GPOD on the Road: Lake Geneva in Early Fall

Happy Friday GPODers!

It’s been a while since I shared my cross-continent travels from last year, and some recent events had me reflecting on a scenic, last-minute stop that I made in a beautiful resort town in the midwest. Lake Geneva is a small city on Geneva Lake in southeastern Wisconsin. The picturesque city, situated between Chicago and Milwaukee, has been a famous vacation-destination since the late 19th century and often gets comparisons to Newport, Rhode Island because of its lakefront mansions.

Being from New England, I wasn’t super familiar with Lake Geneva when I realized the city was along the route I was taking back to Connecticut last fall. On a sunny Saturday afternoon I decided to make a stop for some lunch and a quick stroll around the downtown area. My spontaneous decision was one of many I would be grateful for on the trip.

Almost instantly upon entering Lake Geneva, you are welcomed by plants. From flowers along sidewalks to small garden beds tucked into parks and greens spaces, fall was on full display as they also celebrated their annual Oktoberfest. As men and women competed to see who could hold a stein full of beer aloft with one hand, I wandered around beautiful residences and admired plantings like this ‘Honorine Jobert’ Japanese anemone (Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’, Zones 4–8).

I also really admired the faded summer garden beds, showing a whole new kind of interest with fading flowers and early seed heads. Scatterings of brown-eyed susan (Rudbeckia triloba, Zones 4–7) added a pop of late-season color.

And, of course, fall garden staples were abundant. Fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides, Zones 5–9) and Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’, Zones 5–9) are always great companions to an assortment of colorful mums.

I was instantly drawn to this beautiful poppy sculpture in a small veterans memorial garden. Poppies have a long history of symbolizing death and remembrance. Most of us might know the famous poem, “In Flanders Fields” by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, and how his heart-wrenching description of poppies growing over the graves of fallen soldiers in World War I resulted in the remembrance poppy becoming a world-recognized symbol for soldiers who have died in conflict. However, the bright flower has had significant meaning as far back as ancient Greece, where the plant was consumed and used in medical practice and religious ceremonies. Because of its many uses, several deities were often depicted with poppies and, depending on what version of the tale you read, Demeter is said to have been given poppy as a sedative or created poppies from her tears after the loss of her daughter, Persephone.

As a sculpture, these poppies will not fade and will never have to be replanted. What a beautiful, lasting symbol for those who gave the greatest sacrifice. The area was made extra beautiful by a ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum (Sedum ‘Herbstfreude’, Zones 3–11) and bright purple New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, Zones 4–8), potentially the variety ‘Grape Crush’.

As I mentioned at the start of this post, I wanted to reminisce on this trip because last week I had to say goodbye to my little travel partner that joined me on this incredible adventure and so many others. Here she is enjoying the wildflowers by the beach just outside Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada in 2022. I apologize if I’ve missed any of your messages to the GPOD inbox over the past couple weeks, I’m starting to catch back up on things now. GPODers who are pet parents, give your fur babies an extra hug and treat for me today, or remember a special memory with a pet that has crossed the rainbow bridge.

Thank you all, and hope you have a fantastic fall weekend.

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