Fresh Cut Flowers Almost Obsolete as Gardeners Opt to Grow Vegetables

June 6th, 2013

W. Atlee Burpee & Co. CEO, George Ball © Miguel Bernard

The Hort’s Alaena Robbins, George Pisegna, and Sara Hobel with W. Atlee Burpee & Co. CEO, George Ball © Miguel Bernard

W. Atlee Burpee & Co. CEO, George Ball © Miguel Bernard

A beautiful bouquet of flowers is an endangered species, according to one of the nation’s leading experts, as gardeners throughout America devote almost all their energies growing vegetables instead of tulips, roses and a plethora of other flowers that formerly comprised a garden.

“Most urban agriculture projects consist mostly of vegetables and herbs with a few flowers on the side,” observed George Ball, a 35 year veteran of both the cut flower and vegetable business.  The keynote speaker at the recent Urban Agriculture Conference held at New York University in Manhattan, Mr. Ball urged the more than 300 urban gardeners in attendance “to meet the great potential and pent-up demand for fresh flowers.”

Fresh cut flowers have almost vanished from urban homes, parties and other public and private events, according to Mr. Ball, past president of The American Horticultural Society and chairman and C.E.O. of the nation’s leading home gardening company, W. Atlee Burpee & Co.

“Think of cut flowers as an endangered species,” he quipped, urging those attending to allocate space for flowers in whatever enterprise they undertake.  “If you grow flowers in a one to two acre farm or garden you will be pleasing both customers and employees who much prefer tending flowers rather than vegetables.”

The contemporary flower industry, Mr. Ball pointed out, is dominated by huge exporters from countries 4,000-6,000 miles away, whose flowers are picked “green” when the buds are not fully pigmented (much as a tomato is picked green) and shipped by air-polluting jumbo-jets to wholesalers who keep them up to a week in storage.  Finally, he said, they are distributed to an ever-decreasing number of retail florists.  “Today most florists are gift shops with a small cooler in the back filled with pale-colored flowers from Asia, South America or the Middle East”.  The consumers, he concluded, have fewer choices in flowers than they have in vegetables in a supermarket.

Mr. Ball also pointed out the latest research at Rutgers University that proves that fresh flowers in the home elevates mild depression or other mood disorders.  “Vegetables are fuel for our body,” he concluded, “ but flowers connect with the deepest parts of our spirit.”

The conference was held under the auspices of the Horticultural Society of New York,  at NYU’s Kimmel Center.

 

Editor’s Note: This text was taken from a press release distributed by W. Atlee Burpee & Co. on June 6, 2013.

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Marie Dehaene on Urban Agriculture

May 6th, 2013

Sustainable Cities, a panel discussion about the multifunctionality of urban farms as hubs of production, social interaction, education and diversity, is just one of many exciting events to look forward to at this year’s Urban Agriculture Conference from May 15 – 17.

Rose Brook had the pleasure to meet and interview panelist Marie Dehaene. Born in Tours, France and living in Paris, Marie started her career as a landscape architect and has travelled extensively around the world to consult the city government of Paris about sustainable urban agriculture.

She will be jetting off again this summer in North America, working with international cross-disciplinary teams based in Montreal, Chicago and Paris for a research project detailed on French language website roofscape.org. Marie is also working on publishing a book about urban agriculture to be written in French.

 

What was it about urban agriculture that interested you initially?

People ask, “Why are you doing that?” Actually, it’s normal to me. I couldn’t choose between horticulture and landscape architecture. Growing things as well. I love food, giving importance to food and maybe changing the system. Everything I like, I can find in urban ag.

You have to deal with many things — social projects, environmental projects. You get to work with a lot of people from different backgrounds. The project in the South Bronx is going to be really different from a hip one in Williamsburg.

That’s what I like. You don’t get bored.

 

How have your travels informed your work in Paris?

My work is in Paris. It’s quite new in France, so I have been inspired by other places. But you have to keep in mind that it’s not always the same. Something you can do in New York doesn’t mean that you can do it in Paris.

You have cultural [differences], if you think about it. Pollution, for instance — everybody is freaking out about that in Paris. At any conference, any meetings, you can be sure that people are going to ask you about that.

In New York, I don’t have that impression. It’s different. I was asking people what they are doing: “Oh you know, I’m breathing the air in New York. I’m going to wash my carrots. I’m going to cook them. I’m not really worried about that.”

