
horticulture specialist Gerald Klingaman has poured his horticultural expertise into
his keyboard, writing a column that has become a staple of newspapers statewide, as
well as having developed a keen following.
"What always interested me was the background of the plants and how they got there, and the people involved in bringing them forward," he said. His columns regularly blended history with personal observations and recollections to bring more dimension to the plants he profiled.
One-thousand, sixteen columns later and now retired a second time from his post as operations director for the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks, Klingaman is expanding his vista and the content of his column as well.
“I’ve been thinking of changing up the plant of the week column a bit for several years,” he said. “I would like to make the columns more ‘nature’ based and expand beyond plants.”
His desire to move beyond a plants-only has surfaced more than a time or two.
“I will admit to having stretched the plant designation on a number of occasion” such as his March 12 column on plastics.
Klingaman’s desire to expand his subject matter has grown out of a bit of wanderlust.
“I purchased a conversion van and plan on making a number of extended trips with my dog Whinny,” he said. “Unlike Steinbeck in his 1962 ‘Travels with Charlie,’ I don’t plan a giant months’ long ride around the country, but instead will do a series of out and back trips to places that interest me.
“Many things interest me,” Klingaman. “I expect plants will dominate but there will be smatterings of history, geology, birds and with maybe some art thrown in for good measure. My first excursion in the new van is to the Platte River of central Nebraska to see the spring migration of the Sand Hills cranes.”
He won’t be forgetting about Arkansas, and still plans to cover topics in the Natural State.
Readers can find Klingaman’s new blog-formatted columns here: Musings on Nature.
Find all Klingaman’s plant of the week columns here: uaex.uada.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-week.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: aaes.uada.edu. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu.
Follow us on Twitter at @AgInArk, @uaex_edu or @ArkAgResearch.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media contact:
Mary Hightower
mhightower@uada.edu
501-671-2006