picture courtesy Oehme van Sweden
I have two bone to pick about gardens being destruct or co - opted to honour the dead . Yes , I ’m going there . First , a interior warfare memorial threaten to destroy an of import landscape and minute , a garden is used to prompt visitors of a local tragedy , a situation that could happen anywhere .
The authoritative landscape isPershing Parkin Washington , D.C. , about a block from the White House . It was designed by a rock lead among landscape architects – M. Paul Friedberg – and updated by the famous local loyal ofOehme van Sweden(featured recentlyon GardenRant ) . The sunny photos above show the park its its glory day , when the traffic - cancel water company still worked , and the plants were alive and well . I ate lunch there whenever I could .
Photo courtesy Oehme van Sweden
Photo courtesy The Cultural Landscape Foundation
Above left , Pershing Park as it once was and proper , as it is today . TheWashington City Papercalled it a“ghostly place . ”Today the fountain is broken , the delightful chair and tables that once graced the Mungo Park have been replace by concrete work bench , and the plantings and sunken water garden are long go .
But instead of repairing and maintaining the park , Congress has decided it should be turn into yet another remembrance to war – this meter World War I. This city already has two remembrance to that warfare ( includingthis one , of late renovated ) but some see the need for another . Five designing have been chosen as finalists for a young WWI Memorial on the website , and they all call for demolition of the exist landscape .
Photo courtesy The Cultural Landscape Foundation
Instead of , say , deposit the position , add together a new plaque about WWI , and save money .
gratefully there ’s a national organisation that cares about preserving significant landscape like this one – The Cultural Landscape Foundation – and it ’s hellbent on saving it . “ Pershing Park is threaten ” distinguish the story , including how to help .
The Foundation ’s director Charles Birnbaum explains the parkland ’s position today : “ When you have a landscape painting that has a piss feature , and you stop maintaining the water feature , then you stop maintain the plantings at the same level . What we have here is bare - minimum alimony . They empty the garbage . ”
Issues here admit the recurrent problem of neglecting maintenance , the relative easiness of farm store for something shiny and new , and decision - makers who do n’t rate our “ cultural landscape painting . ”
Another local garden I love isBrookside Gardens , Montgomery County , Maryland ’s public garden , which includes this serene spot on its 25 acres . My beef cattle is with what county leaders decided to place at the other terminal of this lake :
And below , an account of the calendar month in 2002 when locals fear death by sniper shooting as they went about their daily life .
And here are the names of the victims .
Of of course I read that the family of victim – of warfare , of random fierceness , of terrorism – might want a special position to think their sleep with 1 , and what prettier post to do that than in the nearest public garden ?
But what about all the other garden visitors , who just require to expend time in a beautiful place and not have to “ reflect on those lost to fury ? ”
Is the resolution to create fresh position specially for remembrance ? That would be more , of course , and that ’s probably the rub .
