Tawes Plaza Garden
1 |
2
What makes us choose to linger in one space or pass
quickly through another? Amenities will help us to pause, such as benches and
seat walls; the sheltering shade of the tree canopy; perhaps the sound of water.
Yet without a diversity of plants to punctuate the seasons, a landscape may
never be a garden.
A major renovation of Tawes Hall was completed in August of 2009 with classes
resuming in September of that year. The original scope of the project did not
include landscape changes on the east façade and surrounding plaza, but it was
clear that this presented an opportunity to correct certain landscape issues and
redefine the space. Large southern magnolias that obscured the east windows and
impacted the foundation were replaced with a newer upright cultivar, Magnolia
grandiflora ‘Alta’ and Magnolia x loebneri ‘Spring Snow’ which joined
star magnolia, Magnolia stellata, in the landscape, diversifying
representation of this genus. A tall screen of Foster holly, Ilex x attenuata
‘Fosteri’ that concealed the view of the east entrance from Campus Drive was
replaced with a new mixed planting of much lower shrubs and perennials chosen
for landscape interest throughout the year. White Out rose, Rosa x
‘Radwhite’ PPAF, a recent hardy shrub rose introduction with excellent
reblooming and disease resistance, is one of the key plants in this garden.