Caroline \u201cCarrie\u201d Dormon (1888-1971) had a very productive and wide-ranging life as author and illustrator as told in \u201cThe Gift of the Wild Things\u201d by Fran Holman Johnson.<\/p>\n
Although she had other strong interests, most of her work focused in some way on plants, especially in their conservation or promotion to gardeners.\u00a0 She was instrumental in establishing the Kisatchie National Forest and was effective at educating the public, especially children, on the value of forest ecosystems.\u00a0 She accomplished these goals in part as the first woman to work in the Forestry Division in Louisiana, an achievement that reflected her determination and considerable political savvy.<\/p>\n
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She was also an adept botanical illustrator.\u00a0 According to Holman Johnson, she could be fanatical.\u00a0 She insisted on painting from nature, and if the condition and lighting of her subjects were ideal, she would remain at her work, mindless of anything else.\u00a0 “The majority of Carrie\u2019s paintings were of flowers and shrubs and trees\u2026a skillful combination of correct botany and colored charm.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Dormon was interested in native plantings across the United States, it is clear that she especially loves the plants of her native Louisiana.\u00a0 These include trees such as the Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris<\/em>) which she describes as \u201cnothing is more beautiful,\u201d and Magnolia grandiflora<\/em> (\u201cshould be crowned queen of trees\u201d).<\/p>\n Louisiana irises were a special interest.\u00a0 This complex of several species is native through much of the southeast United States but with the greatest concentration in their eponymic state\u2019s wetlands.\u00a0 Hybrids between the species have one of the widest range of colors of any iris group, but were essentially unknown in horticulture before the work of Dormon and few others.<\/p>\n She planted many at her garden in northern Louisiana and distributed them to friends elsewhere in an effort to understand their best growing conditions.\u00a0 She also introduced hybrids, winning six Mary Swords DeBaillon Awards<\/a> between 1948-1958, the top honor of that era from the Society for Louisiana Irises.<\/p>\n Reviewed by: Brian Thompson on December 2, 2024<\/p>\n Excerpted from the Winter 2025 issue of the Arboretum Bulletin<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Caroline \u201cCarrie\u201d Dormon (1888-1971) had a very productive and wide-ranging life as author and illustrator as told in \u201cThe Gift of the Wild Things\u201d by Fran Holman Johnson. Although she had other strong interests, most of her work focused in some way on plants, especially in their conservation or promotion to gardeners.\u00a0 She was instrumental in establishing the Kisatchie National Forest and was effective at educating the public, especially children, on the value of forest ecosystems.\u00a0 She accomplished these goals…<\/p>\n