In Southern California, where development often eclipses anything regarding good sense,
municipalities are, at the very least, requiring developers to build parks along with the rest.
That SOUNDS great, but virtually all of the new parks, developed, developing, or planned,
are broad stretches of water-gulping flat lawn, dedicated to the expansion of Youth Soccer.
ALL new parks here are soccer fields.
I wish just a few new parks could be rolling ground, filled with groups of trees, and areas
of shrubs and flowers, with benches, where a passer-by could sit, and read, and smell the flowers.
But, noooooooooooooo . . .
You can't play soccer in a flower bed, or under trees.

Jeri

Getting as bad as golf courses.

Around here, it's worse. At least most golf courses have trees!

Actually, there's a strong connection between golf courses and roses, in the U.S.
Some of the greatest of American golf courses were designed by Capt. George C. Thomas,
also the creator of some mighty fine roses.
At the link below, you can click on an arrow to view a short video of Capt. Thomas,
his wife (I think) and some of the roses in his own garden.
Many of you, of course, grow at least one of the Captain's roses: 'Dr. Huey.'
His 1926 Hybrid Musk, 'Bishop Darlington' is one of the healthiest and prettiest roses
in our garden.

Jeri

Here is a link that might be useful: To Video of Capt. Thomas & His Roses

We've grown so darned purposeful and pragmatic. Parks are for sports or for children's playgrounds. Both worthy causes, no doubt, but when was the last large public park set up for beauty? A hundred or more years ago the great urban parks served a multitude of purposes. Think of Central Park in NYC or Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Perhaps it is because land has grown so scarce that we are no longer willing to do this.

Rosefolly

Well-put, Rosefolly.

J--

Yes here it is a "sports park", or nothing--there is no interest in growing, living plants. Soccer/baseball seems to be the only reason people go outside any more. Sad!

It's not just soccer/baseball. It's also walking the dog, and driving to gamble.

Today we were over in Asheville. Along Merriman Avenue there are at least three parks north of downtown. Grass and picnic tables. Nothing in bloom at all. Even with the no spray rose garden within a thorns toss, there're no flowers in the parks, nor interesting evergreens.

And for the daily dose of irony, at a state welcome center two innocent looking old ladies were telling the younger woman answering visitors' questions that they had come up from Biloxi to gamble and how far was it to Cherokee. To me they looked like garden club types (and Biloxi has its own casinos....well at least they and their descendents will know the Cherokee were in these mountains....and that the Cherokee partnered with Harrods to make a casino. )
Wild Kalmia, native hydrageas and introduced Queen Anne's Lace are in full bloom as well as enough chicory to supplement the coffee of all of North America.

Thought this was interesting - America in Bloom, communities making their towns and cities beautiful.

Fairhope Al won third prize in the international Nations in Bloom competition - they recently put in a rose garden/walking trail with 800 roses... I haven't seen it yet, just read about it.

Here is a link that might be useful: America in Bloom

Jeri, you just listed all the reasons I left CA.

Some of the prettiest, blooming "parks" I've seen are the rest stops on the interstates. Certainly not all of them and more so the further east one goes. Lots the them include roses. One in Maine has a whole triangle of Rugosas. Also, many of the highway meridians out here are planted with [wild]flowers and spring bulbs. All of which says something about American lifestyles...

Yes, Cat -- Since we have for years traveled by RV, we've seen LOTS of highway rest stops.
In CA, they're pretty grim. In OTHER states, they're beautiful places in which to pause.
A delightful one in Oregon takes you on a "mini-hike" through a tiny piece of Redwood forest,
floored in ferns.
A quirky one in Arizona is set off by gigantic metal sculptures of road-runners.
And on, and on . . .

Jeri

A delightful one in Oregon takes you on a "mini-hike" through a tiny piece of Redwood forest, floored in ferns.
* * *
This is in Sumallo Grove, a rest area in Manning National Park, BC. Mind you, it's in a big National Park, but there are trails, the Skagit River, and loads of mosquitoes.

{{gwi:293757}}

triple b, you have a nice looking family. beautiful tree too. Gean

yeah, my hubby is good breeding stock. ;O)

On the other hand, I must speak up in California's defense. When we moved here from Pennsylvania almost twenty years ago, we were struck by how gardened this place was. No one back where we came from would ever think of planting ornamentals at the gas station. Yet all the gas stations here have flowers planted. The same is true of all the other public spaces in all the towns in this part of the state (Bay Area). And back east we were lucky if the median strips were mowed once or twice a year. Here they are planted with trees and shrubs. We may have a lack of public parks, but I will say that common public areas are almost always planted and usually maintained. In western Pennsylvania, the best that was ever done was the ubiquitous and boring lawn, lawn, lawn, and the typical was simply weeds.

Rosefolly

Riverside California is known as the 'City of Trees'.

Oddy enough, the city I have always considered a concrete jungle, New York City is trying to get it right. When we visited Joe, we walked around the city, miles and miles :-). There are pocket gardens everywhere, parks geared just toward children, parks that are mostly green grass and foliage plants with fountains, flower gardens overflowing with roses and all types of flowers, and when they redid the riverfront they planted gardens all along the very long walk by the river. Joe and I walked 2 1/2 miles along the river and they have beautiful mixed use parks and gardens along the entire stretch. There were people lying in the sun on a grassy patch surrounded by flowers and napping or reading books, children playing, people walking or riding their bikes,just wonderful and well used spaces. The median on the new road (can't remember the name of it) that runs by the river is full of some type of rose and flowers. We never did figure out which rose it was and I wasn't about to step into that busy road to get a closer look! I was impressed that with the limited amount of land in NYC, gardens and parks still seem to be important and a priority to the powers that be in the city.

Carol

Carol: NYC was building those parks on the Hudson when I moved away - they'd gotten as far as 14th Street. You are right - these green spaces are not only lovely, they are treasured by city residents. The Brooklyn/Queens side of the East River are next, with the city hoping to reclaim a number of old industrial, brownfield sites as parks and green spaces. Something similar is slated for the Anacostia River banks in Washington DC.

I moved to NoVA three years ago and am dismayed by the determination with which my county is clearing trees and asphalting itself over. The cynicism takes my breath away - developers plop down rows of callery pears that they know will die (since no one is required to water them) and a year later, the road is widened and the treelets are cut down. Well, they were only callery pears....

I find myself wondering why two of the country's wealthiest counties (Fairfax and Loudoun in NoVA) can't do the things that two of its most troubled cities are managing to achieve. Maybe all your open space has to be gone before you see how precious it is.

mixed use parks and gardens along the entire stretch. There were people lying in the sun on a grassy patch surrounded by flowers and napping or reading books, children playing, people walking or riding their bikes,just wonderful and well used spaces.

*** AHHH! Now, THAT is what parks should be.
Not all alike. Not all the same size.
but beautiful places of all sorts, for people just to BE.

Jeri

Leslie, that was the other thing. The people in NYC really enjoy and use those spaces and no one vandalizes them, litters, picks the flowers, or abuses those spaces. They seem to respect and appreciate the gardens and parks throughout the city. We would be walking along a city street and a rose would be cascading over a wrought iron fence or someone would have planted a tiny garden in the smallest patch of dirt near the sidewalk. I was so amazed and impressed by the cities efforts and the residents care of those spaces. I'm sure that every area of NY isn't as pristine or well done, but the city leaders seem to be working in that direction. Joe explained to me what that area near the river used to look like! My town should be so conscious of saving green spaces and establishing gardens instead of paving everything in sight.

Carol