How Do Our Gardens Grow? – with silver bells and cockleshells and volunteers all in a row

Flowers at the entry to the Walled Garden in Mellon Park

Have you been enjoying our new What’s in Bloom blog series? Pittsburgh’s parks are host to many of our city’s most vibrant floral displays. While careful thought is put into the planting of these gardens, they each require constant attention as they grow. According to Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy gardener, Angela Masters, one of the biggest mistakes people make when planting a garden at home is to assume that the hard part is over.

A beautiful garden is a carefully maintained garden. When the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society presented its Community Greening Award to the Highland Park Entry Garden and the Walled Garden in Mellon Park, they specifically cited the maintenance of each garden as a factor. “The plant material is extensive and the maintenance is flawless,” the judges said of the Walled Garden. They called the Highland Park Entry Garden “meticulously maintained” and added that it is a “sight to behold.”   

Oak Leaf Hydrangea in Mellon Park

At the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy we are committed to creating lasting change in our parks and we understand that this means more than the completion of capital projects with striking before and after photos. These restored spaces must remain as beautiful for the generations to come. Each new project we undertake must have maintenance funding secured before we break ground.

With our completion of Schenley Plaza (which hosts a bevy of colorful gardens), the Highland Park Entry Garden, and the Walled Garden in Mellon Park, we hired our gardener Angela to help the City crews maintain the newly flourishing beds. But the unsung heroes of these spaces are the volunteers who come out to help us weed, deadhead, prune, water, sweep, and care for Pittsburgh’s favorite flowers. For two hours every other week, groups of volunteers that vary from 2-8 people at a time work diligently in the Highland Park Entry Garden and the Walled Garden to contribute to the park they love.

A volunteer deadheading in the Walled Garden

I joined the volunteers this past Tuesday in the Walled Garden and we eagerly watched the storm clouds truck across the sky. The tiny squall went as quickly as it came and we were able to roll up our sleeves and get into the dirt. As a Development Associate for the Parks Conservancy, my specialties are planning fundraising events, maintaining databases and spread sheets, and smiling really pretty at people. My work is fueled by my love for the parks, but I completely lack the green thumb genome. I had to give myself a pep talk in the car – just try not to kill the garden. Ever since I had been married there last October, I had been trying to work up the nerve to show up, hoping to contribute to a place that I feel has so deeply contributed to my life. Everyone was thrilled to have another set of hands, and I was given very appropriate tasks in which the plants would survive the liability of my cluelessness. I even learned a thing or two!

We would love to have your help and we absolutely love making new park friends! Our volunteers vary from experienced gardeners looking to lend a hand, to eager park goers who have a lot to learn. Each of them knows that every time a couple snaps a prom picture in the Entry Garden, or says their vows in Mellon Park, they’ve contributed to a place that does more than make Pittsburgh beautiful – it becomes a part of someone’s story.

The remaining horticultural volunteer days are as follows (we’ll provide everything you need) –

Weeding Tuesdays at the Mellon Park Walled Garden

5-7 pm

June 26

July 10 & 24

August 7 & 21

September 4 & 18

 

Weeding Wednesdays in the Highland Park Entry Garden

5-7 pm

June 27

July 11 & 25

August 8 & 22

September 5 & 19

 

Color in the Highland Park Entry Garden

Garden Maintenance Tip from Angela

To give your garden definition, make sure your plants have room to shine. “You can’t be afraid to cut back plants or remove some of them when necessary, or they’ll all just grow together,” says Angela. To achieve the stunning color blocking effect you see in the Highland Park Entry Garden, or the calm elegance of the Walled Garden in Mellon Park, allow for some negative space between plants. To really highlight this effect, Angela suggests putting some mulch down on the ground between the plant types.   

 

Learn more about our volunteer programs and how you can get involved here. Really up for getting your hands dirty? Consider becoming an Urban EcoSteward. Dirt not your style? Your donation to the parks will go a long way.

Kathleen Gaines joined the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy as a Development Associate last year.

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What’s In Bloom – June 2012

Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy gardener, Angela Masters has been busy adding splashes of color to our City parks.  With the weather warming up, now is a perfect time to take a stroll through our June blooms.

