All the plants I chose for the design are meant to teach, or capture the students’ imaginations.  Irises have had special meaning since Ancient Greek times.  In 1753 Linnaeus named the genus after the Greek goddess of the rainbow, who acted as a messenger of the gods. The three upright petals and three drooping sepals are symbols for faith, valor, and wisdom.  In the narrow planter at the center of a wheelchair ramp (above left) the flowers can be appreciated from all angles.  The erect green foliage provides structure year-round.

Pavement sidewalks surround all the beds, so the plants needed to be able to withstand the “heat island effect” in summer, and also wind exposure in winter.  The design also had to be simple, so volunteers of all ages could plant it.  A long wave of Lavandula x intermedia 'Provence' (above center) swaying in the breeze breaks the stiffness of the flat and rectangular shape of the front bed and adds scent. In front of the lavender, Stachys byzantina (above right) tie the gray of the sidewalk into the gray and blue scheme of the planting bed. For the back of the wave, I chose Buddleja davidii to give the design height and to attract butterflies.

The photo on the left shows the bed before we planted it. This space is mostly in the shade, so we created a pattern of variegated and solid green hostas to bring light into it. The volunteers used a simple map to follow the design, and we were able to finish the planting in under an hour.