Take A Seat: The Benches at Green Spring Gardens have Stories to Tell
by Gioia Caiola Forman, Green Spring Master Gardener, and FROGS Board Member
Most of the people reading this will be Friends of Green Spring members who appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of Green Spring Gardens. Many have spent time walking the paths and exploring the gardens. I wonder how many of these individuals have walked the gardens and read the brass plaques on the benches? The benches with inscribed plaques are part of the Green Spring Gardens “Tribute Program.”
There are rocks, trees, and benches dedicated as memorials and recognition throughout the gardens. Most of the tributes are on the thirty-four benches. I have often walked around reading the plaques. A few will bring you to tears, and others will make you smile. I often wonder about the people they represent.
Today memorial and recognition benches are popular at many places. They all tell personal stories. Cape Canaveral in Florida has a granite memorial bench on the southern edge of the launch pad, dedicated to Apollo 1. Author Walter Lord has a bench in Baltimore, Maryland, engraved with his book titles that include “Day of Infamy,” “The Miracle of Dunkirk,” and “A Time to Stand, Epic of the Alamo.”
“This is a good kiss spot”Central Park in New York City, one of the most famous parks in the world, has over 9,000 benches, and more than 4,100 feature plaques. In London there is a bench with the inscription, “This is a good kiss spot.”
Plaque showing inscription on Bob Adamson's bench at Green Spring GardenThe dedications at Green Spring are sweet, charming, and loving. I wrote in a prior article about the children of Robert E. Lee (Bob) Adamson, who dedicated his memorial bench to “Mr. Wonderful, Journalist and World Traveler.” The children and grandchildren of Bettie and Eddie Greenstein presented them with a tribute bench to celebrate “… 62 years of love.” The inscription invites you to “Sit here with Mama and Papa.” They married on May 30, 1946.
Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting the Brody family in the Horticulture Center Library. Tess Brody—a FROGS member, avid gardener, and member of the Falls Church Garden Club—was accompanied by Alex, one of her two children, and Alex’s son John, a precocious, adorable child who proudly told me he was three and his birthday was in May. Tess shared that she was the one who did all the gardening at their home and that Alex is quite a gardener himself.
The family has a memorial bench in the Vista garden for Tess’s husband, Leon. The poignant inscription reads, “In loving memory of Leon Brody, who, as a philosopher, was always in search of the truth.” Alex shared that Leon was a “deep thinker.” He wrote reviews of magazines and loved to be outdoors sitting in the garden and thinking. Tess made it clear he never did any work; he just sat and thought. Leon studied in Germany where Tess grew up, but they met in Boston. He earned a masters degree in philosophy. Tess says they lived “an unusual life,” living in many interesting places. They settled in Fairfax County, and both enjoyed walking the Green Spring grounds.
Plaque showing inscription on Leon Brody's bench at Green Spring GardenThe family has a tradition of memorial benches. Tess Brody’s mom has a bench in The Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, England. Her mother was English and wanted a bench at Kew so that the family could meet at the bench once a year. Alex said he was on a business trip to London and went to Kew to sit on his grandmother’s bench. He laughed when he reported that Kew was a lot bigger than Green Spring, and it took him some time to find her bench.
Alex shared that he often stops by Green Spring in the early morning to sit on the bench before he heads for work and starts his day. Tess has brought family from England and Germany to see the bench and remember Leon while enjoying the serenity of Green Spring. They also enjoy that it’s a lovely place for John to play.
I invite you to walk around beautiful Green Spring Gardens and read the inscriptions, but don’t forget to take a seat and think like Leon Brody.
(This is a first in a series on the “Tribute Program” as we recognize the 50th anniversary of Green Spring Gardens).
Leon Brody's bench at Green Spring Garden
(All photos credit: Ivy Sinaiko)
