Scissortail Park Garden Spaces

Scissortail Park Garden Spaces

• Boulevard Streetscape
• Gaylord Family Parterre Gardens
• Woodland Gardens and Mary Ann & Stroud Holt Garden
• The Promenade
• American Fidelity Assurance Company Picnic Grove Trellis
• Union Station Gardens
• The Dog Park
• Scissortail Lake Lens Gardens

BOULEVARD STREETSCAPE
The Boulevard Streetscape borders the north side of the Park along the new Oklahoma City Boulevard. This tree-lined thoroughfare, where Interstate 40 once crossed the city, is the threshold of Scissortail’s doorstep. It hosts the main entrance into Scissortail Park traveling south from the Myriad Botanical Gardens and the central downtown area. The Boulevard Streetscape hosts Spark Café (opening 2020) and provides priority access to the Gaylord Family Parterre Gardens, The Promenade, and the Woodland Gardens.

Towering over the Boulevard Streetscape are London Planetrees (Platanus x acerifolia), which line the Boulevard providing luxurious shade and interesting plant features, such as exfoliating bark and a brilliant fall color. The London Planetree might look like a common North American Sycamore tree, but in fact it is actually a hybrid created from a cross between the American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) and the Oriental Sycamore (Platanus orientalis).

The London Planetree’s common name originates from its early planting along the streetscapes of London and other major European cities where it thrived because of its perceived ability to withstand the pollution generated in early urban landscapes. At maturity the London Planetree will reach a height of 75 to 100 feet tall and a spread of 60 to 75 feet wide. Their large, deeply lobed leaves resemble leaves from the Maple genus (Acer), which is where this species’ specific epithet originates from (acerifolia). Their exfoliating bark, abundant shade, large maple-like leaves, and distinctive round fruit is hard to miss and easy to identify where they line the Boulevard Streetscape.

GAYLORD FAMILY PARTERRE GARDENS
The Gaylord Family Parterre Gardens bring a formal elegance to the northern edge of Scissortail Park. The parterre gardens are located along the north side of the Love’s Travel Stops Stage and Great Lawn and extend east to west from the Woodland Gardens to the corner of Oklahoma City Boulevard and South Robinson Avenue.

Parterre gardens are quite simply “compartment gardens.” These gardens showcase mass plantings that are thoughtfully arranged into symmetrical planting spaces. These spaces are then surrounded by creative pathways and neatly trimmed hedges. The full impact of parterre gardens is felt when they are viewed from above. This is where the intricate patterns of the individual compartment gardens, creative plant groupings, and multiple pathways come to life.

The Gaylord Family Parterre Gardens are planted with a selection of herbaceous perennials, evergreen shrubs, and ornamental grasses. Each individual plant compartment showcases a themed color in a mix of perennials and grasses in blue, orange, yellow, green, red, white, purple, and pink. The meandering pathways throughout the parterre lead you into individual garden rooms where you can enjoy the considerable number of different plant species on display more closely.

WOODLAND GARDENS
MARY ANN & STROUD HOLT GARDEN
The Woodland Gardens are located in the northwest corner of the Park at Oklahoma City Boulevard and South Hudson Avenue. These gardens showcase some of our native trees of merit, which include Oaks (Quercus), Redbuds (Cercis), and Elms (Ulmus). It also displays 7 of the 18 “lens gardens” that can be found throughout the Park.

Lens gardens are a progressive landscape design that express an innovative design strategy that incorporates height, depth, texture, color, and form into landscape forms. These gardens are essentially circular berms that display plantings around the sides and across the top of them. They deliver optimal viewing from the garden level and from above. Many of the lens gardens throughout the park have different themes associated with them, ranging from different types of featured plant materials, such as cactus, grasses, and displays of perennials and groundcovers that showcase complementary colors. The lenses can also be depressed into the earth, forming unique bioswales that capture rainwater and hold it, allowing the water to soak in. These bioswales help to keep rain and irrigation waters from running off into ground and surface waters.

• Lens garden 1 is planted with Moonshine Yarrow (Achillea sp. ‘Moonshine’), Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Little Spire Russian Sage’), Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), and East Friesland Garden Sage (Salvia nemorosa ‘East Friesland’).
• Lens garden 2 is an earthen depression designed to trap and conserve water as a bioswale. It is planted with ‘Patriot’ Bermuda Grass (Cynodon Sp.).
• Lens garden 3 is planted with Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Vintage Wine’), Mexican Feather Grass (Nassella tenuissima), and Spineless Yucca (Yucca elephantipes ‘Jewell’).
• Lens garden 4 is planted with Sideoats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), Spineless Prickly Pear (Opuntia ellisiana), Matrona Stonecrop (Sedum Sp.), and Pale Leaf Yucca (Yucca pallida).
• Lens garden 5 is planted in Bugbane (Actaea racemosa), False Aster (Boltonia asteroides), and white Peonies (Peonia Sp.).
• Lens garden 6 is planted in Hummingbird Mint (Agastache cana), Whale’s Tongue Agave (Agave ovatifolia), and Flax Lily (Dianella revoluta ‘Little Rev’).
• Lens garden 7 is planted in Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), New Zealand Sedge (Carex testacea), Siberian Iris (Iris sibirica ‘Butter and Sugar’), and Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum).

