Additional seasonal color is recommended for planting at Campus Entries.

1. The Entry Garden

Character

The Entry Garden is the public front door for the University. With the exception of where it is interrupted by the Historic Core, the Entry Garden parallels College Road, and extends into the campus to Racine Drive and the Greene Track and Field facility along Hurst Drive. As the front door to the campus, the Entry Garden should continue to have a uniform and a year-round well-maintained appearance. Concentrated nodes of plantings at specific entryways into the campus will occur at Racine Drive and the three entrances off College Road. In these locations, more concentrated plantings will occur to serve as a framework or gateway into the campus with a repetitive and well-kept appearance. In addition, a concentrated use of color will be important at these nodes. The Entry Garden, while enticing the attention of visitors and passers-by along College Road, will allow views through to the Historic Core and filtration of views into the Gardens for the Arts and Recreation Areas. Large scale massing of plantings in this zone is critical in that this garden will be experienced primarily by vehicle.

Recommendations

1. Year round color is important here but emphasis on the spring flowering season will be key to coordinating this garden with Wilmington's spring show.
2. Provide intense color pockets at entry nodes with use of annuals, perennials, vines and flowering understory trees.
3. Gradually relocate Dogwood plantings from the structured formal street tree planting to the more natural understory setting of the existing Pines. Another option is to extend the canopy of Pines and add additional understory trees to surround and include the Dogwoods.
4. Screen views to parking from College Road with low evergreen hedge plantings at the parking area edges.
5. Develop a street plant palette for Hurst, Randall and Wagoner Drives which will extend the bloom season of the existing Azaleas, Dogwoods and Cherry trees.
6. Supplement the tree groves with additional plantings of Pines and Hardwoods in the more sparse southern section of the Entry Garden.
7. Provide concentrated masses of flowering Azaleas in raised beds at the perimeter or edge of the tree groves. The soil does not drain well and subsurface drainage systems are critical.
8. Explore the use of shade-loving wildflowers and ground covers under canopy of Pines (i.e., Money Plant, Primulas, Hosta, Ferns, etc.); use these in large planting drifts.
9. Broaden planting of native understory Dogwood trees to extend more toward College Road in informal arrangements.
10. The feature flowering trees at the entry node plantings are to be consistent at all locations. As the older specimens begin their decline, the Natchez Crape Myrtle is recommended as a possible alternate with its long-life, four season character and prominance in the southern garden.
11. An irrigation system for the perimeter lawn area should be installed.

Maintenance

A high level of maintenance will be necessary for this landscape zone, particularly at the entry nodes where the highest concentration of plantings will occur. A manicured lawn around its perimeter is very important for the Entry Garden as well. The grass under the large tree areas should be maintained to a lesser degree; i.e., less intense mowing, spraying and reseeding.

Issues:

• Rotation of flowering annuals should occur 2 times a year here at the entry nodes.
• Perennials will require clean-up and pruning back.
• Azaleas and Camellias will require a spray program for pest control.
• Evergreen hedges will need consistant pruning to maintain a manicured appearance.
• Design and implementation of subsurface landscape drainage is critical to maintaining healthy Azalea and Dogwood beds. The poorest drainage areas should have a perforated PVC underdrain system installed with a positive drain connection to a storm drain system.
• Irrigation is necessary at entry nodes and primary lawn areas.
• Daily trash and litter removal.
• Supplement mulch in beds to maintain a maximum of 3" depth.

Plant Palette

Shade Trees

Acer rubrum/Red Maple
Platanus occidentalis/Sycamore
Pinus palustris/Longleaf Pine
Pinus taeda/Loblolly Pine
Quercus falcata/Southern Red Oak
Quercus nigra/Water Oak
Quercus virginiana/Live Oak

Ornamental Trees

Chionanthus virginicus/White Fringetree
Cornus florida/Flowering Dogwood
Magnolia grandiflora/Southern Magnolia
Lagerstroemia indica 'Natchez'/Natchez Crepe Myrtle
Pistacia chinensis/Chinese Pistache
Prunus yedoensis/Yoshino Cherry

Shrubs

Understory Plantings
Rhododendron indicum/Southern Indica Azalea
Camellia japonica/Japanese Camellia
Camellia sasanqua/Sasanque Camellia
Hydrangea arborescens 'Anabelle'/Smooth Hydrangea
Hydrangea quercifolia/Oakleaf Hydrangea
Magnolia stellata/Star Magnolia
Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum/Doublefile Viburnum

Entry Nodes
Pittosporum tobira 'Nana'/Dwarf Pittosporum
Rosa species/Shrub Roses

Ground Covers/Perennials/Vines

Clematis 'Henryi'/Hybrid Clematis
Hemerocallis fulva/Daylily
Liriope muscari 'Evergreen Giant'/Giant Liriope
Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln'/Dwarf Fountain Grass
Rosa banksiae 'Alba-Plena'/Lady Banksia Rose
Trachelospermum asiaticum/Asian Jasmine