Veggie Garden
Vietnam Memorial Tree
Established: 2009
Location: south side of the Memorial Union Building
This major landscape surrounds a single Norway spruce that was planted as a Vietnam Memorial Tree. This is a dry, windy area with poor, sandy soil. All evergreens were relocated from random scatterings across campus. Trees and bushes were arranged in an arc to buffer the wind. The arc is in a staggered line to reduce northwest airflow from Lake Superior. This garden is viewed from the road, the walk, and the inside eating area. Texture and leaf color are the backbone of this plot. Golden spirit smoke bush, golden elderberry, golden showers climbing roses, and Sunkist arborvitae—all pick up Tech’s gold color theme. Shaded for most of the morning, the plants need to be able to absorb the hot, persistent, west sun.