Burlington Waterfront Display Gardens

For over twenty years, Dr. Leonard Perry, UVM Horticulture Professor Emeritus, has collaborated with the Burlington Parks and Recreation Department to display hundreds of flowering annuals each summer on Burlington, Vermont’s beautiful waterfront.

This season, Dr. Annie White (www.pollinatorgardens.org founder, owner of Nectar Landscape Design, and former student of Dr. Perry’s) joined this collaborative effort to bring a colorful horticultural display to the millions of people who visit Burlington’s waterfront each summer. The gardens can be found at the bottom of College Street between the bike path and the boat house and can be visited 24/7 free of charge.

Location of the three Burlington Waterfront Display Gardens for 2017

The annual flowers are an official display garden of the All America Selections program. Many specialty annuals are also on display, provided thanks to New Hampshire wholesale greenhouse growers DS Cole Growers and Pleasant View Gardens Appreciation is expressed to the Vermont Nursery and Landscape Association for funding and support.

The gardens are more than just a pretty show. We use these gardens to evaluate how well these varieties (many of them new) perform in this garden setting. Check back throughout the season for updates on their performance.

New for 2017, we have designated the main planting bed as a pollinator garden. The center of this bed is planted with an assortment of both native and introduced perennials that are known to be attractive nectar and pollen sources for a diversity of local pollinators. These perennials were sourced from Full Circle Gardens in Essex, VT. The pollinator garden also features a selection of annuals either known to be of value to pollinators or suspected to be of value. We will monitor both the performance of these annuals and their attractiveness to pollinators throughout the season.

Burlington Waterfront Display Gardens being installed on June 7, 2017

All the plant varieties in the display gardens are labeled. The annuals from the All American Selections program have purple labels, all other annuals have green labels, and the pollinator-friendly perennials have yellow labels.

The planting list for 2017 is below. For information about the display gardens in previous years, visit http://pss.uvm.edu/ppp/aaswp.html.

Source Key:
DSC = D.S. Cole Growers, Loudon, NH
PVG = Pleasant View Gardens, Loudon, NH
FC = Full Circle Gardens, Essex, VT

Genus/Species/Series/Cultivar (when applicable) – Source
Ageratum Ariela Blue – DSC
Alternanthera Plum Dandy – PVG
Angelonia angustifolia Carita Raspberry- DSC
Argyranthemum frutescens Golden Butterfly – PVG
Argyranthemum frutescens Vanilla Butterfly – PVG
Begonia boliviensis Mistral Dark Red – DSC
Begonia boliviensis Mistral Yellow – DSC
Bidens ferulifolia Namid Compact Yellow -DSC
Bidens Campfire Fireburst – PVG
Brachycome Mauve Delight – DSC
Bracteantha bracteata Mohave Yellow – DSC
Calendula Lady Godiva Orange – PVG
Calibrachoa Superbells White – PVG
Calibrachoa Superbells Blue Moon Punch – PVG
Calibrachoa Superbells Plum – PVG
Calibrachoa Superbells Double Orchid – PVG
Calibrachoa Superbells Over Easy – PVG
Calibrachoa Superbells Rising Star – PVG
Canna Toucan Coral – PVG
Celosia argentea Intenz Classic – PVG
Celosia argentea Intenz Dark Purple – PVG
Celosia argentea Intenz Lipstick – PVG
Celosia cristata Twisted Orange – PVG
Celosia cristata Twisted Red – PVG
Celosia Asian Garden – AAS
Colocasia Royal Hawaiian Aloha – PVG
Dahlia Dalina Midi Ibiza – PVG
Dahlia Dalina Grande Tequila – PVG
Dahlia variabilis Dahlightful Crushed Crimson – PVG
Dahlia variabilis Dahlightful Tupelo Honey – PVG
Dianthus Jolt Pink – AAS
Dianthus Supra Pink – AAS
Euphorbia Breathless White Cool Breeze – DSC
Gaura Karalee Petite Pink – PVG
Gaura Sparkle White – AAS
Geranium Pinto Premium White to Rose – AAS
Geranium Brocade Cherry Night – AAS
Geranium Brocade Fire – AAS
Geranium Calliope Medium Dark Red – AAS
Heliotrope Fragrant Delight – DSC
Hypoestes phyllostachya Hippo Red – PVG
Hypoestes phyllostachya Hippo Rose – PVG
Impatiens SunPatiens Compact Tropical Rose – PVG
Impatiens Bounce Pink Flame – AAS
Impatiens SunPatiens Shell Pink – AAS
Lantana Bandana Lemon Zest – DSC
Lantana Luscious Royal Cosmo – PVG
Lobelia Hot Brilliant Blue – DSC
Lobelia Hot Snow White – DSC
Marigold Moonsong Deep Orange – AAS
Millet Ornamental Purple Majesty – AAS
Osteo 4D Silver – DSC
Osteo Voltage Yellow – DSC
Osteospermum Bright Lights Double Moonglow – PVG
Osteospermum Flowerpower White – DSC
Pentas Comet – DSC
Pentas Mars – DSC
Petunia Tidal Wave Red Velour – AAS
Petunia Supertunia Mulberry Charm – PVG
Petunia Supertunia Royal Magenta – PVG
Petunia Supertunia Hot Pink Charm – PVG
Petunia Supertunia Ginger Charm – PVG
Petunia Supertunia Lovie Dovie – PVG
Phlox drumondii Intensia Red Hot – PVG
Phlox Gisele Violet – DSC
Phlox Gisele White – DSC
Salvia coccinea Summer Jewel Pink – AAS
Salvia coccinea Summer Jewel Red – AAS
Salvia coccinea Summer Jewel White – AAS
Salvia Rockin’ Playin’ the Blues – PVG
Salvia Rockin’ Deep Purple – PVG
Scaevola Surdiva White – DSC
Sedum Kelp Forest – PVG
Sedum reflexum Ember Reef – PVG
Thunbergia A-Peel Lemon – PVG
Thunbergia A-Peel Orange – PVG
Thunbergia A-Peel Tangerine Slice – PVG
Verbena bonariensis – DSC
Verbena Superbena Stormburst – PVG
Verbena EnduraScape Pink Bicolor – AAS
Zinnia Profusion Double Deep Salmon – AAS
Zinnia Profusion Double Hot Cherry – AAS
Zinnia Profusion Red – AAS

PERENNIALS
Asclepias tuberosa – FC
Coreopsis tripteris – FC
Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’ – FC
Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ – FC
Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’ – FC
Monarda didyma ‘Jacob Cline’ – FC
Nepeta x faassenii ‘Walker’s Low’ – FC
Perovskia atriplicifolia – FC
Veronicastrum virginicum – FC