Corporate Gardens

Every once in a while a corporation or agency actually hires someone to do a planting that does a half way decent job. Instead of the usual plunked down potentillas and undersized globe arborvitaes they will use some more interesting plants. That first image is of the Dunkin Donuts in Manchester at the corner of Webster & DW Highway. I love the inclusion of that lovely grass and someone bothered to mix up the colors with some crimson barberry and golden thuja.

Of course it falls down a little because some barbarian put down bright orange mulch and then proceeded to trim the thuja & barberry into graceless little globes. But I suppose the alternative is this little patch of earth in the city could have been paved over and painted green to simulate grass.

These next two images are of the Employment Security Building in Concord right on Main Street. When this planting went in 3 years ago my little heart just went pitter patter. Who, at the state level, would have bothered to choose such a clearly wonderful design? This planting inspired me to ask nurseries everywhere to identify a stunning purple leaved shrub that is included in it ( second photo way at the right.) I finally discovered it is Diablo Ninebark and have since procured one for myself.

About a week after I took these photos the state hired some heathens to come in and clean up the planting, which has been largely ignored since it was installed. I think they either got computer programmers or legislative aids who have never seen a plant before. They, likewise trimmed everything into balls, even the large sweeping Ninebark- heart breaking! I can't believe they put so much effort into shaving everything back to nubs but couldn't bend over to pull up the weeds- they just threw bark mulch over them.

This final photo is of the McDonalds in Concord. It is a fairly mature planting. It is also at a very busy intersection of mostly lights, cars, signs and other general mayhem. It is a real sight for assaulted eyes. Kudos to the owners for having put it in so many years ago and maintaining it.

It adds so much to urban living to have these mini-parks to assuage our souls while we go about our daily commerce.