Streets Need to Bloom With Flowers
April showers bring May Flowers is the old saying. But sidewalks with pedestrians bring out the flower vendors. This cart in Philadelphia is overflowing and adding substantial interest to the sidewalk.
Florists are also using the sidewalk as additional selling space while adding color and interest to the street life. St. Louis area florists are just now starting to do this.
This market in Philly’s Rittenhouse Square neighborhood is very ordinary except for the interest from its signage and flower display.
Window boxes with overflowing plantings look great on urban residential streets. This example hails from Philly but the city of Cincinnati is using flower boxes as a means of kick starting urban revitalization. But please, no plastic plants.
Come on folks, lets add some more color to the city!
– Steve
Thanks for the links, Steve.
I could not agree more. Flowers just make a place seem welcoming and alive. IMO one of the most beautiful streets in the world is La Rambla in Barcelona. It is filled with flower vendors.
Right here in U City, U City in Bloom (http://dir.gardenweb.com/directory/ucib/) has done a great job of beautifying University City with the labor of dedicated volunteers. Every year, I look forward to seeing the common grounds and various intersections bloom with color.
I also agree. We also need food vendors, news stands, and all of the other vendors. St. Louis will have trouble supporting these types of services in many areas still, but if we can target them in the right areas, and create really lively areas, we may be able to reverse the false image of the city that is burnt into the minds of suburbanites. I am starting to think that many suburbanites take pleasure in seeing the city struggling because they can tell themselves how great they are for not having to live there. The city is starting to come back now, but I know many people who live in the suburbs that refuse to admit it. oh well, gas prices are going to keep going up and suburbanites are going to stop patting themselves on the back and will start kicking themselves in the rear.
Yes! A little splash of color can be such an uplift to the city. Flowers being sold on sidewalks are one of those little “Oh, wow, this street is so great!” things that can make an urban stroll on a pleasant day seem just that much better. I am also reminded of one of my favorite residential spots in East St. Louis–on those couple of blocks, the houses are not in the best repair, but several homeowners have painted them brightly and decorated their yards brightly. One person tied bright blue cloths to the branches of a tree in front of their bright blue home. It really did make the street look exciting, and it made me happy to be there.
After reading this, I have resolved to go purchase a newspaper from a sidewalk stand (across from the Old Post Office, if anyone’s counting) tomorrow during my lunch break. It’s not flowers, exactly, but….
Also,
“I am starting to think that many suburbanites take pleasure in seeing the city struggling because they can tell themselves how great they are for not having to live there.”
I agree. I think besides the element of the other distant place, there’s the element of other distant people in that–oh, those city residents, look at all this trouble they keep getting themselves into, good thing we’re better than that.
Any ideas on what would work in a flower box here? I don’t have a green thumb and need something to withstand the hot St Louis summers… I’ve tried portulaca (aka rose moss) and it looks great until about midsummer upon which it rots. Steve’s last pic looks doable and beautiful!
Geraniums and Petunias do great here in boxes. In a shady area try impatiens or ferns. Herbs always look cool in pots, and they smell great. Run over to bayers on Hampton. They have a large selection of annuals and are reasonably priced. Annuals do best in pots because they mature in one season, while many perennials will not.
We put flower boxes in a window on the front of our house in full sun. A full-sun annual is a must.
But more important is a TON OF WATER. These things dry out so fast that your flowers can die in a day or so if you don’t keep them watered.
We moved to a shady street, and what a difference it makes.
Now we can even grow impatiens…
RB