Iris pseudacorus
Dianthus by the koi pond bridge
Pittosporum tobira
Aesculus pavia
Lest you forget where you are or what continent you're on, the nearby Battleship Wisconsin looms over the garden from the other side of the bamboo.
April 28, 2011
More Scenes from a Pagoda
Last Friday (Earth Day), waking up to a house full of sleeping people who wanted to remain so, I took an early morning bike ride, ending up downtown at The Pagoda. A previous visit was made here early in the life of this blog, but the blogger goes there fairly frequently. The Pagoda was a gift from Evergreen Shipping Lines to the city of Norfolk (thanks Chris for the correction), and an "Oriental-style" garden has been planted around it. When I first came to Norfolk in the late 70's, there was no pagoda or garden, rather this was the site of a giant, black, 500,000 gallon, molasses tank. The Pagoda was built on top of the tank's foundations and pillars, and today there is little evidence of its previous incarnation. The garden has some fairly diverse plantings centered around the Pagoda and its large koi pond. The morning I was there an osprey was flying overhead trying to spy breakfast in the pond.
Iris pseudacorus
Dianthus by the koi pond bridge
Pittosporum tobira
Aesculus pavia
Lest you forget where you are or what continent you're on, the nearby Battleship Wisconsin looms over the garden from the other side of the bamboo.
Iris pseudacorus
Dianthus by the koi pond bridge
Pittosporum tobira
Aesculus pavia
Lest you forget where you are or what continent you're on, the nearby Battleship Wisconsin looms over the garden from the other side of the bamboo.
Nice palette of photos. The Dianthus is my favorite with the texture contrast.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, as always. But a factual update: the pagoda was a gift from the Evergreen Shipping Line to Norfolk and Gov. Chuck Robb. It sat lonely and without purpose for years. It's so nice to see what a beautiful spot it's become.
ReplyDeleteLes, The pagoda and the battleship really made me laugh--kind of detracts form the peaceful Asian feeling! Carolyn
ReplyDeleteGreggo,
ReplyDeleteDianthus is not a plant I own, but when I see it blooming I like it.
Chris,
Thanks for the factual update. The Friends of the Pagoda web site was not entirely clear about how it came to be.
Carolyn,
You would be surprised how the two entities work together.
Les
Hi Les, I'm with Carolyn, the battleship+pagoda combo is priceless. Your reward for getting up early was that wonderful light. Such beautiful photographs, particularly of the iris, one of my favourite plants.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! Your pagoda does remind me of gardens in Japan but more lush and overgrown. The Japanese way is more restrained and balanced and the American more exuberant. I'd argue that the battleship makes sense in this post when you consider our military bases in Japan.
ReplyDeleteFrom dianthus to battleships,you give us everything! Nice shots.
ReplyDeleteLove the angle of the ship photo...nice. You know, the yellow of the Flag iris just seems to glow. There are a few neighbors here who have some....really stand out!
ReplyDeleteJanet/P,
ReplyDeleteUnusual combos and juxtapositions are common here in Norfolk.
Sarah,
The people that garden at the Pagoda do it in an "Asian syle" and not necessarily one nationality or another. No matter, I love going there.
Jim,
I do try, I do!
Janet,
Unless your lake level fluctuates wildly, you should plant some down by the shoreline.
Les