You have to really know the context of where you are working. You can’t just move one project to another one. [You should] have a good knowledge of where you’re working.

 

Tell us about appearing on Le mouv’ radio station in Paris this morning.

It’s strange and new to so many different types of people. Today was for everyone, for people who never heard of urban ag before. It’s interesting because you have to explain what it is to a lot of people to make projects. They just think it’s like tomatoes on the balcony, nothing big. Or it’s just a hip thing.

I like to talk about and present different projects. It is really great to see people realizing that urban ag is so much more than they thought before. I think we feel a bit stuck in Paris trying to explain how it can be a powerful tool to build better cities.

 

Can you give us a hint of what you’ll discuss on the panel? What do you wish to highlight about multifunctionality?

I choose to speak about projects that I know in New York, Montreal and Paris. I choose to speak about the diversity of projects because I didn’t find the equivalent in New York.

There’s no space for urban ag in Paris. You [need to have] different goals for projects to make sure that you can find a site, [such as] art or social benefit in some way.

That’s what I wanted to highlight—hybrid projects that we can have. You can’t say this project grows food—you have to do more. Space in the city is precious, so you have to make the most of it.

Another way to look at it is that you need money to do these projects. If you can have a bit of culture, awareness to food, a social project — it’s easier to get money.

I think that a way you have to look at urban ag is to make sure that these projects can actually start. You don’t need to have a background in agriculture. Of course at some point you have to work with people like that because you need some knowledge. But everybody can start something if they feel like it.

 

To discover more about extraordinary international multifunctional urban farms from beyond our own city limits, catch Marie Dehaene and other urban agriculture experts at the Sustainable Cities panel on Thursday, May 16. Learn more about registering for the conference here.

 

About the author

After returning to her hometown of NYC from living over six years in England, Rose Brook earned her green thumb from herb container gardening on her window sill and volunteering at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Now studying for her Horticulture certificate, Rose also works as a Youth & Teen Advisor for the Greenpoint YMCA—growing the love of urban gardening and a greener city for residents of all ages.

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Late Winter Pruning

March 6th, 2013

The goals of pruning are usually to control the size of a shrub, to remove dead or damaged wood, to clear out dense, choking growth and to maintain the shrub in a pleasing shape. How you prune will depend on why that particular plant needs attention.

 

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Selective pruning: If your goal is to control the size of a shrub, balance its shape, remove dead or damaged wood or open it up a bit, take it branch by branch. Using clean, sharp pruners, cut just above the place where one stem branches off from another. Don’t cut in the middle between nodes, which will cause an unsightly bristle of growth. Pause often to step back and consider the effect of your pruning so far, and stop when you’ve done enough.

 

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Renewal pruning: If a shrub is thickly overgrown, you can clear it out and renew its vigor in stages. Each year, cut out some of the oldest, thickest branches down to the ground. In spring, they will be replaced by new growth. Cut out no more than one-third of the shrub in a year. In three years, you will have all new growth.

 

Rejuvenation pruning: If a bush has become dauntingly huge and dense, you may not have to give up on it. Most deciduous shrubs can be totally cut back within an inch or two of the ground in late winter and will start new growth in spring. In a couple of years, the shrub will be back at a good size. Then you can keep it under control with regular selective pruning.

 

 

Taken from article by Beth Botts, ChicagoTribune online

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Top Plants for Terrariums

November 20th, 2012

 

Terrariums came of age with the Victorians and are enjoying a new found resurgence, fueled in part by their affordability and the continued interest in all things gardening. “You can do it on a budget, do it with kids, do it with seniors.” says Tovah Martin, author of The New Terrarium.

Here are some of the best plant choices…

 

Name: Pilea involucrata ‘Moon Valley’
Size: To 12 inches tall and wide

‘Moon Valley’ friendship plant provides delicate patterning with deeply textured craters and valleys on two-toned leaves, which are tinted red on the underside. The fast-grower tolerates low light and at its maximum reaches 12 inches tall and wide; it may surprise with delicate pink flowers, too. This plant is a perfect size to enclose in virtually any glass container that’s fit for a terrarium, such as cloches or jars.

Name: Arachnoides simplicior ‘Variegata’
Size: To 16 inches tall and wide

Variegated spider fern seems to glow in a terrarium, thanks to the shine of its glossy leaves. A broad yellow center band on each leaf supplies visual interest for the easy-growing fern, which tolerates low light and enjoys the moist potting mix and high humidity found inside a terrarium.

