The Sutphin Mall is a grand counterpoint to the much larger building that is the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Without the nearly 2 acres of lush greenness of the Mall, the museum would stand stark, imposing, and alone. The plant material brings the buildings down to a human scale without detracting from their grandeur. It's easy to forget that beneath the red maples, shrubs, and perennials is an underground parking garage. The plants on this green roof grow in 4 feet of structured soil, or soil-less soil, a mixture of hadite (expanded shale), course sand, and shredded pine bark, specially designed to drain rapidly and keep the weight of the water off the garage. The geometric beds of the Mall contrast beautifully with the curvy, relaxed and mingled plantings of the nearby Overlook, and the large blocks of a single species give the illusion that the Mall is longer than its 300 feet. The permanent plantings were chosen for their multiple seasonal interests, as all of the selections contribute something to the malls beauty at least 2 seasons of the year. The large grass area provides a place for relaxing and for families to play.

Highlights of Sutphin Mall

• Acer rubrum 'Franksred' Red Sunset®, Red maple: these were put in at 4 to 5 inch caliper, in today's market it is hard to find 50 plus matched trees of any species, spring flowering can be very good, fall color is spectacular with lots of red, silver-gray bark adds some winter interest, still believe there are more interesting trees for the home gardener

• Fothergilla major, Large fothergilla: witch hazel relative, fragrant creamy white bottle brush flowers in late spring before leaves are fully expanded, blue-green leaves, good fall color in yellows, oranges, and reds, full sun to part shade, 6 to 7 feet tall with similar spread

• Buxus 'Green Gem', Boxwood: hybrid of B. microphylla var. koreana and B. sempervirens, slow growing mound shape, hold dark green color in winter, 2' by 2'

• Buxus 'Glencoe' Chicagoland Green®, Boxwood: planted in circle at end of mall, hybrid of B microphylla v. koreana and B. sempervirens, good green color in winter, 2 to 3 feet tall with similar width

• Geranium Rozanne®: good blue colored flowers from May to November with heaviest bloom in May and June, good foliage all season with fall colors in oranges and reds, full sun to light shade, about 1' tall by 2' wide

• Echinacea Big Sky® Sunset, Coneflower: one of the best of the new hybrid coneflowers, deep sunset orange flowers in summer, seed heads can be left to provide winter food for birds

• Campanula ‘Sarastro', Bellflower: large nearly cobalt blue bells on stems to 18 inches, heaviest bloom in May/June, with deadheading blooms through September, excellent new perennial

• Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’, Sedum: beautiful golden chartreuse foliage develops shades of orange and copper in cold months, yellow flowers in early summer, great in the ground or in containers

• Sedum spurium 'Red Carpet', Two row stonecrop:very low growing sedum, bronze foliage with reddish flowers in summer, full sun, tolerates dry soil and high pH, 3" to 4" tall by 12" to 18" wide

Beds along wall above North Stair

• Sedum sieboldii, October daphne: interesting texture created by the 3 leaves being whorled around the stem, beautiful glaucous blue-green foliage frequently with pinkish or lavender edges on the leaves, pink flowers in fall add to beauty and stick around for winter interest, tolerates dry and likes good drainage, full sun, 6" by 12"

• Iris sibirica 'Caesar's Brother', Siberian iris: typical iris foliage is good contrast to Sedum sieboldii, velvety blue-purple blooms in late spring, tolerant of moisture but surviving nicely in well-drained soil, 24" to 36" tall by 24" wide with the flowers a little taller than the leaves

• Malus 'Prairiefire', Crabapple: dark pink flowers (not quite red in bud), purplish foliage all season but darkest in spring, small red fruit, full sun, very resistant to crabapple diseases, 20' by 20'

• Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Cassian', fountain grass: nice green color and soft texture, blooming starts in August, golden fall color with red tints, 3' by 2'

Pocket gardens

• Buxus sempervirens 'Vardar Valley', Boxwood: low growing, 2' to 3' by 4' to 5'

• Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae, Robb's spurge: evergreen, very dark green leaves with chartreuse flowers in spring, spreads by runners, sun or shade, plants can grow to 2' tall and wide

Next to walk along drive

• Juniperus conferta 'Blue Pacific', Shore juniper: softer look than many junipers, very low growing, good groundcover plant, full sun, good drainage is best, 1' to 2' tall by 6' to 9' wide, usually planted on 3' spacing

• Hydrangea paniculata 'Kyushu', Panicle hydrangea: pruned into the shape of a small tree, this form is called a standard, blooms in mid-summer on new wood so can be pruned and still flowers, typical flowers for this species, large white panicles that age to shades of pink then tan, dried flowers add winter interest, full sun to part shade, will need pruning to maintain form, can grow to 10 feet or more high and wide, easily pruned to smaller size