Well, I have returned to active duty here at GGW after a rare and most pleasant summer vacation. I went to New York City with only my point and shoot camera, not expecting any gardens – but I guess my eye can’t help but find flower subjects.
These daisies sprouted up overnight in the neighborhood of Madison Square Park where we stayed. Trucked in to provide mobile wi-fi connections and powered by solar panels built into the back of the petals, they were an instant hit and provided a flower motif on a scale that fit in nicely with New York.
Actually, in planning my trip I did want to see garden exhibits that two of my renowned gardenwriter friends had lined up at local Botanic Gardens. Rosalind Creasy, who coined the term edible landscaping, and whose classic book is about to be re-issued created an heirloom vegetable garden at New York Botanical Gardens. She warned me that the cool June weather had kept it from growing in and I ended up not visiting. But for any of you who can visit now until September 13 it should be worth a special trip.
I did get to the Wicked Plants exhibit Brooklyn Botanic Garden put together by Amy Stewart (our friend at GardenRant) to tie into her very cool, or should we say, wicked new book. It was a swell exhibit, using existing displays in the garden such as this Monocot border and pulling out details from the book that even children can engage with.
In the Shakespeare Garden at BBG we find that yew, a legendarily wicked plant used for poison arrows, also is the wood to make the magic wand of the evil Voldemort of Hatty Potter fame. Well done Amy; and the exhibit continues until September 6.
Other than my non professional visits to these gardens I was fully prepared to take pictures of tourists sites but kept seeing daisies everywhere.
Painted on a schoolyard wall
Behind iron gates
Even graffitti on the streets. This might lead to some sort of philosophical insight to the need to have flowers in our daily lives – but I am just a reporter today and won’t pretend to draw meaning out of street shooting.
The real capper to my daisy awareness was this storefront disply at Broadway and 26th. I was at once horrified and charmed by these little plastic daisies bobbing on their stems. What sort of philosphical message comes from these quite disposable plastic trinkets evoking nature in the midst of an urban commercial district ?
Just maybe we do need to haveflowers in our daily lives. But I must say I am glad to be home to find my own garden with real flowers. All needing attention.
Latest posts by Saxon Holt (see all)
- The Green New Deal - November 19, 2018
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