The foliage around the Rotunda just got too unwieldy for the otherwise serene Jeffersonian landscape.
The 14 boxwood shrubs wrapping around the Rotunda's north terrace grew big and bushy and blocked the view of the Rotunda. So the University Arboretum and Landscape Committee members are cutting back.
The green culprits were removed last month and will be replaced by a smaller variety of shrub that will not obstruct the view of the architectural landmark, University Landscape Architect Mary Hughes said.
The old boxwoods had overgrown and reached a height of about 25 feet, partially blocking the view of the Rotunda from University Avenue.
The new boxwoods are designed to reach a maximum height of three to four feet and should be easier to maintain, Hughes said.
Hughes said the committee decided to use a smaller variety of boxwoods, rather than the 25-foot type previously used, to replace the removed shrubs, in order to keep the problem from recurring.
This is not the first time Rotunda shrubbery has received a facelift. Part of the boxwood shrubbery was previously removed during a utility project on the Rotunda's electrical system.
Another change coming to the Rotunda is a new ground covering on the steep slopes in the north terrace area.
A maintenance worker was injured while mowing the area, prompting the Committee to replace the grass with a different ground covering that does not require mowing, Hughes said.
The new boxwoods and ground covering will be installed early this fall, she said.
The project has been received well by members of the University community, she added.
"So far the response is quite positive to the view of the Rotunda," Hughes said.
The University also is replacing trees on the Lawn when they become diseased or die, said J. Murray Howard, curator and architect of the Academical Village.
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