Alisa DePontier

Annie Calovich's tribute to the Bartlett Arboretum (Wichita Eagle cover story June 1, 2004) is what initially brought a curious Alisa DePontier to the garden gate. A heartfelt message on hydrangea stationary arrived in the Post and indicated a resolve to "make time for the things that are really important to me." As a busy mom and a Johnson's Garden Center veteran employee, Alisa still makes time to drive south to tend to her adopted piece of the Arboretum Quilt: The Formal Garden. This soulful earth mama loves and understands all things botanical. A tiny woman with a big heart, Alisa tenderly tends to the soil and the pansies and the tulips and to her friendships with intention and focus. And like a woodland tulip she is a rare and genuine inspiration to all. Patchouli oil is always in the air when Alisa walks through the gate toting the same clean, sharp felcos she purchased 15 years ago. And she still manages to live without an answering machine.