Name: Cryptanthus bivittatus
Size: To 6 inches tall and wide

Cryptanthus bivittatus, also called starfish plant, which is a member of the bromeliad family. The straplike leaves nearly glow with iridescent stripes, which range from red to maroon, white, and deep green; the plant also has tiny flowers. The leaf colors of starfish plant change with the intensity of light, and its slow-growing nature — it reaches only about 6 inches at maturity — makes it well-suited for a terrarium.

Name: Fittonia verschaffeltii var. argyroneura
Size: To 12 inches tall and wide

Nerve plant is a tropical choice with distinctively patterned leaves in burgundy and green. It thrives under the moist, warm air of a terrarium and will only reach 12 inches when fully mature.

Name: Peperomia caperata ‘Variegata’
Size: To 6 inches tall and wide

Its foliage has little color variation, but the textural ripples or wrinkles on the leaves of Peperomia caperata ‘Variegata’ provide welcome contrast to terrarium plants that may be patterned with color. The plant stays 6 inches tall and likes the low but regular light and moist conditions under the glass of a terrarium.

Name: Selaginella kraussiana ‘Aurea’
Size: To 6 inches tall and 2 feet wide

Even though Selaginella kraussiana ‘Aurea’, or golden clubmoss, stays compact in height — just up to 6 inches — it likes to spread. In fact, it can reach 2 feet across, so keep it trimmed inside a terrarium. The light green foliage works wonders to brighten darker-color plants. Keep the soil moist but not wet.

Name: Acorus gramineus ‘Minimus Aureus’
Size: To 14 inches tall and 6 inches wide

Tiny Acorus gramineus ‘Minimus Aureus’ rewards under a terrarium with grassy, striking golden foliage. Great for an office cubicle.

Name: Pilea glauca ‘Aquamarine’
Size: To 12 inches tall and wide

Tiny variegation dots the small, silvery-blue, rounded leaves of Pilea glauca ‘Aquamarine’, a terrarium plant that loves high humidity and low light. Use its low-growing, densely matted, creeping pattern as a good base for other plants in your terrarium.

Name: Saxifraga stolonifera
Size: To 8 inches tall and 6 inches wide

Its lovely burgundy-red vertical stalks and flowers lend Saxifraga stolonifera the nickname strawberry begonia. While the plant rapidly matures, it only reaches a height of 8 inches. Even when the wispy flowers aren’t in bloom, the heart-shape foliage offers a two-tone pattern of green and deep red

Article by Kelly Roberson from BHG online. For complete article and much more visit bhg.com

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DIY Bitters

October 12th, 2012

 

Vintage trade card from Wheat Bitters Company New York

Use your garden as inspiration to create this aromatic cocktail essential

Of all the things that have come out of our revitalized passion for classic cocktails, a renewed love for bitters is by far the most intriguing. An explosion of bitters has hit the market in the past few years, including classics Angostura and Peychaud’s as well as modern creations such as the Xocolatl Mole from Brooklyn-based Bittermens and Organic Baked Apple Bitters from Bar Keep in Los Angeles.

A combination of alcohol, herbs, spices, and other flavorings, bitters were once marketed as patent medicines. And although some people still take a nip of bitters after a heavy meal to aid digestion, now they are mainly used to add depth of flavor and a mysterious hint of botanical wizardry to drinks.

Bitters are composed of three parts: the alcoholic base, aromatic flavors, and bittering agents. Many of the aromatics can come from your garden, but others, like spices, will need to be sourced from your local market and bittering agents from a mail-order company, such as Mountain Rose Herbs.

When selecting the alcohol to use as your base, make sure it is high proof (150 to 160 proof) in order to extract and preserve maximum flavor (you use only a tiny dash of bitters in each drink, so the amount of alcohol consumed is minimal). Deciding on the flavor profile is the fun part. Test by steeping the botanicals in boiling water for 5 to 15 minutes. It won’t be an exact match, but the resulting tea will provide a better sense of the final taste.

Basic Bitters

Before Starting, decide on a flavor profile and then select the appropriate “main” aromatics to achieve it. Next, mix, shake, wait, and enjoy!