Highland Park Entry Garden

Allium (Allium caeruleum)

Annabelle hydrangea, Hydrangea arborescens “Annabelle”

Asiatic lily, Lilium Apeldoorn

Coral bells, Heuchera x brizoides

Hardy Sunflower, Heliopsis helianthoides

Montauk Daisy, Nipponanthemum nipponicum

White Trumpet Lily, Lilium regale

Yarrow, Achillea “Parker’s Gold”

A beautiful day at the Highland Park Entry Garden

Mellon Park Walled Garden

Astilbe

Daylily, Hemorocallis ‘Happy Returns’

Hardy Geranium, Geranium x ‘Brookside’

Lavender, Lavandula angustifolia

Oakleaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snow Queen’

Riverview Park Chapel Shelter

Yarrow, Achillea

Don’t just take our word for it, get out to the parks and spend the day relaxing among the flowers!  If you’re ready to get your hands dirty, join us for Weeding Tuesdays at the Mellon Park Walled Garden or for Weeding Wednesday at the Highland Park Entry Garden.  For more information, visit our volunteer page or email us at volunteer@pittsburghparks.org.

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What’s in Bloom – May 2012

If you walk into any park in Pittsburgh this week, you’ll find gardens full of blooms. Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy gardener, Angela Masters says that she’s starting to see a lot of the perennials blossoming. She took to the parks with her camera on May 7th to show us what’s in bloom.

Walled Garden at Mellon Park

Rhododendron catawbiense “Album”

Cranesbill, Geranium “Brookside”

 
Highland Park Entry Garden

Baptisia australis

Bearded iris, Iris germanica “Cranberry Crush”

 

Catmint, Napeta x Faassenii “Six Hills Giant”

 

Dutch iris, Iris x Hollandica

 

Globeflower, Trollius x Cultorum “Lemon Queen”

 

Purple Allium, Allium aflatunese

 Schenley Plaza

Clematis, Clematis x Jackmani

Yarrow, Achillea millefolium “Paprika”

Flowering Sage, Salvia nemorosa “May Night”

  Help us keep the gardens of Pittsburgh’s public parks beautiful! We have gardening volunteer days begining in May. First volunteer day in the Walled Garden in Mellon Park is Tuesday, May 15th 5-7 pm, Highland Park Entry Garden volunteer days start Wednesday, May 16th 5-7 pm. To learn more about our horticultural volunteer days visit the volunteer page on our website or e-mail us at volunteer@pittsburghparks.org.

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What’s in Bloom – April 2012

Spring is here! Last week Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy gardener, Angela Masters, took photos in the Highland Park Entry Garden and the Mellon Park Walled Garden to share what’s in bloom in our parks! All photos were taken April 11, 2012.

Highland Park Entry Garden

Aurinia saxatilis Compactum, Basket of Gold in Highland Park Entry Garden

Iris Pumila, Dwarf Iris ‘Baby Blessed’ in Highland Park Entry Garden

Iris Pumila, Dwarf Iris ‘Manhattan Blues’ in Highland Park Entry Garden

Tulipa Species, Pink Tulips in Highland Park Entry Garden

White Tulips and Irises in Highland Park Entry Garden

Yellow Tulips and Irises in Highland Park Entry Garden

Mellon Park

Aronia Melanocarpa, Black Chokeberry in Mellon Park

Tiarella Starfish, Foam Flowers in Mellon Park Walled Garden

Viola Species, Jonny Jump Up in Mellon Park Walled Garden

Dianthus Firewitch in Mellon Park

Tulipa Ivory Floradale in Mellon Park Walled Garden

Can’t get enough budding blooms?  Help make Pittsburgh parks golden by designating The Daffodil Project when making your next donation.

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What’s in Bloom – March 2012

Winter showers bring …March flowers? It doesn’t sound right, but this year it’s true. The strangely mild winter followed by what can only be described as an early onset summer has everyone a bit befuddled, including Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy gardener, Angela Masters. Her entire planting schedule has been altered. “It feels like everything’s moved up a month,” she says, “trees, shrubs, and perennials are all starting to grow”. She’s thrilled to be getting a lot of her flower bed maintenance done early – such as the massive amount of mulching she must complete with the City – because it will free her up later in the season to focus on details she may not otherwise have time for.  

As thrilling as 80 degrees in March may feel, there are concerns for our plants. “We could end up with some insect problems since it didn’t get cold enough for them to die,” Angela worries. Of primary concern are thriving insects such as the Emerald Ash Borer which threaten our City’s trees.