Around the Woodland Gardens you will see Buffalo Grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) lawns. Buffalo Grass is a very low input and maintenance-free lawn that helps us conserve water. Buffalo Grass is the only turfgrass native to North America and is found in the fossil record at 7 million years old! It reaches a height of 12 inches and flowers in mid- to late-summer. Buffalo Grass is dioecious, which means that the male and female flowers are found on separate plants. The male flowers are found on top of the canopy above the turfgrass, holding pollen, and the female flowers are found at the base of the grass, producing seed.

The Woodland Gardens also display the first memorial garden in the park with the Mary Ann and Stroud Holt Garden, which was a gift from Mayor David Holt in honor of his parents, Mary Ann and Stroud Holt. This pocket garden area features shade trees enclosed within a circular trellis lens garden that will provide a shady spot to relax and view the gardens.

THE PROMENADE
The Promenade begins at the northeast corner of the Park at Oklahoma City Boulevard and South Robinson Avenue. From there it meanders south through the east side of the park all the way to the Skydance Bridge. This is the main thoroughfare through the Park and hosts a linear planting of 112 Shumard Oaks (Quercus shumardii) along both sides of the entire stretch of The Promenade. Shumard Oaks are a native oak tree that reaches 75 to 80 feet tall and 50 to 60 feet wide at maturity. They have a brilliant red to red-orange color associated with their fall and winter foliage. Off The Promenade you will find the American Fidelity Assurance Company Picnic Grove Trellis, Children’s Playgound, Fountains, Robinson Lawn, and Event Pavilion. New Enbrighten Café lights provided by Jasco provide a beautiful pop of lights and color overhead.

AMERICAN FIDELITY ASSURANCE COMPANY PICNIC GROVE TRELLIS
The American Fidelity Assurance Company Picnic Grove Trellis is located between 6th and 7th Streets off South Robinson Avenue on the east side of the park. It features a heavily forested grove interlaced with rich grassland where you can have a special picnic with the kids and just relax! The American Fidelity Assurance Company Picnic Grove Trellis is just steps away from the Fountains and the Children’s Playground. Nearby you will find lens gardens 13, 17, and 18.

• Lens garden 13 is a water conserving bioswale planted with traditional water-loving plants such as Bicknell’s Sedge (Carex bicknellii) and Corkscrew Rush (Juncus effusus ‘Spiralis’).
• Lens garden 17 is planted in Moor-Dense Junipers (Juniperus sabina ‘Monard’).
• Lens garden 18 is planted in Shore Junipers (Juniperus conferta ‘Emerald Sea’).

UNION STATION GARDENS
The Union Station Gardens surround the Scissortail Park headquarters and are located at the southeast corner of the Park. The gardens surrounding Union Station host a selection of historic Live Oak Trees (Quercus virginiana), and mature established plantings. On the east side of Union Station you will find lens gardens 14, 15, and 16.

• Lens garden 14 is a water-conserving bioswale planted with traditional water-loving plants such as Rushes (Juncus).
• Lens garden 15 showcases drought-tolerant plant choices such as Whale’s Tongue Agave (Agave ovatifolia), Silver Spurge (Euphorbia rigida), and Lavender Cotton (Santolina chamaecyparissus).
• Lens garden 16 features native Blackjack Oaks (Quercus marilandica) surrounded by compact Oakleaf Hydrangeas (Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Pee Wee’).

THE DOG PARK
The Dog Park is located north of Park headquarters on South Hudson Avenue. The gardens feature native trees, including Oaks, Redbuds, and Soapberry, which are under planted with hedges of Red Twig Dogwoods (Cornus sericea ‘Farrow’), Sumac (Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’), and Eleagnus (Elaeagnus pungens ‘Glen St. Mary’). Surrounding lawn areas provide expansive spaces for playtime with our furry best friends.

SCISSORTAIL LAKE LENS GARDENS
The Scissortail Lake Lens Gardens are located north of Scissortail Lake and west of the Children’s Playground and is right in the heart of the Park. It showcases lens gardens 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.

• Lens garden 8 displays plantings of Bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii), Shenandoah Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum ‘Shenandoa’), Matrona Stonecrop (Sedum telephium ‘Matrona’), and Ruby Star Cone Flower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Ruby Star’).
• Lens garden 9 is planted with Summer Sunset Hummingbird Mint (Agastache Sp.), Wind Dancer Love Grass (Eragrostis elliottii ‘Wind Dancer’), Provence French Lavender (Lavandula intermedia ‘Provence’), and East Friesland Garden Sage (Salvia nemorosa ‘East Friesland’).
• Lens garden 10 is a water-conserving bioswale planted with water-loving Bicknell’s Sedge (Carex bicknellii), Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis), and Sabal Palm (Sabal minor).
• Lens garden 11 is a garden room lens garden planted in Sweet Kate (Tradescantia Sp.), and Winter Creeper (Euonymus fortunei).
• Lens garden 12 hosts plantings of German Garlic (Allium senescens), Blonde Ambition Blue Grama Grass (Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’), Cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum), and Hot Stuff Sedum (Sedum spectabile ‘Hot Stuff’).