#Garden September 19

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For September I am participating in the 30-Day Literary Lesson Coach4aday Challenge today the focus is on turning a construction debris ravine into a GARDEN.

Dr. Frederic M. Hanes was an early member of the original faculty of Duke Medical School. In 1930 eighteen third year and thirty first year medical students began classes on October 2nd. Dr. Hanes would walk daily across Duke’s campus, and he would go past the place that all the construction debris had been dumped. He had an idea of converting that eyesore into a GARDEN of his favorite flower the Iris. His dream was the genesis of Sarah P. Duke Gardens.

Literary Lesson

In 2015 my wife and I took a weekend trip to Durham NC. I read several blog posts on the city to plan our itinerary. What appeared frequently was a visit to the Duke Gardens.

I did a search on Word Press and found quite a few blog posts about the gardens that were insightful. I have provided links to those blogs below.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens – Caralyn Evans (wordpress.com)

A Walk Through The Gardens | Denise Worden Photography (wordpress.com)

Dr Hanes asked Sarah P Duke the widow of James B Duke to support the idea and she agreed to that in 1934. In 1935 the first garden was in bloom. Yet heavy summer rains washed everything away and they needed a new plan.

In 1935, more than 100 flower beds were in glorious bloom in the area that is now the South Lawn. They included 40,000 irises, 25,000 daffodils, 10,000 small bulbs, and assorted annuals. The flooding stream from constant thunderstorms caused washouts and disease, including iris rot.
By the time Sarah P. Duke died in 1936, the original gardens were in decline. Dr. Hanes convinced her daughter, Mary Duke Biddle, to construct a new garden on higher ground, as a fitting memorial to her mother.

After the pandemic it has reopened.