Another concern is that spring will “go out like a lion” as the saying goes, and the beautiful flowers we see blooming around us will be short lived when a late frost takes them out. “It doesn’t upset me as much if the frost takes them after they’ve bloomed, because we’ve had the opportunity to enjoy them” says Angela, “but if they freeze while they are still budding they never get to show their beauty.” Angela says that this is often what happens to Magnolia trees in this area, but thankfully Pittsburgh’s streets have already been lined with their striking pink blooms this year.  

Enough doom and gloom. Let’s focus on the positive. There are beautiful flowers everywhere! Angela took some photos to show us what’s in bloom on March 15^th 2012. If you love Pittsburgh’s park flower beds consider donating to our Daffodil Project.

Highland Park  

White Crocus in the Highland Park Entry Garden

Daffodils in the Highland Park Entry Garden

Iris reticulata, Dwarf Rock Garden Iris in Highland Park Entry Garden

  Mellon Park

Helleborus orientalis, Lenten Rose in Mellon Park Walled Garden

Prune Young Trees in Winter

Bryan Dolney and Angela Masters pruning trees in Mellon Park

It may seem odd to see Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy staff and City DPW crews out in the bitter wind of January, but the winter months are actually the ideal time to give your trees a little attention. In fact, winter pruning ties into our Tree Action Plan as an effective way we can manage the current threats to our urban forest. “In winter the fresh cuts have time to dry out,” says Angela Masters, Parks Conservancy horticulturalist. “When the insects and diseases become active in spring the wood isn’t susceptible to colonization.”

Pruning young trees on your property is beneficial in a variety of ways. Proper pruning helps the tree send its resources to the good strong branches, so that it grows stronger and is less of a liability during a storm or bearing the weight of heavy snow. In addition, “A well maintained tree will serve the community best through storm water management, carbon capture, erosion control, and shade,” says Parks Conservancy Field Ecologist Bryan Dolney.

A branch diseased with fungal spores

Before you pick up the limb loppers, make sure the timing is right. A homeowner should feel comfortable doing developmental pruning, which means that the tree is more than one year old, no more than 20 feet in height, and 3-5 inches in diameter. “Don’t prune your tree in the year immediately following its planting,” advises Phil Gruszka, certified Arborist, and Parks Maintenance and Management Director for the Parks Conservancy,” unless it has one of the four D’s.” Limbs that are dead, dying, diseased, or damaged. This first year is when the tree’s root system is reestablishing itself and unnecessary pruning will disrupt its growth. Equally important is not attempting to prune a tree that is too large because it can become dangerous and should be left to professionals.

While it may be tempting to prune your tree into a pretty sphere, the primary purpose of pruning should be done with the tree’s structure as the paramount concern. Angela also warns to resist the impulse to “limb the tree up,” or cut away at lower branches while neglecting the higher ones. “Try not to remove more than 25 percent of the tree’s live branches while pruning,” she adds. When you’re decided which limbs will stay and which will go, keep your eye out for these primary issues…

Codominant stems with “included crotch”

Codominant stems. Codominance is when two or more stems are competing to become the dominant leader. Codominant stems grow parallel from one another and form a ‘U’ or ‘V’ shaped crotch. 

‘U’ shaped crotches are strong, there are wood cells growing in the bottom of the ‘U’ which connect the limb to the trunk, keep these whenever possible.

‘V’ shaped crotches are not strong because there are no wood cells growing at the point of attachment. ‘V’ type crotches frequently capture outer bark as the tree grows.  This bark, called an “included crotch” becomes included in the growth, preventing wood cells from connecting the limb to the trunk.   If a tree continues to grow in this manner it will eventually split, potentially causing serious damage on your property.

Damage from rubbing branches

Rubbing branches. Think of the way a bow rubs against the strings of a violin. Like water to a stone, the branches rubbing against each other over time will cause damage and eventually, fallen limbs.   

Dead branches. It’s pretty simple, dead branches can fall causing damage to both your property and other branches. They can also potentially be diseased and damage the health of your tree.

Deformed branches. If it doesn’t look right, it probably isn’t.

Angela removing suckers

Suckers. Also called water sprouts, suckers are small limbs that grow vertically in patches either off of a branch or out of the ground surrounding the base of a tree. They are aptly named as their primary dysfunction is that they suck resources away from larger, more vital limbs on the tree. Suckers on your tree are an indication of poor health (often because of improper depth when planted) so you should consider having an arborist take a look at it.

