Garden inspiration permalink
High-rise Horticulture
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Message 1.Â
Posted by hereisabee (U2342191) on Friday, 10th February 2012
There was inspiration at last night's lecture by James Wong for gardeners in apartment type accomodation, as in Singapore they plant up any communal space with pots of their favourite plants. The advantages of leaving the ground are many, such as cooler air and escape from the possible bite from a cobra. All the same it is a pity he reflected, that most of the plants are imported from Holland even when some have botanical origins in the Malaysia. Roses are popular but only just produce a bloom before sucumbing to the heat, one lady was trying to grow a dandelion which flowered but did not set seed. Chinese plants such as the pomegranate are decorated for good luck, but like us will flower but not fruit. The problem being a tropical climate instead of a sub-tropical one which alows much more diversity. So to do this they have glass-houses and bio-domes with chilled air, a novel thought looking outside at the snow.
The history of the island is equally interesting, discarded to Charles Raffles as a pirate infested swamp, it is now a country in it's own right with the claim as a botanical capital. My head span with vertigo looking a the latest developments in hotel and public buildings, often with their own director on horticulture. Perhaps botanical floristry rather than gardening, however we should admire their innovation and determination to change everything to the colour green?
Here is one of the sci-fi hotels
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Message 2
Posted by marinelilium (U8293024) on Saturday, 11th February 2012
One of my favourite horticultural heroes is Patrick Blanc and the 'greening' of glass atriums and high rise buildings will be lauded by future generations.
His research work is also exciting. Â I am optimistic that cities and towns can revert to the model of the ancient cities and green up.( Just removing excessive advertising, street furniture and signage and planting shrubs and trees instead would have a big impact on the mental health of city dwellers).
A local park  has given a 100yr 'lease'  to a businessman to create a fenced off, fee- supported football facility (it already had four open pitches). This is for the local team to practice on and for fee paying public on other days. It has been placed on an area which had just become established as meadow. The song of crickets and beetles and the diverse flora, meadow pipits etc again marginalised. The "need"  for development on open ground is always given a rationale as providing for human "need" but I suspect human greed is always at the root.
The Olympic park (has at least put sustainability and biodiversity into the development as a KEY issue) will form a new 111 acre park after the Games have long gone. Hosting the games was sold to us a money generating and a national kudos exercise so lets hope the green legacy won't be eroded by future 'need' too.
The Romans, Persians, Greeks, Tudors and Victorians new the value of calm, green open spaces in towns and cities; have our values shifted ?Â
MLx -
Message 3
Posted by hereisabee (U2342191) on Saturday, 11th February 2012
.. and looking on Patrick Blanc's website there is his project Capitaland, 6 Battery Road Singapore.
Yes perhaps vehicles of the future will have all the road signs electronically within the drivers area, perhaps just mini signs for cyclists. That would greatly improve the aesthetics of both urban and rural settlements.
My guess is in the aftermath of the Olympic games, money will be tight and the new park will have a smaller buget. The big problem with bio-diversity is that it is easier to keep grass short, than have a management plan to encourage wild flowers.
Let's not lose sight of the origins of the thread, that of individuals utilising and planting communal areas. It is amusing to think of someone nuturing an dandelion in a tropical county while overhere another is germinating an avocado stone. -
Message 4
Posted by marinelilium (U8293024) on Saturday, 11th February 2012
Guerilla gardeners operate in my town in that the LA posts volunteer events to tackle:-
front gardens of the elderly, gardens of sheltered housing,empty properties, to plant trees, clear Rhodes etc.
They have always been great fun and picnics and bonfires add to the feel good factor. Taking some part in the stewardship of an area builds on civic pride and I also got to know neighbours and other like minded people.
Our LA's biodiversity team are great at involving schools and businesses with projects and a mini beast meadow was planted with the sponsorship of a big local company. Now that's being part of a community ,jobs and enhancing the area with wildlife, not the sterile swathes of manicured lawn. (which was brown for four months of the summer).
Every mickle makes a muckle!
MLx -
Message 5
Posted by hereisabee (U2342191) on Saturday, 11th February 2012
..and you also watched Coutdown on Friday afternoon?
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Message 6
Posted by marinelilium (U8293024) on Saturday, 11th February 2012
I didn't so now I am intrigued as to what I missed. Vertical or guerilla gardening related?
In anticipation
MLx -
Message 7
Posted by hereisabee (U2342191) on Sunday, 12th February 2012
They were struggling with a an awkward selection of letters and the word mickle won the round with Susie Dent finishing with 'every mickle makes a muckle'.
