The Benson Park Garden
2018-present

In 2017 I approached the County of Prince Edward to propose a naturalistic perennial garden in Picton’s Benson Park. Benson Park is Picton’s central green space and had recently undergone a revitalization project to create new walkways, a tennis court, and an accessible washroom. Despite these improvements the park was desperately short of horticultural interest, especially after the removal of a pair of large trees which had become safety risks. The municipality was receptive to my idea, and after I secured funding from local businesses in Picton to cover the costs of the construction and planting, the gardens were planted in the fall of 2018.

The gardens were prepared by stripping the turf and planting into the existing sandy topsoil. Wood chips from tree removals at Picton’s Glenwood Cemetery were used to mulch the beds initially. A palette of drought-tolerant perennials provides interest through the year, with shade-tolerant ground covers providing early spring interest and acting as a “green mulch” for the gardens. Taken as a whole this process holds great potential as a scalable strategy to introduce low maintenance perennial planting in urban parks.

I’m interested in how naturalistic perennial plantings work in public spaces, so I’ve volunteered my time to both design and maintain the gardens, to monitor their evolution. Over the course of this work I’ve been struck by the positive comments from various passers-by. It’s encouraging to know the gardens have provided moments of delight and enjoyment for people as they walk through the newly revitalized park.

Many thanks for the generosity of the founding sponsors:

Gilbert & Lighthall Marketplace
Books & Company
The Armoury
House of Falconer
Kelly’s
Hicks Funeral Home

Landscape Construction: Schoonhoven SLM
Site Preparation Assistance: Lockyer’s Country Gardens