The Oval Flowers

The teardrop-shaped lawn at the end of the palm allee along Palm Drive is commonly called The Oval. In the early years of Stanford University, this sunken terrace contrasted with the vertical Memorial Arch that fell in the 1906 earthquake and the horizontal Outer Quad buildings; it created a dramatic effect of grandeur. In the 1910s, Bakewell and Brown proposed a redesign of the area with formalized gardens in central circular courts, joined along axes and cross axes.

This complete break from the original vision was never realized, though in the 1920s, several minor changes were made. Gardiner Daily, apprentice of Golden Gate Park superintendent John McLaren, replaced the border of red geraniums with more drought tolerant Pyracantha and added pedestrian paths.

The Oval flowers are a more recent addition; this renovation was a gift by an anonymous donor in 1980. The Grounds crew prepares the central raised beds every year. In April 2001, we planted red and white Jumbo Olympia begonias arranged in waves around a central cardinal 'S'. The flowers are in peak bloom throughout the summer.