Ingredients

1/4-1/2 cup main aromatics (use larer amount if using produce)

1-4 tablespoons supporting aromatics (choose 2 to 5)

1-4 tablespoons bittering agents (choose 2 to 4)

1 cup high-proof alcohol

1 tablespoon sugar dissolved in 2 teaspoons water

1. Place the aromatics and bittering agents in a canning jar and add the alcohol. Seal the jar and shake thoroughly. Store at room temperature. Shake the jar and taste daily, for up to 21 days.

2. When the desired flavor is achieved, strain through a funnel lined with cheesecloth into a clean jar. Repeat as needed to remove any remaining debris. Stir in the dissolved sugar.

3. Securely close jar and store at room temperature. Use in cocktails, soda water, coffee, tea, and almost any sweet or savory dish. Best used within a year.

Mix-and-Match Flavors

Aromatic Flavors

  • Fruits & Vegetables
  • Fresh and dried fruits and vegetables
  • Apple peel
  • Chile peppers
  • Fresh or dried citrus peel
  • Toasted nuts

Dried Flowers

  • Hibiscus
  • Hops
  • Lavender
  • Rose

Spices & Herbs

  • Allspice berries
  • Caraway, coriander, and fennel seeds
  • Cardamom pods
  • Cinnamon sticks
  • Fresh or dried ginger
  • Juniper berries
  • Lemongrass
  • Dried lemon verbena
  • Dried mint
  • Black or white peppercorns
  • Star anise
  • Vanilla, extract or seeds and pods

Bittering Agents

  • Barberry root
  • Burdock root bark
  • Black walnut leaf
  • Dandelion root
  • Gentian root
  • Quassia bark
  • Wormwood

Taken from Organic Gardening Oct/Nov 2012. Article by Diana Pittet

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Best Plants for Rooftop Gardening

June 28th, 2012

Cornus kousa, Kousa Dogwood Hardy to Zone 5

Kousa dogwood  stays small for a tree, with some varieties maxing out at just about 30 feet, making it an excellent foundation planting for a rooftop garden. In spring, the tree has small but beautiful white flowers and pink bracts, which transition to deep green summertime foliage. Autumn offers its own benefits, with red-purple leaves and fruit

 

 

Harry Lauder's Walking Stick

Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’, Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick Hardy in Zones 4-8

Corylus avellana ‘Contorta’ twists itself into seemingly unfathomable shapes that are good sculptural plant accents to a rooftop garden. The heart-shape foliage on the shrub or small tree, which can reach 10 feet tall is interesting, too.

 

 

Juniperus squamata, ‘Blue Star’ Juniper Hardy in Zones 4-8

Also called singleseed juniper, ‘Blue Star’ shines with skinny needles that have a definite silvery-blue cast. The dwarf juniper — which puts out mounds of needles on a shrub that reaches about 3 feet tall — is a good accent or container variety for rooftop gardens.

 

 

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Lutea’, Dwarf Hinoki Cypress Hardy in Zones 5-9

Fanlike foliage and a yellowish-green color are two standout characteristics of golden dwarf hinoki cypress. Extremely slow-growing, the evergreen will reach only 3 feet tall at its mature height. It needs a regular watering schedule but is otherwise wonderfully low-care. The evergreen brightens corners on a rooftop garden or works well with other plants in container combinations.

 

 

Astilbe ‘Fanal’, Fanal Astilbe Hardy in Zones 3-8

Great for shadier spots on a rooftop, ‘Fanal’ rewards gardeners with rich crimson color that blooms midsummer (typically July). A good perennial plant for the middle of the border, astilbe shoots up stalks of about a foot-and-a-half. It does best in moist soil; don’t allow astilbe to dry out.

 

 

Hosta ‘Big Daddy’, Big Daddy Hosta Hardy in Zones 3-8

Integrating impressively sized hosta into shadier spots on a rooftop garden is a terrific way to add beautiful foliage to the space.  ‘Big Daddy’, is just one choice; its blue-green leaves offer rich, deep color and are big enough to cut as foliage for bouquets — perfect for multitasking rooftop gardening plants.

 

 

Ajuga reptans, Ajuga Hardy in Zones 3-9

A groundcover that is attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds, Ajuga reptans, needs water on rooftops but rewards with steady growth. ‘Silver Beauty’ is one good choice, as is ‘Bronze Beauty’, which has deep blue flowers and bronze-tinged foliage.

