The Bridge of Flowers May 28, 2019 @goldenoakfarm

Monday afternoon a friend and I decided to visit The Bridge of Flowers as we’d not been in years.

From their website:

“The Bridge of Flowers was once a trolley bridge built in 1908 by the Shelburne Falls & Colrain Street Railway….The trolley was a “social and commercial connection” to area residents at that time. The railway company, however, was unable to keep up with progress, such as the invention of the automobile, as goods began to be hauled by truck and the company eventually went bankrupt in 1927.

According to The History and Traditions of Shelburne, Massachusetts published in 1958, the trolley bridge was an “eyesore”. It was too expensive to destroy, yet it was not needed as a footbridge. It could not be destroyed partly because of expense and because it carried the water main to the Buckland side of the river.

The Bridge became overgrown with weeds in the two years following the demise of the railway. But in 1928, someone had an idea ...

The Shelburne Falls Women’s Club sponsored this project in 1928. In April 1929, 80 loads of loam and several loads of fertilizer were put on the bridge, all by donated labor.

In 1975, a photographic study of Shelburne Falls was conducted by a group of students at Hampshire College through a local architect. Identified as a major concern was the deterioration of the Bridge of Flowers.

In April 1979, resident Eric Temple asked the Women's Club to head a fundraising campaign in order to repair the Bridge. The Club sponsored the Bridge of Flowers Preservation, Inc. in 1981 for the purpose of raising funds and working with the Towns of Buckland and Shelburne and the Shelburne Falls Fire District, owner of the Bridge.

An engineering study cited the condition of the structure and recommended repairs that would cost an estimated $580,000. Through the work of a Campaign Committee and sub-committees, the funds were raised.

Over 500 individuals, businesses and organizations contributed to the campaign. Every plant, tree and shrub was removed from the Bridge and cared for in private gardens during the Restoration Project.

The Bridge is Open for the Season: April 1 through October 30”

Blue brunnera

We entered from the Shelburne side and these blue beauties welcomed us. We saw them sprinkled the length of the bridge.

Azalea

We seemed to have hit a sort of between period for the perennials but the azaleas were poke you in the eye delicious!

Azalea

And as we reached the middle of the bridge a most delicious scent hovered around us. We finally tracked it to a shrub 20’ away and my friend identified it as daphne.

Azalea

Syringa/Lilac 'Miss Kim' a miniature flower lilac with the most delicious scent

Paeonia suffruticosa/Tree Peony

There were several types of tree peonies. The wisteria overhead was flowering.

We saw this tree and my friend thought it was a Chinese dogwood. But I can’t find anything close on Google. I thought perhaps a hydrangea but the flowers have 5 petals, not 4 as with hydrangea or dogwood. The flowers run up the stems of the tree. Anyone know this flowering shrub/tree?

But the biggest surprise for me was finding many of these sprinkled along the bridge. I knew instantly what it is, as I grow it, but not as a flower. Do you know what it is?

We had a lovely time checking out the flowers on this beautiful day.

Source: https://www.bridgeofflowersmass.org/

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