A mickle being a very small unit, I am not familar with the saying so assumed you watched it too. Now when I lived up north, folk would say,
"Where's there's muck there's brass"
Meaning where there is dirt and grime, money is being made like in coal, steel and ship building. -
Message 8
Posted by marinelilium (U8293024) on Sunday, 12th February 2012
Ahhh, noo Ah see. Ma fether, ma gran fether, his fether an arl hees fethers war Scots - so I ken weel wa a mickle is.
The value of each and every garden as wildlife corridors to open spaces matters...every little bit adds up to the wanted amount is the context I was using the phrase for.
MLx -
Message 9
Posted by hereisabee (U2342191) on Sunday, 12th February 2012
Bravo, it has to be said that high rise living is in decline in this country with many of the 60's tower blocks now demolished in favour of smaller dwellings. Possibly Asians have a more communal or introverted outlook on life to give the buildings more quality, perhaps less stringent health and safety interpretation, to enable plants climb along handrails, such as the passionfruit which was illustrated in the talk.
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Message 10
Posted by PenylanSue (U13901201) on Sunday, 12th February 2012
And 'Great oaks from little acorns grow'
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Message 11
Posted by marinelilium (U8293024) on Sunday, 12th February 2012
The true futuristic gardeners were those that planted trees (like oaks from tiny acorns) for future generations and would never see the avenues, arbors, copse and woodlands in their full glory.
Greening the streets again with trees means arguments about leaf litter, pruning maintenance, storm damage and so on but the loveliest streets in London had London Plane avenues like Embankment. Welcome shade in summer.
Is it a myth or did Napoleon have avenues planted for shading troop movements? If so he must have expected an hundred years of war to see them grow!
2000 semi mature trees 'marching' to Olympic Park, and great reed beds too, as a green 'invasion' of London. I'm not sure if that is .... 'and Burnham Wood shall come to Duncenain' or 'rustlings in the Rushes of Runneymede. Either way it is an uprising
MLx -
Message 12
Posted by hereisabee (U2342191) on Monday, 13th February 2012
I read again Macbeth at Xmas, was not Shakespeare and his players really saying that the Scottish throne was of royal blood, not that of usurper. And that lineage was restored to the throne by the king of England. So now that James sits upon the English throne he does so through inherited royalty?
Napoleon certainly has claim to the invention of margarine, which had a longer life than butter for his troops. -
Message 13
Posted by marinelilium (U8293024) on Tuesday, 14th February 2012
I have posted an erroneous message! More than 4000 trees have been planted in the Olympic Park 2000 some of which are semi mature and therefore up to 10 metres tall.
Re high-rise I think all new build in cities should have roof gardens to offset our carbon emissions. Grasslands, even lawns make great carbon sinks. Imagine the satellite image of a city then. It would be a patchwork quilt of mini meadows.
(my children can trace their Scottish ancestors back to 1142 from public record alone) We have two barons in the lineage back then - when just being murderous earned you the "honour" , and the duty, to protect an area on behalf of whoever claimed the land and the throne.
MLx -
Message 14
Posted by hereisabee (U2342191) on Tuesday, 14th February 2012
As you say m'lady.
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Message 15
Posted by marinelilium (U8293024) on Tuesday, 14th February 2012
We have diluted that blood down during the last century to 'an ' orribly 'umble state of affairs thanks!
I have been happily wandering through a virtual tour of the Googled images for urban roof gardens and they can be truly inspirational. High rise horticulture opens up countless acres and countless possibilities.
MLx -
Message 16
Posted by hereisabee (U2342191) on Friday, 23rd March 2012
The lecture series concluded last night with a talk on the planting (noun form of the verb - a gerund) around the Olympic Games Park. All very impressive, take back my comment that the mowers will take over after the games. There was some consternation from the audience on the speaker's enthusiasm for Eremurus 'going the distance', we all know a cold wet winter will reduce these beauties to mush?
A slight irony is, that in order to get the wild flowers to do their stuff for duration of the games, many areas will be mowed in early spring so that the plants have to regrow and consequently flower later.
On your marks, get ready, and mow! -
Message 17
Posted by marinelilium (U8293024) on Friday, 23rd March 2012
I am in 'starting blocks' and champing at the bit to get growing but these fabulous blue skies have meant big changes from day to night temps. Too much hassle to maintain a constant temp or reduce the difference ( too costly being another reason).
The meadow, I mentioned in this thread, wasn't scarified or harrowed last month so it will be interesting to see if the biennials now give a good show in June and July.
The Olympic Park will be a lovely walk throughout the year.
MLx
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