Washington Park Vegetation Renewal & Management Report

Where the spatial construct of the historic plan shows vegetation masses, the use of ground cover areas, under existing and proposed trees is recommended. This treatment of the ground plane will replicate the Egerton forms. These areas are often in shade, and lawn beneath the trees does not thrive. A ground cover solution, once established, is a low care landscape treatment requiring limited annual weeding to remove tree seedlings, fertilizing, and watering in extremely hot, dry conditions. Vinca minor is an excellent historic ground cover that is shade tolerant.

Ground cover is also recommended a the margins of shrub masses to provide a low care green edge while keeping shrub plantings back from paths for a higher perception of safety by park users. This treatment eliminates the use of narrow lawn areas as a maintenance component. Establishing ground covers can be difficult. They require relatively high care, including watering, fertilizing and intensive weeding for two to three years. To implement this recommendation selected sample areas should be tried, with establishment maintenance provided, so that the effort required becomes known and a determination of future direction is made.

As in other areas of vegetation renewal, the issues for the garden beds are twofold. First the reinstatement of the spatial organization is desired. Second the reinstatement of historic plant materials, to portray the feeling of the turn of the century display gardens is preferred. these are two separate issues. While reinstating the historic organization, with the tiered sequence of the King Fountain landscape may be achieved over time, the plantings may at times reflect the historic ones, and at other times reflect current tastes in display plantings. The actual annual plantings rely on the capabilities and budget oipark staff and dedicated volunteers.

The historic plan and photographic views clearly indicate that the garden bedding was restricted to the first two tiers of the King Fountain area, around the fountain itself and in the four lawn panels and four circle beds directly adjacent to the fountain. Because the King Fountain was a destination and a striking artistic element it was photographed more frequently, in more seasons than most other areas of Washington Park. The spatial organization of the most of these garden beds is apparent in photographic views. Four beds surrounded the fountain with small intervening lawn panels. Linear beds edged the interior and exterior of the four adjacent lawn panels, while three large round beds appointed the center of these areas. These round beds were all mounded with soil to gain additional height for the display of the central plantings. The beds shown on the outside edges of these panels is partially evident in historic views. These views and the layout of the garden beds in the Willett Street area were used as reference for the configuration shown. The treatment on the curved ends of these panels was not discernable in historic views. (Perhaps additional views can clarify the treatment of these areas.) The round areas, now containing light poles, were also planted with annual bedding plants in circular beds with a narrow grass margin as they are planted today. The recapturing of this spatial organization is an important objective for the King Fountain area.

Ideally the plantings within these areas can replicate the bedding plants used at the turn of the century. In the absence of a greenhouse facility and greenhouse staff, the tropical agaves used at the corners of the beds and at break points may not be possible to replicate unless these fairly sturdy, tolerant plants can be wintered over in an appropriate facility. The look that these plants