Saturday, October 19 is the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce's annual fall foliage tour called 'Peak into Peterborough'. We try to make sure the parks are in tip-top shape for the visitors. Depot Park looked particularly good this week. We haven't had a killing frost so many of the gardens remained lush late into the season.
Miscanthus 'Morning Light' compliments the foliage Fagus sylvatica 'Asplenifolia' aka the Fern Leaf Beech.
A path in the park with several Malus 'Sugar Tyme' in full fruit.
The upright foliage and flowers of Molinia litoralis ‘Windspiel’ with Aster oblongifolius 'October Skies' planted at its feet at the Pavilion Garden.
Pennisetum purpureum 'Vertigo', a new grass we tried this year, was a big success. It hasn't had a long enough season to flower but the strap-like burgundy foliage was enough of a show.
The vertical spires of Eupatorium capillifolium in the Pavilion Garden look particularly lovely in the autumn light.
A close up of Eupatorium capillifolium., a native Joe Pye Weed from the South up to Massachusetts. It can become an invasive pest in warmer gardens but it performs well here as an annual: an outstanding textured punctuation point.
Michael, the planting around the Pavilion Garden is splendid. It's almost like you could be in Shanghai or Tuscany. A dreamscape.
ReplyDeleteThere's only one problem: 'Depot Park' is about the most boring name your local legislators could have come up with...how about 'The Michael B Gordon Park', or 'Gordon Park' for a bit of appropriateness?
Faisal, I came up with "Depot Park", if I remember correctly. There used to be a train that went right through this area along the river. The town had fund raisers to buy the land about 17 years ago, so it was a new park at the time. We designed the pavilion to mimic/suggest the memory of a depot station. Thanks, as always, for your kind words, but there is much more to be accomplished before a name change!! Great to hear from you.
ReplyDeleteInteresting on Michael B Gordon Park (Parque de Gordón if in the SW:-)...not even a light frost, or just not a hard freeze?
ReplyDeleteIt looks so vibrant with summer and fall tones together. This is what I fondly remember from the mid-Atlantic (sister in SE PA, brother near DC) this time of year into early Nov. The first images with the beech coloring is amazing...
We've had a couple light frosts but no killing frost yet. I'm traveling to NYCity this week and will enjoy setting the calendar backwards as I travel south. There are 5 or 6 beech trees in the park and they are beginning to make a fine presence.
DeleteM, it all looks a refreshing change from the all to often 'usual' public/municipal plantings we the public must endure...all of it looks like someone cares and if others think the same way (on the ground) the gardens will probably suffer less 'interference' from some of the more wayward members of the public!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Billy. We try to use the time, talent and resources at our disposal to make the gardens as interesting as we can possibly make them. It is true, the better we take care of the parks the better the public treats them.
DeleteJust lovely...I'm such a sucker for those tall Molinias...they are just so elegant, and once they turn that luscious butterscotch color, I'm a goner! I've grown 'Vertigo' for a few years and been quite happy with it, as well. I believe I read that it's not possible for it to flower here (or most places) due to it needing night temps over 80° (or something like that) later in the year. I've been wanting to plant that Eupatorium capillifolium for the last few years...I wonder if it would be a pest here in Portland?
ReplyDeleteScott,
DeleteI suspect Eupatorium capillifolium might be a problem for you. I get an occasional seedling of ‘Windspiel’ but nothing to worry about. I'll have to try 'Vertigo'. Is it equally as tall? U was in Philadelphia for Thanksgiving and it looks like a number of Miscanthus have seeded along the highway there. It barely flowers here.