A new planting design developed by Mississippi State University’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design, in partnership with Ambiance Landscape Design, now graces the Fallen Officers Memorial in Jackson.
The updated memorial, which reflects strength, remembrance and resilience, was guided by Anne Spafford, professor and department head, in collaboration with Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Mississippi Sheriffs’ Association. The planting scheme includes meaningful selections including musclewood trees, fastigiate ginkgoes and symbolic bluestem grass and blue agapanthus weaving throughout the site.
“The annual Fallen Officers Vigil [held this week] is a special opportunity to pay tribute to the brave men and women who spend every day protecting our communities and to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “We are grateful to Dr. Anne Spafford and the students in Mississippi State’s Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design program, as well as the landscape architecture firm Ambiance Landscape in Brandon, for generously lending their time and talents to make the Memorial Wall fitting of these heroes’ legacies.”
Brooke Arthur, a senior landscape architecture major from Starkville, played a significant role in shaping the vision for the new planting.
“I was inspired by the sacrifice of the fallen officers and their families, as well as the city’s commitment to those they lost through this memorial and yearly remembrance,” Arthur said. “I felt truly honored to work on this space, knowing it already held deep meaning to so many people.”
Arthur proposed the incorporated “blue line” concept, which became a defining feature of the final design. “It’s a line of blue flowering plants that weaves through the site, representing the thin blue line of law enforcement,” she explained.
The project emerged from MSU’s design activities during April—World Landscape Architecture Month—offering students the chance to engage in civic-minded, hands-on community-engagement work outside of traditional studio courses.
“Real-world projects like this are invaluable learning opportunities for our students,” Spafford said. “We were honored to be part of a project so rooted in public service and remembrance. Landscape architecture can be grounding—it helps us connect with nature, honor memory and mark the passage of time in ways that are both subtle and powerful.”
The planting selections were chosen not only for their symbolism but also for durability and year-round beauty, ensuring the memorial remains a place of quiet reflection for families, officers and all who visit.
MSU’s Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences includes faculty in the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station and the MSU Extension Service.