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Pennock Flower Walk is one of many garden spaces that I take care of, but it is the one that has seen the most change over my tenure and afforded me the most growth as a designer.

When I arrived in 2021, it was a mixed perennial and annual garden with four symmetrical boxwood trees in the center. I inherited annuals to plant that season with limited direction and a lot to learn about how the garden behaves. We muddled through that season, and I took what I observed to develop a new design for the following year. Since it was still a relatively new space, I stuck to a similar plan and color palette: warm sunset colors.

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The following season I punched it up a bit with bigger tropicals. This effect was fun, but the height became a little overwhelming in spots, especially where plants also engulfed the side paths. Just as I was starting to feel confident in where I wanted to take the garden, there was a twist: Moving forward, it would be a four-season garden, with a pansy display for interest in the fall and winter. It took a bit of scrambling and the unfortunate removal of some late-season annuals in peak bloom, but the pansies were in.

With this change came a new design opportunity for me—I could really lean into the symmetry of the garden. I kept some of the height from last season but was more strategic about its placement and I stuck with the historic warm sunset tones. Then I was tossed another curve ball: The boxwoods were to be removed that fall. My confidence and skills had grown enough by this time to take this change in stride.

The design I created in the fully empty beds—very formal with two walls of canna—was my way of reintroducing some of the structure that the boxwoods previously offered. Last summer, I explored a new color direction, layering cool blues and greens with accents of sharp yellow and salmon orange. This was absolutely my favorite design so far, and I was feeling the pressure of living up to it this year.

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Over the winter, the pansy design included temporary cobblestone edging to create a stained-glass effect. I loved the impact of the cobblestones through the beds and decided to work that into this summer's design. There is a undulating cobblestone line through all the beds with three distinct plant combos sweeping through in asymmetrical shapes. I wanted an overall pink/purple color palate offset by some bright oranges and lime green.  Its lush and bold and I love how it has filled in so far — no more worries about meeting the high bar from last year!  

Five years ago, I never would have believed I’d create designs like this. But that’s the beauty of gardening: It’s about constantly growing and learning, pushing the boundaries of your creativity, and seeing where the next season can take you.

Check back soon for part two of this blog post — a deep dive into the specific plants used this summer in the Pennock Flower Garden!