I have loved Deepdene Park for longer than I’ve lived in Georgia. One of its stars is a 185-foot tulip tree, which rises above the canopy. We went to see it the other day, to get a last look before the canopy fills in and the top of this giant is lost to sight.
The park is a 22-acre gully. “Dene,” an old synonym for “valley,” is generous, I think. But Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. looked at the place and saw the potential for beautiful, albeit compact, park.
Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. and his nephew and stepson John Charles Olmstead drew up plans for Druid Hills, an affluent development, in 1893. Frederick Law Olmsted Sr. was already famous for his work on Central Park in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn, as well as the U.S. Capitol grounds.
Deepdene seems to be bigger than it is because so many trails are squeezed in at different elevations. Some are close to street level, at the top of the gully. Some are along the creek below. You can cross several bridges on the high path. Below, you can cross the creek on steppingstones in several places.
I love the idea of this park. Even in the middle of big housing developments, there are places — such as gullies — where houses can’t be built. I like the idea of saving wild places and of encouraging people to get off concrete and onto paths.
When we went, the redbuds and serviceberries were blooming. The forest floor was full of violets.
• Source: For details, see:
https://www.tclf.org/druid-hills-deepdene-park
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