A Powell Gardens' Skyline?

Volunteer Mary Biber waters plantings in the future Potager or Menu Garden at the Heartland Harvest Garden's entrance while a crane assembles the top portion of the garden's silo in the background (nearly a quarter mile away!). The crane can be seen from US HWY 50 and from anywhere in the gardens. No we are not building a skyscraper! The silo, which is attached to the new Heartland Harvest Garden's barn visitor center, will act as an observation tower. From atop the silo you will see the quilt inspired patterns of the new garden. You will also get a bird's eye view out over the treetops.

The seat wall in the foreground is for the future Author's Garden. An information shelter is yet to be installed here where you can learn about the author's designs in the garden. The green "grass" in the mid ground is a cover crop of annual rye and hairy vetch for this garden to be installed next spring. The rye and vetch will be turned into the soil as a "green manure" to improve its fertility. The barn visitor center and silo loom in the background.

A closer look at the silo construction shows the rectangular top of the elevator shaft behind the cylindrical silo: the square open to blue sky beyond is where the door from the elevator to the observation deck will be. There are still several rings of concrete to be added to reach that height. An open, structural dome will complete the silo.

Looking back toward the gardens you can see the vineyard and its arbor taking shape.

The columns for the vineyard's arbor (white) line up and march behind the massive cordon posts at the end of each row of grape vines (the rows of grapes go off right and left). A custom designed wine cask fountain will be at the end of the arbor.

The Heartland Harvest Garden's garden team continues to plant. Here Horticulturist and garden team leader Matt Bunch does a last bit of pruning before this Butternut (Juglans cinerea) goes in its final location in the walnut orchard.

Matt Bunch (left), Gardener Barbara Fetchenheir, and Volunteer RD finish planting a butternut that has already gone dormant (leafless). The gardening team with help from other gardeners planted more than 2,500 perennials last week. They continue to plant trees and shrubs from the nursery and greenhouse complex on a daily basis. I wish I could share Gardener Caitlin Bailey's apple-quince pie and persimmon cookies she made from the nursery's fruit trees. Next year all visitors will be able to indulge!