Eye 380 plantings at Wilson Avenue
Located on the east and west sides of Interstate 380 between the Wilson Avenue SW and the 27th Avenue SW exits are Eye 380’s third and fourth projects. The site was planted in 2013 under a grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT), for which the City of Cedar Rapids applied.
The design project, which became known as the Wilson Avenue project, was led by landscape architect Ruth Fox, with Diane Hoefer as landscape designer. The distinctive design incorporated the use of concrete block units that defined the trademark EYE for the first time. Utilizing lessons learned from the two previous project sites, the living sculpture included soil testing and appropriate drainage management for the sloped project sites.
The Wilson Avenue project is the most costly of the early projects undertaken by Eye 380 due to the size of each site, and the use of the defining concrete block units. Both east and west side landscape plantings were completed for approximately $75,000.
As was the case with the two previous projects, the maintenance and upkeep of the Wilson Avenue sites is the financial responsibility of Eye 380, and costs up to $3,500 annually.
ORIGINAL PLANT LIST:
| TREES | Crusader Hawthorn |
| Redbud | |
| SHRUBS | Knock Out Roses |
| Golden Ruby Barberry | |
| Orange Rocket Barberry | |
| GRASSES & PERENNIALS | Black Eyed Susan |
| Little Bluestem Grass | |
| Magnus Superior Purple Coneflower | |
CURRENT PLANT LIST:
| SHRUBS | Rosa Rugosa “Frau Dagmar Hastrup” |
| GRASSES & PERENNIALS | Black-Eyed Susan |
| Magnus Superior Purple Coneflower | |
| Knock-Out Roses | |
| Wild Bergamot | |
| New England Aster | |
| Little Bluestem Grass |
