Shelter Gardens : A 2000 Grand Award Winner of the Professional Grounds Management Society for Industrial or Office Park.(Shelter Life Insurance Co.)(Brief Article)

Just because it's an insurance company doesn't mean Shelter Insurance of Columbia, MO, doesn't deserve nice landscaping. It's surprising that any of the employees come back from lunch, with all there is to look at and enjoy: a Vietnam Veterans Memorial complete with bamboo and Japanese maples; a newcomer school that's a 19th century replica of a one-room schoolhouse; and a breathtaking rose garden complete with hybrid teas, floribundas, climbers and shrub roses.

The rose garden takes 20 man-hours per week, a fraction of the time it takes to care for the 8,000 to 10,000 annuals planted the first week of May. Over 22 acres of turf must be mowed two to three times per …