Star Light, Star Bright: Shining the Stars at Mellon Park Walled Garden

The cosmos is within us. We are made of star stuff. We are a way for the cosmos to know itself.
Carl Sagan

All of our volunteers are all-stars. One group that recently worked in Mellon Park’s Walled Garden, however, was particularly star-studded.

Seven volunteers from Macy’s joined Parks Conservancy Horticulturist Angela at the site of the Mellon Park art installation on a sunny Sunday to get the stars in the lawn to shine brighter than usual.

Armed to the teeth with toothbrushes, they spent the morning cleaning the 150 stone markers hidden in the lawn. The markers, part of an installation in memorial of Ann Katharine Seamans, reflect the stars and planets in the same alignment of Katharine’s birth in 1979.

Want to learn more about this special space? Read more about the Mellon Park Walled Garden art installation.

 

 

These bright, shiny faces lit up the park. Many thanks, Team Macy’s!

Interested in getting your company/organization out into the parks for a volunteer day? Click here!

What’s in Bloom – A Celebration of Summer Flowers

Highland Park Entry Garden

Asiatic lily (Lilium ‘Apeldoorn’)

Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii Six Hills Giant)

Coral bells (Heuchera x brizoides)

Montauk daisy (Nipponanthemum nipponicum)

Yarrow (Achillea ‘Parker’s Gold’)

 

Mellon Park Walled Garden

Astilbe (Astilbe)

Daylily (Hemorocallis ‘Happy Returns’)

Hardy geranium (Geranium x ‘Brookside’)

Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia)

Lavendar (Lavandula angustifolia)

 

Riverview Chapel Shelter

Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata ‘Zagreb’)

Tickseed (Coreopsis grandiflora)

Yarrow (Achillea)

 

Schenley Park Visitor Center

Bee balm (Monarda didyma)

Oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snow Queen’)

What’s in Bloom – May 2013

Seems like we skipped over spring and went straight into summer. That’s okay, it just means it’s time for some late spring/early summer blooms! Check out what our horticulturist, Angea Yuele, and gardener, Jaclyn Bruschi, have been up to in our May 2013 What’s in Bloom.

Highland Park Entry Garden

Catmint ‘Six Hills Giant’

Baptisia

Blue Starflower

Columbine

Dianthus ‘Zing’

Iris Species

Iris ‘Cranberry Crush’

Peony ‘Edulis Superba’

Peony ‘Fairbanks’

Salvia ‘Eastfriesland’

Mellon Park Walled Garden

Dianthus ‘Firewitch’

Hardy Geranium ‘Brookside’

Peony ‘Festiva Mazima’

Rhododendron ‘Album’

Riverview Park Chapel Shelter

Golden Alexanders

Heirloom Purple Iris

Salvia ‘May Night’

Schenley Plaza

Salvia ‘May Night’

Yarrow ‘Paprika’

Now that you feel fully inspired to go frolicking amongst the flowers in Pittsburgh’s gardens, check out what else we’ve been up to in our new spring 2013 newsletter, the Voice.

What’s in Bloom – April 2013

Winter may be holding on with every last breath, but signs of spring are popping up all over Pittsburgh’s parks. It’s time for our monthly What’s in Bloom series showcasing the park’s seasonal gardens. Bursts of color are polka-dotting the landscape and our horticulturist, Angela Yuele, has captured every bountiful bloom.

Highland Park Entry Garden

Daffodils and Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica)

Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa)

Hyacinth ‘Jan Bos’

Mellon Park Walled Garden

Daffodil ‘Tete-a-Tete’

Lenten rose (Heleborus orientalis)

Riverview Park

Daffodil species

Daffodil ‘Ice Follies’ at the Riverview Park Chapel Shelter

Magnolia blooming

Schenley Park Cafe and Visitor Center

Blue hyacinth and pink tulips

Schenley Plaza

Daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths

Daffodils

Mixed daffodils

Species tulip ‘Lady Jane’ and white daffodils

Various daffodils

We’re always looking for help with our gardening projects. Our seasonal weeding Tuesdays at Mellon Park Walled Garden kick-off on May 14 and Weeding Wednesdays at Highland Park Entry Garden begin May 1. For more information, visit our Horticultural Volunteer Activities page or email volunteer@pittsburghparks.org.

Learn more about The Daffodil Project and how you can help plant new bulbs throughout the regional parks.

What’s in Bloom – September 2012

Fall is coaxing its way in and football weather is upon us. The annual closet exchange from breezy summer clothes to cozy winter attire is underway and leaf-peepers have their cameras on deck anticipating the gold and crimson hues of a Pittsburgh autumn. Don’t worry, there will be an abundance of beautiful fall photos throughout the season, but in the meantime, enjoy some final splashes of pinks, purples and greens in our September What’s in Bloom.

Highland Park Entry Garden

Anemone (anemone x hybrida) ‘Honorine Jobert’

Aster & Helianthus

Aster & Summer Annuals

Flower Sage (salvia nemerosa) reblooming

New England Aster (aster nova-angliae)

Rubbeckia ‘Herbstsonne’

Riverview Visitor Center

New Guinea Impatiens & Canna Lily

Schenley Park Cafe and Visitor Center

Pink Begonia

Pink Begonia layered in front of more Pink Begonia ‘Dragon Wings’ & Euphorbia ‘Diamond Forst’ planted in the pots.

More layers of Pink Begonia & Euphorbia

Mellon Park Walled Garden

Anemone (anemone x hybrida) ‘Honorine Jobert’

Begonia, Pennisetum ‘Fireworks’ & Angelonia

Keep up with the ever-changing color palette of Pittsburgh parks by following us on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter. If social media’s not your cup of tea, be sure to sign up for our e-news to stay up-to-date on all the exciting things happening at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. We have some new ideas and projects swirling around and you won’t want to miss out!