This past May, Rockridge Voice reported on what was in store for the Frog Park Climatescape, a new climate-responsive landscape and garden space near the Hudson Street entrance of FROG Park that we installed and planted in September 2023. Well, since then, we’ve reached several milestones and are moving closer to making Phase 2 of the project a reality.
As mentioned in May, Phase 2 will involve making the space even more inviting for visitors and passers-by. Plans include removing asphalt, adding a soft, decomposed-granite surface near the garden, installing what we call “tree-stump risers,” and adding permanent fencing and interpretive signage explaining how the Climatescape works.
In July, we received official approval from the Oakland Parks and Recreation Committee for Phase 2. From there, we put the project out for bids, and an Oakland-based landscape contractor with a good track record and experience working with the City expressed interest in taking it on. Now, we just need to raise the money (the City gave us only $1). So far, we have begun a soft launch of the fundraiser and plan to introduce it to a broader audience soon.
The Climatescape is designed to be responsive to environmental changes without much human intervention. In its late-summer ”contraction phase,” the Climatescape lets sculptural plants such as the Cordyline australis “Torbay Dazzler” (in photo above on right) take center stage.
As for the Climatescape and how it looks this time of year: it’s in its contraction phase. Because the Climatescape is climate-responsive, its look and form change with the seasons in response to precipitation. Its expansion phase lasts from winter through mid-summer, as the plants take in rainfall, grow, and bloom, and as the wildflowers make their annual presence known come spring. After that, as the soil begins to dry out, many of the plants contract and enter dormancy, leaving larger, sculptural plants to take center stage.
These sculptural plants, which are very prominent right now, include Cordyline australis ‘Torbay Dazzler,’ Agave attenuata, and Festuca mairei (a grass from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco). So while this isn’t a time for striking blooms in the Climatescape, it is a time for striking forms. In fact, each time you go by to visit, you’ll likely notice something new as the Climatescape shifts and evolves over the seasons.
Come by, have a look, and stay tuned for details on how you can contribute to the Phase 2 fundraiser.