Cut one of the codominant branches as close to the point of the “V” as possible

Now that you know what to prune, how to prune it? “Cut a branch where there is a new shoot or a new branch coming out,” advises Angela. A tree is not a bush, instead of hedging the whole outside of the tree, make decisive reducing cuts to the branches. In the case of a codominant or V shaped stem, select the healthier looking branch to become the new dominant stem and cut the other as close to the point of the V shape as possible.

Ultimately proper care of trees on your property is a benefit to both yourself and the community. Proper pruning at the right time will help slow the spread of disease and insects in Pittsburgh’s urban forest where we currently stand to lose more than 60% of our urban tree population to threats like the Emerald Ash Borer and Oak Wilt disease. Healthy trees also ensure that we receive their maximum benefit to the environment. Finally, taking care of your trees in the first three years of their life will save you expense resulting from property damage and arborist expenses for years to come.  

Want to learn more about how to care for your trees? Join our friends at Tree Pittsburgh and become a tree tender. Also check out the Shade Tree Comission and TreeVitalize.

Ask us your tree questions @pittsburghparks on twitter or on facebook. To help save our urban forest, consider making a donation to our Emergency Tree Fund.

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Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy’s Award Winning Gardens

This year the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has recognized three of the gardens the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has designed and maintains in partnership with the City with the Community Greening Award. The PHS grants this annual award to recognize “greening and beautification efforts throughout the region that have benefitted communities.” A panel of judges evaluated sites in July and August based on plant variety, design, use of space, and horticultural practices. The Highland Park Entry Garden, the Mellon Park Walled Garden, and the Schenley Plaza Gardens won the award which was presented to the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy in a ceremony that took place on November 19^th.

The award is especially gratifying for Parks Conservancy gardener Angela Masters who designs and maintains these treasured public gardens. “It feels great to be recognized,” says Angela, “but I can’t take all the credit. It takes a lot of work from a lot of people to make them so beautiful.” Angela notes the importance of the City’s work maintaining lawns, trimming plants, and removing debris. She also relies heavily on groups of dedicated gardening volunteers.

Highland Park Entry Garden

The Parks Conservancy completed its restoration of the Highland Park Entry Garden in 2005 and it now stands as the great Victorian entry to Highland Park it was intended to be. “Primarily consisting of perennials, the garden is meticulously maintained,” commented the PHS judges, adding that it is “a sight to behold.” The meticulousness of this garden is possible in part because of our “weeding Wednesdays” volunteer group who works in the garden with Angela in the Spring and Summer months with the support of Citiparks Highland Park foreman, Evan Jones.

Mellon Park Walled Garden

The Walled Garden in Mellon Park was restored in honor of Ann Katharine Seamans, who loved the garden her whole life. The garden re-opened in June of 2010. A public art display was added to honor Annie’s memory. Artist Janet Zweig created 7:11AM  11.20.1979  79º55′W 40º27′N which is a series of LED lights placed into the walled garden’s lawn to imitate the constellations over Pittsburgh when Annie was born. Pittsburgh landscape architecture firm La Quatra Bonci Associates designed and oversaw the installation of the garden.

“The plant material is extensive and the maintenance is flawless,” commented the judges. “A visit here leaves a lasting impression. This garden is truly one of the jewels in the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.” With Angela’s guidance and the support of Citiparks Mellon Park foreman Dick Wilford, volunteers donate approximately 1,500 hours a year to the garden’s maintenance.  As a result of its beauty, weddings in the walled garden have become increasingly popular.

Schenley Plaza Gardens

Adjacent to the Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, Schenley Plaza was paved in 1949 and had been used as a parking lot ever since. In 2006, after a decade of planning, The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, in partnership with the City, restored the Plaza to the grand entrance to Schenley Park it was meant to be. One of the Plaza’s many charms is a series of gardens dispersed between beautiful Spanish cedar benches on the Forbes Avenue side. 

“The spacious garden area is surrounded by many natives and features plantings that are rotated several times a year to provide vibrant seasonal displays,” noted the judges. “Various green design techniques help the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy reduce landscape maintenance.” The Plaza gardens are where some of Angela’s most exuberant work can be seen, where planters allow her the opportunity to more frequently experiment with the color, texture, and style of the plants she features. She is supported by Schenley Park foreman, Bob Weid, and Citiparks worker Jeff Creighton.     

    

 Each of these projects has enhanced our city and recognition from so distinguished an organization as the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is deeply gratifying. Please consider donating to the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy or volunteering your time so that we can keep these “jewels” in the crown of Pittsburgh sparkling. 

