Plants of Promise Garden

Award winning landscape plants, new introductions and superior plants derived from our native flora can all be found in the wonderfully diverse Plant of Promise (POP) Garden. Here, enthusiastic gardeners have a smorgasbord of design ideas right at their fingertips!  Plants that show promise are not only displayed on a residential scale but they are also evaluated for use in the Southern Appalachian region. The acronym, POP, is quite appropriate as plants are literally popped in for evaluation and popped out to make room for new additions.

As you wander through the POP Garden, take note of the variety of blooms and scents that pervade the landscape. In the
springtime, drifts of daffodils flash in waves of brightness. In the summer, the garden twinkles with the quick winged movements
of butterflies. The fall brings a melange of fiery colors.

With its diverse floral repertoire and fluid design, the POP Garden differs greatly from the formal Core Gardens east of the
Education Center. Not only are new plants continually introduced, others, such as Bleeding Heart (Dicentra exima
'Adrian Bloom'), are left to spread freely.

Along the path you will notice some beautiful rock walls. These reinforce the raised beds and constitute an informal seating area. They also provide pockets for creeping plants such as sedum. The interpretive tiles in Braille that line the path were designed by potter Donna Kassab of Hendersonville. Sarah McCray of Canton hand-crafted the cypress rocking chairs and bench in the southwest corner of the garden. She also made the posts for the clay tiles.

Unlike the Core Gardens, the POP Garden was planned and constructed by Arboretum staff. Conventional home gardening equipment was utilized.
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Last Revised:  April 13, 1999