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The Calendar Garden
Three hundred and sixty-five feet around, the DeFries Calendar Garden at River Preserve County Park is a circular showcase of plants that bloom at various times of the year. Jon Cutrell, the landscape designer that created the garden, notes that first-time visitors are drawn to the walkway representing one full year. Imbedded on the path are engraved bricks identifying each day. As you stroll through the days, each month is designated by a gate. Equinoxes and solstices, our calendar’s way of marking the start of a season, are dramatized by small buildings.
Positioned at the summer solstice, the Summer House is a two-story open air seating area, while the house at the fall equinox is an indoor-outdoor space made almost entirely of reclaimed and found materials. The spring structure, logically, is a small greenhouse.
Bordering the circular path, horticultural and ornamental varieties are planted on the inside, and native plants are on the outside, proving effective garden design can be accomplished by both genres of plants.
Jon says gardeners should think creatively about providing visual interest at various times of the year. In the Calendar Garden’s June and July section, colorful flowers, such as day lilies and orange milkweed, are obvious choices. Fall bloomers within the August and September garden areas include asters and chrysanthemums. Jon is quick to point out, however, that deciduous trees add structure and depth to the garden and add to the autumn palette – from the yellows and oranges of maples to the reds and purples of sweet gums.
Winter drama can be heightened with bark, twigs and berries. Native trees and shrubs, already adapted to our climate and landscape, tend to be easy to grow and offer a variety of choices. The cherry red twigs of red-osier dogwood are striking against February snows. The fruits of winterberry, high-bush cranberry or staghorn sumac also brighten the landscape, while the textured bark of river birch and ninebark creates visual interest long after leaves have dropped. In the winter sector of the Calendar Garden, keen observers can also spot the spiky stems of horsetail, a native leafless plant that thrives in moist, rich soil.
Fall is a great time to plant new varieties in your garden. Plan now to add ornamentals or natives that celebrate each season with color and texture.
Family Activities
Visit the Calendar Garden
The Calendar Garden at the DeFries Gardens beckons exploration for all ages. Search for frogs and fish in the lively pond in the center. Children enjoy hunting for the small concrete spheres positioned near the dates of full moons. Be sure to find the concrete toad statuary marking the occasion when toads were first heard trilling in the pond in spring. Bring a notebook to jot down the names of plants you would like to add to your garden for interest in various months.
DeFries Gardens at River Preserve County Park is located at 17477 County Road 46, New Paris, IN. 46553. For more information, visit www.elkhartcountyparks.org.
Plant Your Own Year-Round Garden
Fall is a terrific time to plant thanks to cooler temperatures and increased rainfall, or plan now to add some of these varieties to your yard in spring.
Spring: Ornamentals: bulbs, iris Natives: dogwood, serviceberry
Summer: Ornamentals: hydrangea, day lilies Natives: black-eyed Susan, coneflower, Joe-pye weed
Fall: Ornamentals: aster, chrysanthemum Natives: amsonia, bayberry
Winter: Ornamentals: holly, boxwood Natives: river birch, Christmas fern