See a complete list of this year’s winners – which includes 10 other Pittsburgh gardens –here.

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With Rain, Love in a Garden Grows – A Mellon Park Wedding

When I woke up on my wedding day October 1^st – or rather got out of bed after roughly six hours of tossing and turning – the first thing I did was open the weather center app on my i phone. “Cold,” it read. “Rain and wind.” I disbelievingly threw open the hotel curtain only to be confronted with a pall of gray and navy sky. Water snaked down the window as the rain sputtered relentlessly from every direction. The screen of the phone in my trembling hand glowed “42⁰ F”. Five miles away 140 white folding chairs were being delivered at the Memorial Walled Garden in Mellon Park.

Photos by Elle and Arre Photography

When a character in a movie has an epiphany, their life often flashes before their eyes – this was kind of like that. Except I didn’t see my whole life, just the parts where I showed dozens of people around the stunning, newly restored Walled Garden, eagerly watching their faces for the moment of How did I not know this existed. I heard myself pontificating about the beauty of expressing love in nature. I saw my mother and myself standing in the grass on October 1^st 2010 at precisely 3:30 in the afternoon to observe the angle of the sun, lest our guests be blinded while observing my marriage. I remember being asked over, and over again, “So what’s your rain plan?” And I would laugh and say, “It doesn’t matter, I’m getting married in that garden.” And so I would, because I wanted to be a part of its magic.

Japanese Anemone in the Walled Garden

I first felt the magic of the Walled Garden in June of 2010, shortly after my engagement and only days after the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy had completed their restoration. Before the day my mother led me into this space, I had no idea it existed. I was instantly head-over-heels, dizzy in love with it. I couldn’t have known then that almost exactly one year from this moment I would show up for my first day of work as the Parks Conservancy’s new development associate. I didn’t even know they would be hiring. Kismet I believe.         

The Memorial Walled Garden in Mellon Park is magical far beyond its most

The restored fountain

obvious qualities – a striking fountain with cherubs and turtles spitting water, beautiful stone paths, and a meticulously manicured garden surrounding a soft carpet of emerald grass. The garden – along with all of the rest of the park – was originally part of the Mellon family’s estate. Constructed in 1929 by the famed landscape architects Vitale and Geiffert, the Walled Garden retains its antique charm thanks to the Parks Conservancy’s commitment to historically accurate restoration in all projects, and careful maintenance by the City. Though it’s in a public park, the garden feels to the people who enter it as though it is a secret beholden only to those inside its walls. This sensation of ownership and belonging it creates is a flawless representation of our City parks’ most gratifying quality – that they do in fact belong to each of its citizens.

The renovation of the Walled Garden completed in 2010 was done in memory of Ann Katharine Seamans, who loved the garden her whole life.  To honor her, a public art installation was added during the restoration. 7:11AM 11.20.1979 79⁰55’W 40⁰27’N is the work of artist Janet Zweig. Each day as the sun goes down, a series of LED lights placed inconspicuously in the grass illuminate the garden’s floor to replicate the constellations of the sky over Mellon Park as they were the day Annie was born. The LED lights that were used were assembled by a crew led by a young man who did the work as his Eagle Scout project.

When my mother showed me the space she told me about this dedication cautiously, afraid that I would find the association too sad for my wedding, but it had the opposite effect on me. The garden was already beautiful, but it now had meaning, and weight, and art. The Seamans family had taken a personal tragedy and turned it into something that would enrich people’s lives. Through their grief they built something beautiful, and it felt in that moment that they had done it for me. I had the opportunity to say this to Annie’s parents, my voice quaking with an emotion that took me by surprise. This place would forever represent one of the greatest joys of my life.   

Each of these details is a tree ring in a history I wanted to be a part of.

A friend told us afterward that our wedding was like us – rain or shine

I got the first phone call at 10 am. It was my mother. My maid-of-honor and I had just opened the champagne to cope – there had been other problems, a bridesmaid with the stomach flu, another with a flat tire and still miles away, just to name a few – but despite it all we were laughing. What else was there to do? When I answered, my mother’s voice instantly took the tone of a good Samaritan trying to talk a stranger down off a ledge. She told me that the weather was not going to change, that the reception venue had graciously offered to let us have the ceremony there, they could flip the reception room during cocktail hour.

I was going to get married in that garden.