 

 

Lavandula angustifolia, Lavender Hardy in Zones 5-9

Beloved for scent, lavender is a member of the mint family and native of the Mediterranean, so it weathers the windy and dry conditions of a rooftop garden well. Its beautiful, gray-green foliage reaches heights of about a foot and a half, making it a good fit for either containers or full-fledged rooftop garden beds.

 

 

Daylily

Hemerocallis ‘Anna Warner’, Daylily Hardy in Zones 3-9

Most daylilies are fairly hardy, and their consistent blooms mean that they offer rooftop gardeners a good way to add color. Try Hemerocallis ‘Anna Warner’, which has pinkish-lavender blooms and does well in full sun. Strappy foliage reaches about 2 feet in height, and the plant thrives in a huge zone range, so you can enjoy it just about anywhere.

 

 

Lamb's-Ears

Stachys byzantina, Lamb’s-Ears Hardy in Zones 4-10

A nice fit for low-growing borders or the front of flower beds, lamb’s-ears, has a distinctive soft, feathery feel to the silver-gray foliage. In the ground it tends to spread, so it may be best for containers on rooftop gardens. If the purplish blooms get leggy in summertime, cut them back.

 

 

'Gold Flame' Honeysuckle

Lonicera x heckrottii ‘Gold Flame’, Gold Flame Honeysuckle Hardy in Zones 5-8

A cascade of ‘Gold Flame’ honeysuckle is a great way to attract hummingbirds and butterflies to a rooftop garden. It begins blooming in late spring, with delicate pale pink to deep magenta blossoms that are incredibly fragrant. Honeysuckle vine reaches about 20 feet in length, making it a good fit for a trellis or above a rooftop porch structure.

 

 

Hydrangea petiolaris, Climbing Hydrangea Hardy in Zones 4-8

Creamy white blooms decorate the vines of this self-adhering plant, which can reach an astonishing 60 feet long. However, climbing hydrangea is easy to prune and rewards with those springtime flowers as well as a stunning autumn color transformation, when the green leaves turn to a bright yellow.

 

Festuca glauca, Blue Fescue Hardy in Zones 4-8

Ornamental grasses — hardy, with few maintenance needs and year-round structure to boot — are a good fit for rooftop gardens, and blue fescue can be used in containers, in a border, or as an edging plant and reaches just 10 inches tall.

 

 

Maidengrass

Miscanthus sinesis ‘Gracillimus’, Maidengrass Hardy in Zones 5-9

On the other size end of the ornamental grass-size spectrum, maidengrass towers and can reach heights of 7 feet. It does best in full sun and can be used in the back of a rooftop garden border. Or plant multiples in a row to block an unsightly view.

 

Article adapted from BHG online by Kelly Roberson, for full article http://bit.ly/MtoYTv

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Last of his Species

June 25th, 2012

Lonesome George shuffles off

 

A lumbering giant Galapagos tortoise known as Lonesome George lifts his head up during a walk in his protected home in the island chain in Puerto Ayora in this February 5, 2001 file photo. Lonesome George, the last remaining tortoise of his kind and a conservation icon, died on June 24, 2012 of unknown causes, the Galapagos National Park said. He was thought to be about 100 years old. REUTERS/Stringer/Files (ECUADOR - Tags: ENVIRONMENT ANIMALS)Lonesome George at his home on Santa Cruz Island. Photo: Reuters


Lonesome George, estimated to be more than 100 years old, has died, leaving the world one species poorer. The only remaining Pinta Island tortoise died on Sunday, the Galapagos National Park Service said. The cause of death remains unclear and a necropsy is planned.

 

Lonesome George was discovered on Pinta Island in 1972 at a time when tortoises of his type were already believed to be extinct. Repeated efforts to breed George failed. ”Later two females from the Espanola tortoise population (the species most closely related to Pinta tortoises genetically) were with George until the end,” the park service said.

 

Article from The Sydney Morning Herald, www.smh.com.au

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Garden Great

May 25th, 2012

Frank Cabot an inspiration for a generation…

Image courtesy of Stonecrop Garden

In November, Frank Cabot, founder of the Garden Conservancy, which is devoted to garden preservation, passed away at age 86. Even before he died, the garden community could not say enough good things about him. Below, a few words said in recent years about the financier-turned-green thumb.

