Design

It would be fabulous if the Obamas diverted part of the White House lawn to an organic vegetable garden. Why not, really? Lawns are fine, in moderation, but huge expanses don't make a lot of sense, ecologically or otherwise. Kitchen Gardeners International has been using blogging and internet power to encourage this idea since WAY before our US election in November. And this idea won a non-profit contest for best initiative from OnDayOne.org. And why shouldn't we try to grow more food in the city, as this link suggests? And those of us in rural and suburban areas, with available space, certainly why not?

Tiber River There isn't much green space in the center of Rome, but we were delighted to be able to experience walking around the piazzas and streets without traffic and bustle. Tourists were out in force, but Romans are still on holiday post-Christmas, with many shops closed, and it seemed, many more streets closed to traffic than usual. Perhaps motorcycles and scooters, as well as cars, are actually banned now from pedestrian zones? Or maybe this is just the post-Christmas lull. Our last visit, in 2001, had us escaping the chaos after two days. (We had planned four). Interesting. But, today, the Piazza Navona was filled with a Christmas market, complete with chestnut roasters (Middle Eastern fellows roasting chestnuts from bags delivered in small trucks). Quite pleasant. Rambling was wonderful, without pedestrian-threatening scooters and little traffic. We enjoyed some delicious pizza in Trastevere -- locals were standing in line. There were actually some arugula and eggplant...

I walked through a series of interesting neighborhoods to reach a small nursery in a developing district along N. Mississippi. Some remarkable initiatives for community development (the 'trees' are the entrance to the Rebuilding Center), an excellent parking and all sorts of interesting landscapes were part of the experience. But the nursery, Pistils , turned out to be wonderful -- full of great plants, a charming shop selling all sorts of things, and knowledgeable staff. It was well worth seeking out.

I don't live in a large city, but I'd like us to do more to green the streetscapes and business landscapes. Portland isn't perfect, but their street plantings, "hell strip" plantings (that's the strip between the street and sidewalk), and containers are a big improvement from what I normally see. Of course Portland has the perfect benign climate for container plantings, and tough site plantings. But, this is what I saw in the downtown Pearl District of Portland today, and think about what you could encourage in your community. I know I'll be going home with good ideas about what to try.

An early morning speaker (at the Garden Writers Association conference that I'm attending) pointed out a growing interest in small-scale gardens. I'm not sure that is anything new, but I'm definitely impressed by the intensive gardening practiced in the private gardens on our tours yesterday afternoon. Honeybee on dahlia

As soon as it became light, I was off to walk. I like to get my bearings in a new place, and see how the neighborhoods and cityscapes feel. I MUCH prefer to walk outside (in whatever weather) in preference to indoor gyms. Looping through downtown Portland (very quiet so early) and walking back along the Waterfront Park path was urban, with pockets of streetscape plants. Returning through more of a neighborhood area gave me a different perspective, with restaurants, and coffee houses, and folks stopping on the way to work. I was impressed with a couple of curbside and parking lot plantings near a huge mall -- definitely an encouraging start for the week!

A typical street in Hanoi, Vietnam I empathize with people in cities or in places without much green space - it's not easy to connect with nature without having green space, parks, community gardens, container gardens, or balcony gardens, much less easy access to more 'wild' nature. A peaceful place in central Hanoi In the urban whirl that characterizes Hanoi today, the central lake and its surrounding park provides a bit of a connection to the natural world. It's a traditional park with walking paths and landscape plantings. Closer to home, I remember seeing a woman in Washington, DC last summer waiting for the homeless shelter to open, 'planting' weeds that she'd collected, echoing perhaps a distant memory of planting a garden. I wish I had talked with her about what she remembered. I read a piece a couple of years ago written by a woman who'd had a difficult struggle with illness, and she wrote poignantly of the meaning that being able to be out i...