By Sonja Skelly July 17, 2024

As we reach the apex of summer at Cornell Botanic Gardens, warm days call me to the calming and cooling respite I find in the Groundcover Collection that surrounds the Lewis Building. This garden with its myriad of plant textures and wide variety of green colors is one of my favorite gardens.

At first glance this garden looks like a sea of green without the many bright and contrasting colors and blooms found elsewhere in nearby gardens. But as it envelopes you, the garden’s design and plant palette call you to slow down and take a closer look. A sea of green washes over you, in a thousand different shades, from the bright yellow greens of Japanese fountain grasses (Hakonechloa spp.), to the richer greens of epimediums and hostas, to the blue and grayer greens of painted ferns (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum ‘Metallicum’). The green color is not limited just to foliage, but to fruits and flowers as well. Standouts include Astrantia major ssp. involucrata with its light green sepals and petals, and Italian arum, Arum italicum ‘Flecked and Spotted,’ with its lime-green fruiting bodies. The flowers that grace the garden compliment the waves of green, from the fading delicate pink flowers of astilbes, to the profuse white panicles of hydrangeas throughout.

On a hot day in July, the Groundcover Collection is one of the coolest spots in the gardens. There are other places for shade and refuge from summer heat near the Nevin Welcome Center and nearby. I love to cool off on Comstock Knoll and catch a breeze in the Nearing Summer House. The shaded and quiet Mundy Wildflower Garden is a short walk from the cultivated gardens. In the F.R. Newman Arboretum, mature trees provide lovely shade and diverse plants along the Floriculture War Memorial Trail, Treman Woodland Walk, and Slim Jim Woods.

In a time of uncertainty and conflict, places like these remind me of the constancy of nature and serve as a beacon of hope that life continues and in beautiful and diverse ways. I invite you to watch the video above and imagine yourself strolling through the Groundcover Collection for respite, for inspiration, and for hope of a better tomorrow.

Sonja Skelly is director of education and academic initiatives at Cornell Botanic Gardens