The Glade Garden was designed to better connect, both visually and physically, the academic areas of the sciences to the Crum Woods.
At one end of the space is a “water stairway”, a channel cut into stairs where rain water falling on the roof of the Science Center is captured and flows down this channel and empties into an ornamental catch basin filled with rounded river rocks. This feature is a component of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) designation, given it mitigates the impact of storm water.
It contains native wild flowers and groundcovers like the golden ragwort (Packera aurea) and dwarf crested iris (Iris cristata) that come into bloom on the glade floor in spring, and the fall colors of fothergilla foliage in the fall. A mosaic of native plants – ferns, bloodroot, wild gingers – provide seasonal change between the spring and fall. Woodland stonecrop (Sedum ternatum) and blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) were planted to fill the gaps between the stepping stones. A hickory and redbuds (Cercis canadensis) soften the surrounding and defining walls of the Science Center. Clouds of Schiaparelli pink, pea-like flowers appear on Cercis canadensis ‘Appalachian Red’, a striking color variant from the typical purplish redbud blossoms.