Longtime GPOD subscribers might remember that every year, I give a report on the latest plantings at the Bridgewater Village Store that I pass each evening on my way home from work. Today I’m sharing a fourth season, and I have to say that I think it’s the best one yet! (2011: HERE & HERE, 2012: HERE, 2013: HERE)
I asked the property manager, Greg Bollard, to weigh in, and he said, “As you know, each year we try to change it up a little to keep the center of town interesting! Since we are the only commercial entity in town we feel it is important to be the welcome sign for our beautiful little town, Bridgewater.
Each year we alternate from traditional plantings to more trendy contemporary designs. We decided to be a little more exotic this year–OK, maybe more than a little! We like to have fun, be bold, work with color, and make it a bang.
I think it is fun to work with exotics in traditional spaces…… Next year will be calmer and safer and it will probably satisfy more of the masses… But gardening is also about pushing the boundary a little, and other than some sightline concerns, we are happy with our choices this year.”
It’s gorgeous, Greg. Kudos to you and your crew! You make my commute so much nicer with all of the work you do.
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Comments
What's not to love?!!! I see lots of familiar plants and, although mystified in identifying a few, the overall impression is thoroughly delightful. There are lots of great blocks of color and some interesting variations in height. Please pass along to Greg, the property manager, this particular gpod-er is definitely a big fan of this year's presentation!
I'm amazed this hasn't caused traffic in the area at all! I see that it was shed its previous name of hellstrip but who wouldn't fall in love with its plantings year after year? So much to love in terms of design, texture, variegation and color. I'd personally change my route to include this scenery on my drive home each day if I lived in CT. Lucky for me in the suburb where I live, the city landscapers plant up some beautiful intersectionson my daily commute.
This is beautiful! I love the abundance and variety! What is the purple plant in the last photo? I don't think you should go calmer and safer next year... this is stunning!
Please add me to the list of wanting to know what the purple fuzzy looking flowering plant it. It's color and texture are quite intriguing. Sorry I don't know the answer myself, Brenda, but I hope someone else does.
Add me to the list, too! Great color, great texture!
I'm pretty sure that is Trachelium, called blue throat wort. It's a stunning annual that is hard for me to find locally so I have ordered it from Annie's Annuals. And honestly, that picture does not do it justice!
Thank you so much for the info!
I wouldn't mind driving by this every day on my way home from work! Iam so glad to see that companies are getting into the plant world and being creative with their store fronts! Its beautiful and creative! It looks like a great stop! Oh yes, and I wouldn't go calmer either! There should be a campaign started on "Store Beautification On the Green Side". Could be catchy! Thanks for showing us today!
Very exciting planting! I agree KUDOS!
What a riot of plants! It is fabulous that Bridgewater River Store has chosen to turn a typical eyesore into a strip of beauty and design. Kudos to you for beautifying your city! (and, like others, I'm curious: what IS that purple plant?)
Even though every year has been outstanding, this is definitely my favorite design. The color echoes that move along the strip, the abundance of textures, the sizes and shapes of the mixture of plant materials all create a 'WOW' in my mind.
By the way, Verbena bonariansis (sp?) seems to be the 'hot' plant for public gardens this year. I've been seeing it everywhere! I love the drama this annual brings to a garden bed.
Just to pop in and blab a little about the Verbena bonariansis 9Ha, I'll spell it your way, Sheila, since I don't have a clue)...anyway, I have a few places in some of my beds where it reseeded very heavily and I just let them all germinate and fight it out among themselves. I like how it looks giving such a strong purple statement. We tend to have the bottom part of the stems get mildewy because of our humidity here in east TN so I'll just cut them back severely and let them start over. They always do evoke interest among garden visitors who aren't familiar with them.
Michaele... the main reason I love Vb ;) is because it just pops up in the most unusual places and can be really wild and crazy looking! This year in the back yard a plant started growing in the bark butting up the the patio so I let it go until I knew whether or not it was a weed. It is the coolest Vb... with about 25-30 stems coming out of a 4" space. It is so contained you'd think it was in a buried pot! Jim hates it because of the reason I love it... it's out of the confines of the nearby garden! I've threatened bodily harm if he sneaks out and pulls it!
Sounds very cool looking, Sheila. Do your plants get bothered by the mildew thing or is that just a special "treat" for those of us here in the more muggy southeast?
So far I've only had powdery mildew on my monarda if I don't thin them out in the spring. Phew! I don't miss it!
In the first pic, what are the yellow plumes? Pretty!
Michelle, this is beautiful and thank you for sharing it with us. I wish we had a program in America like the one they have in Great Britain, called "Britain in Bloom," where towns compete for the best plantings. Maybe all of us would see more sights like this one along our roadways.
What is the plant with the greenish plumes in the very front of the first picture, next to the Verbena bonariensis?
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