“He’s so immensely knowledgeable. I think, of all the people I have met in this world, he has been the greatest influence.”

— Graham Rankin, head gardener, Aberglasney Garden, Carmarthenshire, Wales

“Frank is hands-on, the real-deal. Whenever he visited Wave Hill [in New York], everyone would get excited and say, ‘Oh, Frank is coming!’ Frank was head of Friends of Horticulture, but he was also another gardener meeting other gardeners. If they shared his passion or knew something he wanted to find out about, he was there and they loved him for it. And he’s also a lot of fun to be around.”

— Marco Polo Stufano, founding director of Horticulture at Wave Hill and member of the Garden Conservancy, New York

“Frank Cabot is a visionary gardener, an amateur designer who in his own garden combines a strong ‘sense of place’ with a quite rigid intellectual analysis of the best aspects of garden design.”

— Penelope Hobhouse, garden writer, designer, and historian, Dorset, England

“First and foremost, Frank is a great plantsman. He designs the garden around the plants.”

— Elizabeth Barlow Rogers, president of the Foundation for Landscape Studies and former president of the Central Park Conservancy, New York

 


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Happy Birthday Olmsted!

April 16th, 2012

The new revolutionaries: Landscape architects reinvent urban parks

Frederick Law Olmsted

Name one landscape architect. Any one will do. No, I’m not talking about the guy who does your landscaping — I’m looking for genuine, bona fide landscape architects, the ones who analyze, plan, design, manage, and nurture natural and built environments.

What was that? “Frederick Law Olmsted?” You mean the grandfather of landscape architecture, the man who built Central Park? Good. Now name a landscape architect who hasn’t been dead for more than a hundred years.

Hello? Can you tell me who designed the High Line, the most famous urban park in the country right now? You can’t. That’s what I thought. Well, for future reference, it’s James Corner — but that, right there, is my point:

The present generation of landscape architects is doing truly groundbreaking work, building parks like the High Line in places nobody expects them. If Olmsted is a classical composer of yore, James Corner and his contemporaries are like Lady Gaga. They’re like Bob Dylan plugging in. They’re the electric guitar after years and years of classical music. BUT YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF THESE PEOPLE!

And so, on Olmsted’s 190th birthday (April 26 — prepare your celebratory picnic baskets!), I decided it’s time to show these landscape architects a little love.

But first, allow me to geek out about Olmsted for a quick sec. I can’t help it. I wrote and produced Olmsted and America’s Urban Parks, a documentary about the guy. Plus, to understand the revolutionaries working today, you have to understand where they came from.

Central Park, New York City. (Photo by asterix611.)

People still, after all these years, love Olmsted’s parks. Just check out Central Park on a sunny day. Or Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Or the Emerald Necklace that winds through the neighborhoods of Boston. Or the park systems in Louisville and Buffalo. The man carried out over 500 commissions to design urban parks, parkways, park systems, residential communities, college campuses, government buildings, and country estates. His sons, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. and John Charles Olmsted (who was technically Olmsted’s nephew) designed thousands more, including major city plans for Baltimore and Seattle.

Olmsted landscapes are practically trademarked — rolling hills, open meadows, patches of thick woodlands, wide, winding paths. Olmsted didn’t want you to notice the design — and, unless you’re looking for it, you don’t. The man even hated flowers because they call too much attention to themselves. You’re supposed to lose yourself in Olmsted’s parks — the paths were designed so that you’d never come upon a right angle and have to ask yourself, “Which way?”

The High Line, New York City. (Photo by David Berkowitz.)

Turns out that tired, overworked city dwellers really appreciated this — which is why it’s still hard to find a blanket spot in Sheep Meadow on a Sunday in June. But for all the reverence Olmsted still earns from the public, he set the bar so high that many landscape architects resent him. In an interviewed filmed for the documentary, urban studies expert Withold Rybczynski told us:

It’s a little bit like being a composer right after Mozart or Beethoven. People just want more Mozart or Beethoven. They’re not interested in Joe Smith — you know, they’ve been exposed to something, and they just want more of it … I mean he’s bigger than Mozart, because he doesn’t just do great parks, he also sort of invents the whole profession. It’s as if Mozart invented musical composing, which of course he didn’t.

