Along the meandering banks of the Jordan River is one of Utah's best kept garden secrets — The International Peace Gardens.
The gardens were founded to promote peace and understanding between nations and endeavors to show that people from many lands can unite in promoting peace.
These gardens were first conceived in 1939 and were dedicated in 1952. The Salt Lake Council of Women worked with Salt Lake City to create gardens within a garden dedicated to Utah-based national groups, and they are still a work in progress.
Charlene Badger, the current caretaker, and her staff plan the beds, care for the trees and shrubs, and plant a gorgeous array of flowers that delight visitors of all ages. The 12 acre garden is a delightful horticultural wonderland.
After growing up in Tooele on the far end of the street where I lived, she worked at various nurseries in the Salt Lake area. She started at the Peace Gardens in 2002 as a groundskeeper and three years ago became the supervisor.
While we sat in the shade of one of the magnificent trees in the garden, Badger shared her love of this outstanding memorial.
"We currently have gardens that represent 28 ethnic groups or nationalities. Each of these specific garden beds is designed each year to reflect the nationalities' desires, if possible.
"Some countries request specific colors of flowers. Sometimes they will request flowers that are the color of their flag, or in the case of Sweden, they want red flowers to go with the Red Swedish house in the garden.
"We try to make each of the beds unique each year. Some people think that the flowers are repeated each year and they want us to publish our plan of what we do. We do not repeat them. We may carry over the colors in those beds, but the designs are different each year."
I asked her to share her favorite garden trees.
"I love the flowering Japanese cherries because they bloom first. That gives me hope that spring is here and the gardens will be beautiful.
"The weeping purple leaf beach is awesome. I also love the magnolias when they bloom in the Vietnamese garden. I also love the Linden tree that we are sitting under because of its historical significance from Germany.
"I also love the flowering dogwood. They normally do not grow in this area, but this is a memorial tree, and I think it survives because of the high humidity near the river."
When I asked her to identify her talk perennial flowers she responded, "Daylilies are my ultimate favorite. We have them throughout the garden, and I love them. Echinacea are my second choice. I love all of the new varieties.
"Another great flower is the hibiscus. They are one of the showiest flowers when they bloom. I also love the variegated iris because it is not just about flowers, and the foliage is so interesting. Hostas are awesome for our shady areas."
The shining stars in most of the gardens are the annuals. She shared her favorites in this category.
"I love the geraniums because they have a fast fill in and instant color. We call them our instant gratification plants, and we use thousands of them each year.
"I also love the small marigolds because they take so much stress and grow so well here. The fibrous begonias are another outstanding flower. They will take sun or shade and are excellent for borders and fillers. Red fountain grass is another plant that gives us height and color variation.
"I love the nicotiana. There are so many good varieties. I also love the cannas. We grow these is annuals and we liked the height and color of these unique looking plants."
With her creativity she is always trying to grow something different.
"I find from year to year my likes change. That's one of the great things about working at this garden."
Garden tips
For more information on the Peace Gardens, go to www.internationalpeacegardens.org. The gardens are located in Jordan Park at 1000 S. 900 West, Salt Lake City. In addition, the Salt Lake Council of Women's annual festival will be held at the Peace Gardens on Aug. 21 at noon. Everyone is invited to attend, and some nationalities will be sharing their culture that day. The little mermaid statue in the Danish garden will be rededicated at 11 a.m. at the Danish garden. For information on using the garden, contact the Salt Lake City Parks Department.
Join Clifton Smith as he discusses the basics of water-wise gardening at the free Garden Talks in the Park, Wednesday, 8 p.m., at the Brigham Young Historic Park located on the southeast corner of State Street and Second Avenue (North Temple).
Larry A. Sagers is a horticulture specialist for the Utah State University Extension Service at Thanksgiving Point.