Big Brutes find home each summer in Rapid City’s parks

RAPID CITY—Driving by the Sunken Floral Gardens area off Canyon Lake Drive near McKeague Field and the intersection of West Chicago Street and South Canyon Road, one can’t help but do a double-take at the large tree-like plants standing guard over the displays of colorful flowers and plants in the various plots. 

For an eighth summer season, five gargantuan-sized banana plants are residing in two of Rapid City’s floral garden areas, putting an exclamation point on all the hard work and effort put in by Parks workers to produce the beauty and color seen in several Parks and frontage areas during the summer and fall months.

The plants are the brainchild of City Greenhouse Specialist John Berglund, who started the banana plants as an experiment in the summer of 2017.  Berglund placed the banana plants originally in Wilson Park and they have also spent summers basking in the sunlight at Halley Park, Noordermeer Flower Gardens at Sioux Park, the Sunken Gardens off Canyon Lake Drive near the Parks Maintenance Office, and at a busy West Rapid City intersection area.

“People just can’t get enough of the banana plants,” said Berglund.  “People ask about them all the time.  It’s great to see groups of people stopping to get photos, and while they do, they get to see all the great color from the other flowers in the garden area.

“They are awesome plants.  I can’t believe they have withstood our weather conditions these past eight summers.  I took a chance eight years ago and planted them on a whim just to see what would happen, never thinking they’d still be with us. They seem to like our parks and love the attention.”

‘Majestic’, ‘Awesome’, ‘Huge’, ‘Impressive’…just a few words describing the three banana plants at Sunken Gardens and two banana plants located in the raised floral display area near the intersection of West Chicago Street and South Canyon Road.

The plants have become a must-see for residents and visitors each summer.  Berglund places the banana plants in a different floral garden each summer.  And each summer, many drivers stop to get a photo while bikers and joggers take a break to gaze at the plants that stand guard over the smaller-but-just-as-colorful Marigolds, Zinnias and other plants and flowers.

The banana plants have resided at Wilson Park, Halley Park, Noordermeer Formal Gardens and the Sunken Gardens area. This summer, the plants are also making a season-long appearance along a busy West Rapid City thoroughfare.

The tropical plants are more accustomed to conditions more commonly found in rainforests.  But this quartet of banana plants have withstood Rapid City downpours, hail and windy conditions and have found residing in Rapid City parks in recent years much to their liking.  And the recent stretch of hot South American-like hot weather has been well-received as well.

Berglund brings the banana plants inside for the winter months and nurtures them within the warmth of the City greenhouse, then gives them a new park to reside in each summer, resulting in a growing legion of fans in the community. 

Berglund says now is a great time to get out and see the flowers in the City parks.  “Everything is popping right now and coming into their own as far as the colors and displays,” he said.  “There’s a lot of variety to see.”

And when it comes to the banana plants, Berglund offers, ‘I’ve often said the annuals may provide the beauty and color but it’s the banana plants that bring the brawn and steal the show.”

This summer, City Parks crews planted 25,000 flowers in numerous park areas in Rapid City, including Wilson Park, Halley Park, the Noordermeer Flower Gardens, the Sunken Gardens area and frontage areas like Otto’s Corner at the intersection of West Boulevard and Omaha Street.

The post Big Brutes find home each summer in Rapid City’s parks first appeared on Native Sun News Today.

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