When not more than a modest collection of blooms readily came to mind, Nancy set about her customary, rigorous research charting the geographic origins of iconic, popular annuals and their less well-known plant associations utilizing the Garden's Library, in addition to drawing from her experience visiting world-class gardens and nurseries. She identified the naturalistic forms popularized by William Robinson in the late 19th century and contemporary publications, such as Beth Chatto's habitat series; Christopher Lloyd's Meadows; the Dutch native plant park, Jac. Thijsse Park; and Piet Oudolf's Planting the Natural Garden that, according to Nancy, "carry on the tradition of creating landscapes that resemble a patch of idealized nature, where the essence of nature has been distilled to be more structured and flower-laden."
And in no small way was she influenced by the sustained interest in the scientific rigor of native plantings through BBG's own research in its Metropolitan Flora Project and its Native Flora Garden, as well as Brooklyn Botanic Garden's handbook Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants.
What she learned soon became the framework for this year's Annual Border display. The Annual Border design concept evolved to its interpretive and educational theme of Plant Geography, which is the study of the distribution of different types of vegetation and the way in which these plants are related to other geographical conditions.
Nancy's borders are recognized and admired for their beautiful aesthetic. She utilizes the color, texture, and the architecture of the plant as a masterful painter to produce a visually breathtaking display of garden art. At the same time, the borders engage the visitor; they tell a story with plants—not acting merely as "wallpaper," as she refers to it. "I want the visitors—especially children—to think about the broad spectrum of plants in context and to be curious about their nativity," Nancy explained. "I want them to ask, 'Where in the world do these plants come from?'" This year's Annual Border plant stories inspires visitors to learn more about not only these plants but plants in general, as well as their impact on global exploration, garden history, and how the introduction of exotics into landscapes increased because of the invention of glasshouses in the 19th century.
Overall, Nancy's border designs on the Lily Pool Terrace create a measured balance; the Perennial border and the Annual border compliment each other and seduce the eye along the entire length of the 300 foot border. The annuals are planted en masse to create a meadow-like effect: sweeping and reaching and climbing from one plant group to the next, highlighting the great diversity found in the plant kingdom. And at the front of the border, the small carpet-flower plants are so alluring that they beckon the visitor to physically bend down for closer observation—and admiration.
In the same way that fine art is enhanced by knowledge of its provenance, so too are the plants displayed in this season's collection. There are more than 150 plants featured in this year's Annual Border, with 40 new species or cultivars that have not previously been grown at the Garden. All are grouped and identified by their areas of nativity: South America, Africa, Australia, Asia, and Europe. Nancy explained that there are annuals on each continent, but some floras have a more marked collection. "Also, we do not exclusively use annuals in the borders; we also use tender perennials," she added.
"My goal this year was to help the visitor think about annuals in a new and different way," Nancy said. For example, gardeners in our area may know of geraniums and impatiens—solid performers in any summer border or container—but most people are not likely to have encountered Impatiens niamnianmensis 'Congo Cockatoo,' Impatiens balfourii, Impatiens arguta or the cultivars of the common Impatiens walleriana 'Firefly Watermelon,' or Impatiens walleriana 'Firefly Pink.' Likewise, the many euphorbias—which are Nancy's favorite due to their fantastic diversity, including Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost,' Euphorbia pithyusa 'Faded Jeans,' Euphorbia lathyris, Euphorbia cotinifolia, and Euphorbia heterophylla 'Variegata.' Strolling the exotic Annual Border, one can't help but notice that the birds too are delighted with this year's design as they come in for a landing directly onto the tall Sorghum bicolor 'Texas Black' at the back of the border! Like fireworks, the explosion of color is dazzling: Coleus 'Ducksfoot Dark Red,' Phygelius 'Yellow Trumpet,' Emilia coccinea (the tassel-flower) Xanthosoma sagitifolia 'Chartreuse Giant,' Iresine herbstii (the beef-plant), Bracteantha bracteata 'Apricot Peach,' and Anagalis 'Wildcat Orange' are captivating in their "look-at-me" palette. And one must return often to visit the Annual Border, or plan ahead, as some plants have their own unique daily rhythms, like the Flower of an Hour hibiscus that closes near the end of the day—just like the African Daisy, that also closes for the evening.
Nancy says that she is always surprised by plants and hopes this year's visitors to Brooklyn Botanic Garden will be too. Who wouldn't be? Especially when you peer into the luring face of the Coleus 'Brooklyn Horror!' -- www.bbg.org
