ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION
With one exception, all plant materials selected and installed at Rim Village were indigenous and transplanted from areas in the park that were similar in elevation and microclimate to Rim Village. The use of native plant materials was a fundamental principle in the overall design goals for Rim Village. In the context of the Rustic design, plant materials were chosen for their form, structure, texture, size, and color to blend with the surrounding landscape and provide a natural and harmonious setting. For example, Mountain ash was used in abundance because it was one of the largest shrubs to grow at this elevation (providing immediate effect), and because it had bright red berries and brilliant fall color. Elderberry, which was uncommon at that elevation, was used because it had a light green cast to the leaves, contrasting with the “sober green” of the mountain hemlocks. A plant file (since lost) was created and careful records were kept by the landscape architects during the restoration, documenting plant materials that survived and those that did not. For example, huckleberry was used in large quantities early on, only to find later that it could not survive the winter. Spirea, on the other hand, was able to flourish under virtually any condition and was used in the design with more regularity after 1931. Large coniferous specimens were selected and prepared for transplanting as much as two years in advance. Individual trees were dug, root-pruned, and boxed in order to retain the integrity of the root mass when replanting took place. Over the primary period of landscape restoration at Rim Village — 1930-1938 — several thousand trees, shrubs, perennials, and ground covers were transplanted and established at the Rim.
In the effort to develop a “natural” looking landscape at Rim Village, the landscape architects stressed the need to incorporate as much of the existing material landscape as possible into the naturalization program. For example, “unsightly” dead and deteriorated tree snags were removed from the site only if they presented a threat to safety. Whenever possible, snags were retained throughout the site and incorporated into the design as special features called “white ghost trees.” These snags often had interesting shapes and, in the eyes of the landscape architects, conveyed the story of “lost battles with the elements,” and were an important part of the natural setting of Rim Village.
Although some of the plant materials are in poor condition today, overall planting concepts and the majority of plant materials are from the historic period and have integrity. Together, they are significant resources in the historic design.
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