The Geodesic Genius: Celebrating R. Buckminster Fuller
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
July 12, 1895
On this day, dear readers, we celebrate the birth of a most extraordinary individual, one Richard Buckminster Fuller.
An American polymath of the highest order, Fuller graced this world with his presence as an architect, systems theorist, author, designer, inventor, and futurist. One can only imagine the sheer brilliance that must have radiated from his cradle!
Fuller, in his infinite wisdom, chose to style his name as R. Buckminster Fuller for his literary endeavors.
With a prolific pen, he bestowed upon us over thirty tomes of knowledge, each more fascinating than the last. It was he who gifted us with such delightful terms as "Spaceship Earth," "ephemeralization," and "synergetics." One can't help but wonder if he knew how these words would bloom in the garden of human vocabulary.
In 1960, Fuller's genius took physical form with the popularization of the geodesic dome. Picture, if you will, a structure so magnificent that it found its way into the hallowed grounds of the Missouri Botanical Garden.
This dome, christened the "Climatron," was a marvel of its time. Fuller, ever the realist, predicted it would grace the garden for a spell, though not as a permanent fixture. How delightfully wrong he was!
The Climatron, a name as clever as its creator, is a delightful blend of the Greek words for climate and machine. It holds the distinguished title of being the world's first fully air-conditioned greenhouse. Imagine, if you will, a controlled climate ranging from a cool 64°F at night to a balmy 85°F at its peak - a veritable paradise for the rainforest plants that call it home.
Now, dear readers, prepare to be astonished.
Some sixty years after its grand debut, the Climatron still stands tall and proud. It houses a staggering 3,000 plants, representing nearly 200 different species. Among its verdant inhabitants is the Jackfruit tree, which bears the largest tree-born fruit in the world.
Can you picture such a sight?
The Climatron also plays host to at least three varieties of coffee plants. One can almost smell the rich aroma wafting through the air!
Every January, in a spectacle worthy of the finest horticultural circles, the Climatron closes its doors for a most unusual event - the trimming of its tallest trees.
These arboreal giants, reaching ever skyward, must be coaxed back from the edges of their geodesic home. This annual pruning allows the trees to continue their enthusiastic growth while ensuring that sunlight can filter down to nourish their ground-dwelling brethren.
Fuller, in his infinite wisdom, left us with pearls of insight that continue to resonate.
Consider, if you will, these profound words:
Nature does have manure and she does have roots as well as blossoms, and you can't hate the manure and blame the roots for not being blossoms.
How true, dear gardeners!
We must embrace all aspects of nature's cycle, from the lowliest compost to the most resplendent bloom.
There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly!!!
What a delightful reminder of the hidden potential in all living things!
And finally, a sobering reflection on our place in the grand tapestry of existence:
Nature is trying very hard to make us succeed, but nature does not depend on us. We are not the only experiment.
Let us ponder these words as we tend to our gardens, dear readers.
For in nurturing the earth, we may yet prove ourselves worthy of nature's grand experiment.