I started working as a Seasonal Gardener a few weeks ago and I love being able to see the daily changes in the gardens. There are so many weeds right now, but after one section is done, it is very satisfying to uncover the design layout. Here is one of my favorite gardens, the Unity Garden, designed by W. Gary Smith and Harriet Grimm. There are two sides of this garden; one part is shaded and the other part is full sun. I’ve noticed that the plant palette is mostly made up of native plants and both sides have quite different plants, but are linked by the Oakleaf Hydrangea.

Right now the sunny part of the garden is full bloom. Last week I actually thought one of the flowers was a weed until my coworker told me it was Queen of the Prairie (Filipendula rubra). Good thing I didn’t yank it out! I’ve always wanted to use it, but at my old job, most of the sites had low sun conditions. It’s so beautiful in person, like cotton candy on a stick!

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Another garden I enjoy working in is the Perennial Garden. I like how the layout is made of 3 – 4 triangles. It’s going to be a lot of work getting it back to its former state…you can see the patch of weed seedlings underneath the Blue Fescue (?). Once it has been weeded some more, I’ll post more pictures.

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