Tom Lee Park in Memphis, Tennessee

We were recently sent this photograph of an informative interpretation board about the oaks planted as elements of the landscaping of Tom Lee Park, which was established as part of a project to rehabilitate a formerly derelict section of the Mississippi waterfront in downtown Memphis (Tennessee, USA).

Over 1,000 new trees have been planted, including around 300 oaks, organized into zones reflecting the hydrology and ecology of the local Mississippi floodplain. Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa), overcup oak (Q. lyrata), Nuttall oak (Q. texana), swamp white oak (Q. bicolor), and willow oak (Q. phellos) on the lower slopes and terraces will develop into a typical bottomland forest, while the higher ground is home to stands of northern red oak (Q. rubra), Shumard oak (Q. shumardii), post oak (Q. stellata), Chinquapin oak (Q. muehlenbergii), and white oak (Q. alba). The oaks are complemented by a range of understory trees and shrubs and a field layer of herbaceous pollinator plants. (Note that this list of oaks is taken from an information sheet prepared by SCAPE Landscape Architecture, the scheme's landscape architects. The information in the plaque shown above places some of the species in the wrong category, i.e. Q. texana and Q. ×comptoniae (Compton oak) as upland oaks. It also includes Q. imbricaria (shingle oak), which is not listed in the information sheet. Quercus ×comptoniae (Q. lyrata × virginiana) would be an interesting choice! Unfortunately, SCAPE Landscape Architecture and Memphis River Park Partnership have not replied to email enquiries, so it has not been possible as yet to determine what species were planted in the park.)

The inspiring story of Tom Lee, and the reason for his memorialization in Memphis, can be found here  (or in a video news story here) and more details of the park are here. Worth a visit, perhaps, if you find yourself in downtown Memphis.