Blog
A Fresh Vision for the Pennock Flower Walk
If you have visited the Alice & J. Liddon Pennock Flower Walk in the past year or so, you may have noticed a slight difference in the treatment of the center beds.
In fall 2023 we decided we wanted to present four seasons of color in this garden, with the vision to increase off-season interest as well as saturate the summer with blooms. We removed all existing plant material and added about 2 inches of compost that was hand-turned into the soil. Into that newly augmented soil we planted over 6,000 pansies in a gradient from deep blue around the center to bright yellow along the outer path. The pop of color looked great throughout the quieter winter months and stepped up in the spring with the arrival of light-yellow narcissus, apricot tulips, and creamy yellow hyacinths.
Historically, the Pennock Flower Walk was created with the intention of being filled with a sunset color theme. With the opportunity to design on a fresh planting canvas this year, I brought back that theme and created a cohesive design throughout all four beds. In May we began the daunting task of taking out all of those pansies and installing this new summer sunset planting—full and vibrant with an array of peach, apricot, orange, and a few bright reds, with a foil of purple shades. The show-stopping Aechmea blanchetiana ‘Hawaii’ glows against the airy inflorescence of Calamintha nepeta spp. nepeta and the purples of Salvia ‘Unplugged So Blue’ and Strobilanthes dyeriana ‘Persian Shield.’ Unifying swaths of Verbena bonariensis and Canna ‘Toucan Coral’ carry across the space, their purple and peach blooms dancing above the planting.
Late September saw a re-emergence of the pansy planting but in a fresh color palate. It's a matrix of saturated moody colors with bright accents. You will just have to come by and see for yourself!
