A phased construction approach was used that included the following: (1) Retaining Walls Repair and Rebuilding; (2) Site Improvements; and (3) Garden Shelters. Construction documents and specifications were prepared for each phase and bid separately. This approach was selected, because the work required a variety of craftsmen. It was also important for the project to stay within the available budget of $1.2 million. The phased approach allowed the priority items to be completed first with the balance of funds available for secondary items. With careful management, the available budget proved adequate to complete the entire project. Panoramic view of project implementation, 1996. Ideally, the work of the initial phase was to be complete before the next phase could begin. Repair and rebuilding of the retaining walls proved particularly difficult, resulting in time extensions. The other two phases were completed with much less difficulty. Problems in phase one were primarily caused by contractor error. In many cases, rebuilt sections of brick capping had to be rebuilt again due to excessive width of the mortar joints. Minor variations in measurements, sometimes less than inch, made a marked visual difference in the completed project. The garden staff was involved in returning the boxwoods to their historic spatial and visual role in the garden. Boxwoods dominated the garden years before the project work was undertaken. The boxwoods that surrounded the four quadrants had grown to a height and breadth that were more than double the size Thomas Sears originally specified for the hedge. Early photographs attributed to Sears indicate that the boxwood hedges were an important backdrop for the quadrant plantings as well as the perennial borders of the lawn. In addition, boxwoods added in the 1970s in the interiors of the quadrants had grown and completely covered planting areas; these boxwoods were removed as part of this project. Using the guidelines suggested by the American Boxwood Society, the Reynolda Gardens staff renovated the boxwood hedges, reducing each plant by half in the winter of 1995-96 and cutting the other half in the winter of 1996. The boxwood plantings responded well to the aggressive pruning and special attention and have regained the historic form reflected in the original design.     Garden superintendent Preston Stockton with baby cryptomeria. The Reynolda Gardens staff, including its director, assistant director, horticulturist, curator of education and one seasonal worker, was charged with providing maintenance to the rehabilitated gardens. This staff is also responsible for maintenance of 125 acres of woodlands adjacent to the formal gardens and within the former R.J. Reynolds estate. One goal of the completed project was to reduce the amount of maintenance required previously for the Vegetable Garden so that more time could be spent in the Greenhouse Garden. While maintenance demands for the Vegetable Garden have decreased, particularly with the reduction in size of the Rose Garden, there has been increased maintenance in the Greenhouse Garden due to the addition of large numbers of perennials, the regular pruning of boxwoods and other routine maintenance. Additional maintenance required an increase in trained staff, including an additional horticulturist and a greenhouse manager; funds for such are provided by the $1 million endowment. Other seasonal positions, using the endowment fund, are created as necessary.