Public Inspiration

I have a secret. No, I’m not having a torrid affair with Tim. Rather, twice a week, when I’m supposed to be training to run half of the Flying Pig Marathon with Brit, I instead walk along the Ohio River and ogle the parks’ plantings. Summer in Cincinnati is simply too hot and steamy to run at noon. Besides, my great running speed reduces the flowers to a blur. I need to stop and smell the roses.

My walk begins and ends at Sawyer Point. The park caters to large crowds, and thus features mostly trees, grassy areas, and annual plantings. Looking beyond the Disneyland-like glare of the marigolds, impatiens, and zinnias, there are a few inspirational plantings. For instance, this shade bed is lush with a mix of perennials, like hostas, and annuals, like caladium. In the summer heat it seems especially tropical.

The landscaping highlights, though, are in the Theodore M. Berry International Friendship Park. Despite its unwieldy and overly-P.C. name, the park has more to offer than images of open hands. The plantings are inspiring, artful, and well tended. I’ve enjoyed watching the seasons progress in the park and have found it especially valuable to illustrate how different one plant can look over the course of the year. For instance, the forsythia, so striking in the spring, are now nondescript. The park has influenced my own landscaping. I was inspired to purchase a Miss Kim Lilac after smelling the combined fragrance of the dozens that line the parking lot. I often pause at the wall planted with trumpet vines to imagine how my deck will someday be similarly covered.

One of the first things I see upon entering the park is this planting of daylilies in alternating, contrasting colors. The contrast of yellow and pink blooms is enchanting.

For Zoey, of Perennial Passion, here are some striking container shots. I’d love to know what the plant with both purple foliage and flowers is. It reminds me of spiderwort.



I was surprised to see trees in bloom in July. I haven’t a clue what these are – they may not even be true trees. The color combination is very pleasing.

Finally, this is my current favorite planting in the park. There are two rock islands in a grassy sea within the Australia section. A flowery beach rings each island. This is the more striking of the two. (The other island is missing the yellow flowers.)

What public space inspires your garden?