| Parking lot to sprout at Phipps
Regular visitors to Oakland might be shocked to find something unusual on the front lawn of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens this summer: parked cars. In order to accommodate visitors who struggle to find parking in Oakland, Phipps has begun construction on a 100-space "green overflow" parking area on its Schenley Park campus. To be used only as needed -- primarily weekends, during such marquee shows as the upcoming exhibit of celebrated glass artist Dale Chihuly -- the lot will be constructed of high-strength plastic blocks with an open-cell design that allows grass to grow through and over them. Phipps officials say the "geoblocks," designed by Alcoa from recycled materials, are practically invisible. No lines will be painted on the grass, and the lawn will look as it did before work began last week.
If the earth were a TV soap opera the show would of course have to ...
And that, in many ways, describes the history of Earth Day, a melodrama that, after 37 years, keeps on revolving with essentially the same plot, driven by cliff-hangers, villains, heroes, and a beautiful but fragile Mother Earth tied to the proverbial railroad tracks. When former Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson gave birth to the idea it took seven years of incubation before he could hatch the first Earth Day in his Washington office. That long gestation was primarily a product of political ignorance and indifference. The estimated 20 million people who participated in the inaugural 1970 event apparently knew what legions of elected officials did not: the Earth had been poisoned, polluted, paved and populated to a dangerous degree. Eight years earlier, Rachel Carson's seminal environmental treatise, "Silent Spring," which detailed the dangers of indiscriminate pesticide use, was published to a similar wave of political indifference and corporate hostility.
Gardening: Going back to its roots
Theres something nostalgic going on in the garden. For generations people have worked the earth. Now that its spring, as sure as the shining sun, gardeners will grab their gloves and spades and head outside in the coming months.
Fort Collins is filled with plant savvy people, garden lovers and plant lovers, said Robyn Dolgin, horticulture program coordinator at The Gardens on Spring Creek. The Gardens on Spring Creek is a botanic garden operated by the city of Fort Collins and focused on the community.
Theres something familiar, yet fresh, pure and gratifying when it comes to gardening. And this year, its all about going back to the roots, origins and natural methods.
Dolgin said there is a renewed interest in heirloom plants.
The flavor of heirloom vegetables can be incredibly delicious and incomparable, Dolgin, 51, said....
Organic gardening tips offered at Wilton library
WILTON Imagine a lawn without chemicals. It may seem impossible to those who call the landscaper four times a year, but speakers and presenters at the Wilton Library's environmental symposium Tuesday night tried to show the way. "If you tell your landscaper to stop using chemicals on your lawn, they have no idea what to do because it's so ingrained and entrenched," Christy Pennoyer, a development manager for the Greenwich Audubon, said.
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