Time for a New Post

A week since my last blog post! Ack! Well, two of those days were spent at the Philadelphia Flower Show. This year was good for the networking and story ideas - but other than that not much new or ground-breaking to report.

The rest of my week has been spent running around for various errands and events - with little home time to clear out my back emails or post to this blog.

Spent today with Judy Tiger of Grow (www.growdc.org) looking at various sites around DC that are applying for grants to do gardens. One of them, a youth detention center in NE, had a stunning inner courtyard. A long, narrow enclosed space that could have been very pedestrian was done with a kind of figure 8 series of curves and beds. Pretty much all shrub plantings - tough, low-maintenance and long-lasting. They are so lucky to have this and the landscape architect did a fantastic job. The science teacher there has applied to fill the planting beds in one end of the courtyard with edibles and herbs as a teaching tool and for student involvement. I'm not sure if this is the best use of this stunning space - corn, peppers, basil, etc. but I appreciate their lack of alternatives and need to use what they have. We also had a conversation with the director about what tools the teens could use to garden with. What an interesting problem: how to garden with nothing pointed, sharp, metal, or heavy. Gloved hands make great digging tools and I suppose will have to do - looks like plastic spoons may be one of their only other options. Makes it almost primitive and certainly more in touch with the basic growing principles. However, I know few gardeners who would be willing to give up their favorite tools! For myself, it is a good pair of hand-pruners and my trusty little trowel that never leave my hands as I work my way around my garden. Since we've been blessed with unbelievable gorgeous weather this weekend that is where you'll find me...