The University of Illinois at Springfield dedicated its new Shakespeare Garden Thursday, which includes plants and flowers mentioned in The Bard’s plays and poems.
There are roses in honor of “Romeo and Juliet"; columbine, which is mentioned in “Hamlet”; and daisies from “Love’s Labor’s Lost." The garden also has a fountain and a bench with a statue of William Shakespeare so that visitors can sit down and have their picture taken with it.
Chancellor Susan Koch said the Shakespeare Garden is not just for faculty and students.
“The Shakespeare Garden is another beautiful addition to our growing campus,” Koch said. “As we are growing in enrollment, we are also growing in our contribution to the community. We feel like the garden is going to be another great attraction, not only for people on the campus, but for people in the community.”
This year marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.
Brian Beckerman, superintendent of grounds at UIS, designed the garden.
This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on September 29, 2016.
Read the entire article here.
