Our 'Secret Garden'- the Vegetable Garden entryway

In the children’s book entitled The Secret Garden there’s a private, hidden garden where very special things happen. Within Linnaeus Teaching Gardens we have our own secluded and often missed special place. We don’t mean to hide the Fountain Garden, but it isn’t a pass-through area so you may not yet have experienced it in your random strolls along the pathways of our larger garden areas.

Tucked away just behind the Veggie Garden, or past the raised Herb Garden, you’ll find a peaceful special garden named for its central element – a fountain flowing lyrically through natural columns of cool grey basalt and cascading into a pool. The cooling splash invites visitors to linger on stone benches shaded by Clematis ‘Jackmani’ and Rosa ‘Home Run’.

Children enjoy the cool waters in the pool created by
the basalt rock fountain in our Fountain Garden.

Entering from the Veggie Garden gives a linear view of the garden. The entire central area is symmetrical and features the Fountain Garden’s burst of annual color. The plantings to the right (east) maintain formal symmetry with almost every plant being mirrored in placement, north to south. Because the perimeter plants are perennials, color, fragrance, and focus shift around the garden throughout the season. There’s always something to admire, or touch, or put on your list for the next addition to your own garden back home.

Curator Jane Baker gets to know 'Jack'

Turning to the west side of the Fountain Garden(toward the Barn), you can enjoy a casual proliferation of plants often cascading over one another and bringing an English cottage style (Prairie style) garden to mind.

Because “Teaching” is quite literally our middle name, you can get a quick lesson in variety/cultivar differences from the grasses lining the Fountain Garden perimeter beds. Contrast the restrained growth habit of the Liriope spicata ‘Big Blue’ on the east with the spreading (invasive) Liriope spicata ‘Royal Purple’ on the informal west side.

On your next trip to Linnaeus Teaching Gardens, don’t stop before you discover the delights of our “secret” garden. While you’re there, get to know Clarence, Little Henry, and Alma. [Hint: They’re not people]