The hours that followed were a flurry of activity that required more than a few people to abandon their title as “guest” and become “umbrella distributor,” “tent setter-upper,” “wet seat wiper,” etc. People who had never met me donated the use of their pop up tents. At approximately 10:45 am my maid of honor received a text from one of the bridesmaids, it read…”how does Katie feel about rubber rain boots?” I felt very good about rubber rain boots, and so two of my bridesmaids went to Target and purchased seven pairs of black, rainbow polka dotted rubber rain boots. At the same time, in a Target across town, my father unknowingly purchased the matching umbrellas.

As the ceremony drew closer I began to worry to myself that people might not show up. That this might really be crazy. That I might be asking too much for our friends and family to join us while we got married in the cold rain. I consoled myself with the fact that this would be my bridezilla moment. This garden meant a lot to me, and so they would deal with it. It should be noted that my soon to be husband did not even ask if I wanted to move the wedding, he knew I wouldn’t.

“I felt very good about rubber rain boots”

As I walked down the aisle on my father’s arm, everyone I loved was there and smiling beneath a Technicolor canopy. Looking back at people’s pictures as I took that life changing stroll, I noticed that people who had never met sat huddled together under shared umbrellas. Guests told me of the sense of community that immediately developed as people took their seat – drying each other’s chairs with shared towels, taking care not to let the rainwater fall on their neighbor. When I reached the altar I realized that each of the groomsmen had each removed their jacket and given it to the bridesmaid they walked with, Ryin did the same when I met him before the minister. The magic of my garden settled around all of us and I became my husband’s wife.

Many of the moments I loved most about my wedding happened because of the rain. And with my fortitude I had joined the story of a place I love so much. I imagine that a person who was passing by might one day take a friend to that garden and remark, “This one time I saw a girl getting married here in the rain, with a smile on her face.”      

Elle and Arre Photography

Kathleen (McGuire) Gaines is a development associate for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. 

Permitting for the Walled Garden is handled by the City – the permitting office can be reached at 412-255-2370. More info about permits is here. To learn more about the restoration of the garden and its wonderful public art visit our website here.

All photographs taken by Elle and Arre Photography.

 

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Mellon Park Dedication Photos

We’ve got some photos for you today from the Mellon Park Walled Garden dedication back on June 12 from our photographer Mary Jane Bent. So if you missed it and want to see what went on, or if you were there and want to revisit this great evening, check out the slideshow below.

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This Extraordinary Site

photo by Mary Jane Bent

The Parks Conservancy would like to extend our thanks to the hundreds of people who came out on a beautiful Saturday evening to help us dedicate the Mellon Park Walled Garden in memory of Annie Seamans.  It was a night full of remembrances, shared by everyone from couples who had been married at the garden to families who bring their children to play there.  But most of all it was a time to celebrate Annie’s life.  As her mother, Elizabeth Seamans, shared, Mellon Park was the perfect place to remember Annie.

“This extraordinary site–its contour, its trees, its evocative architectural bones–is legendary among people who have lived in this community.  We are so grateful to the people of Pittsburgh for the honor of remembering Annie in this place.  This park belongs to you, and you have allowed us to work here and we thank you.”

Among the things Mellon Park’s visitors can look forward to now that the garden is open again: free Wi-Fi (coming later this summer), the lovely new Japanese stewartia trees that are blooming right now, the return of Bach, Beethoven and Brunch this weekend, picnics by the fountain (which is functioning for the first time in over 30 years), and return visits to uncover all the different sayings on the 150 stars in the lawn.

Kids discover the stars for the first time. Photo by Mary Jane Bent

Thanks to all the many partners on this project: the Seamans family, Fred Bonci and Natalie Byrd at LaQuatra Bonci Associates, Renee Piechocki and Lea Donatelli at the Office of Public Art, Janet Zweig, Benjamin Cohen, Hal Hilbish, Patricia O’Donnell, Mike Gable, the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works employees, and the many volunteers who contributed time and energy to the garden.

We’ll close with a quote Elizabeth paraphrased in her remarks, originally from Albert Camus: “History proves to us again and again that all is not right in this world.  But gardens that we nurture and protect–every kind of garden, literal or figurative–prove to us that history is not everything.”

Below is a video from Jake Meyer, who shares why he chose the Mellon Park Walled Garden as his Eagle Scout project.  More videos from Saturday night, including Councilman Bill Peduto’s remarks, are up on our YouTube channel.

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