Tulip Tree Garden
The Tulip Tree Garden was installed in the fall of 2009 by an Environmental Science class. Previously, the site contained mostly lawn, with a few shrubs and flowers. The students chose to design a more formal garden, with flowers in concentric circles around a tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipfera), a beautiful native tree with tulip-shaped flowers. This garden teaches the importance of a naturalistic design in sustainable landscaping. The formal design requires more human intervention to maintain the geometry, and small changes, such as a plant that dies back or the emergence of a seedling, instantly appears unkempt. Thus we have chosen to let the garden continue to evolve, allowing plants to grow and seed into new areas.
The following plants are in the Tulip Tree Garden:
Tree
- Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipfera)
Shrubs
- Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)
Grasses
- Northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)
- Panic grass (Panicum amarum)
Wildflowers
- Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
- Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)
- Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
- Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata)
- Coralbells (Heuchera americana)
- Grass-leaf blazingstar (Liatris graminifolia)
- Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)