PLINY’S ALLÉE
Pliny’s Allée is a regal row of oak trees (Quercus spp.) next to the Garden of Inspiration. The oaks are underplanted with shrubs of outstanding autumn beauty: oak leaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia), fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii, F. latifolia (formerly F. major)), Virginia sweetspire ‘Henry’s Garnet’ (Itea virginica) and our native witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana). Although brilliant in the fall, these shrubs also produce fragrant flowers in the spring and summer.
Once made of grass, Pliny’s Allée now features an accessible boardwalk built with non-traditional decking made from black locust, a more sustainable option than tropical hardwoods, pressure-treated lumber, or composites.
The Allée is named for three historical figures: George Pliny Allen (brother of Barbara Allen Booth, a Worcester County Horticultural Society trustee) and Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger, early Roman horticulturists. The Allée features several architectural components of note: at the end of Pliny’s Allée is Pliny’s Fountain, an antique stone wellhead that erupts with a burst of water every 30 minutes.
