AA-2026-FF3C74
On the image
Someone at a mid-century American recreation complex decided that blueberry bushes belonged in the landscape plan between the swimming pool and the spectator stands, presumably on the theory that visitors might appreciate both chlorine and fruit in the same afternoon. The bushes are thriving, heavy with blue berries, which means either the maintenance staff were attentive or nobody had told them yet that ornamental plantings near pools are perpetually dying from chemical runoff and salt spray. Behind the greenery, the concrete geometry of the facility reveals itself—bleachers, diving infrastructure, drain pipes—the kind of public investment in leisure that assumed Americans would spend summer days in supervised aquatic pursuits. The browning foliage on the right suggests either late season or the simple fact that not everything planted together thrives together, which appears to have been solved here by planting it anyway and hoping.
Visually related — by likeness
Blueberry bushes at poolside, mid-century recreational facility. 1950–1970. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-FF3C74. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/blueberry-bushes-at-poolside-mid-century-recreational-facility.
@misc{aaAA2026FF3C74,
title = {Blueberry bushes at poolside, mid-century recreational facility},
year = {1950–1970},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-FF3C74},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/blueberry-bushes-at-poolside-mid-century-recreational-facility}
}TY - ART TI - Blueberry bushes at poolside, mid-century recreational facility PY - 1950–1970 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-FF3C74 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/blueberry-bushes-at-poolside-mid-century-recreational-facility ER -
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