In a literal sense, landscape architects today can’t live up to Olmsted’s legacy. There just isn’t enough space. When Olmsted and Calvert Vaux built 843-acre Central Park, which starts on 59th Street, they built it on farmland. At the time, Manhattan’s development stopped at 23rd Street. Today, we’re building parks on abandoned, elevated railroad tracks and old brownfield sites, and we have to do more with less — the majority of urban parks built in the last decade are fewer than 15 acres.

But today’s urban parks are changing the way people interact with cities, just as Olmsted’s were.

Citygarden, St. Louis. (Photo by dishfunctional.)

Nobody looks at Citygarden in St. Louis — equal parts sculpture garden, botanic garden, and city park — and comments on how natural it is. Designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects, based in Charlottesville, Va., Citygarden pays homage to the cultural and natural histories of the city in its own way. The 550-foot long arching wall made of locally quarried rock may have been too conspicuous for Olmsted, but it echoes the bends and bluffs of both the Mississippi River and the city’s famed Gateway Arch.

Civic Space park in Phoenix, designed by a team at the Fortune-500 design firm AECOM, has a splash pad and a field of LED-lit columns which come alive nightly in a light show meant to mimic the lightening of an Arizona summer. The park also has a crazy wormhole sculpture suspended in air called Her Secret is Patience. It was designed and built by Janet Echelman of painted, galvanized steel and cables, polyester twine netting, and changing, computer-controlled colored lights. It is meant to make the patterns of the desert winds visible to the human eye.

Civic Space Park, Phoenix. (Photo by RightBrainPhotography.)

The new design for Chicago’s Navy Pier— another project of James Corner Field Operations — has an indoor “crystal garden” with hanging “vegetable pods” straight out of Avatar. The pier, originally designed by Daniel Burnham in 1909, was meant to connect the citizens of Chicago with Lake Michigan. Corner’s floating pool at the end of the pier will do this quite literally.

And suddenly, urban parks are cool again, and not in the way they’ve always been (It’s springtime, let’s have lunch in the park!) but in a way that makes the act of actually designing them look really impressive and hip.

But the more this new guard of landscape architects tries to distance themselves from Olmsted, the more, in the end, they resemble him.

The thing is, Olmsted was creating landscapes in the 19th century, but his work is as relevant today as it ever was. That’s what made him so visionary: He was an innovator who looked ahead. Here’s the future he saw for New York in 1859:

The time will come when New York will be built up, when all the grading and filling will be done, and when the picturesquely-varied, rocky formations of the Island will have been converted into foundations for rows of monotonous straight streets, and piles of erect, angular buildings. There will be no suggestion left of its present varied surface, with the single exception of the Park.

Eschleman’s sculpture in Civic Space Park may not be floating in all its Technicolor glory in the year 2170. But the resourcefulness that today’s crop of landscape architects has inspired will be indispensable in the future, as the amount of open space in cities continues to decline. Then, all the landscape architects will be complaining about James Corner.

 

Article taken from Grist by Rebecca Messner. Rebecca is assistant editor of Urbanite and producer of Olmsted and America’s Urban Parks, a documentary on the great landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Follow her on Twitter at @beccamess.

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2012 Perennial Plant of the Year

February 21st, 2012

Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’, Siberian bugloss

The Perennial Plant Association has named Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’ as the 2012 Perennial Plant of the Year. The Perennial Plant of the Year program helps consumers select plants that perennial industry experts find to be outstanding and easily grown. Each year a perennial is selected that is suitable for a wide range of clinmate types, low maintenance, and exhibits multi-seasonal interest.

Siberian bugloss, brunnera, heartleaf brunnera, and false forget-me-not are common names for this perennial. It grows 12 to 15 inches tall and will spread  to 20 inches. This multi-seasonal selection has blue flowers in the spring and frosty silver leaves with green veins, which provide color throughout the growing season.

Hardiness: USDA Zones 3 to 8

Light: Plants thrive in shade but will tolerate morning sun if soil conditions remain moist.

Soil: This perennial performs best in shady ares with good moisture, retentive soils.

Unique Qualities; From mid to late spring, blue forget-me-not blossoms are held in clusters several inches above the brilliant frosty leaves. Rough leaf texture makes this perennial less palatable to browsing deer.

Uses: Jack Frost brunnera may be used along the front of a shade border, is excellent in a container, or can be combined with other ground cover perennials such as hostas, ferns, and epimediums.

For more information, Perennial Plant Association www.perennialplant.org

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