Walk on the Flower Side

“Over the last several years, residents here have planted lush and vigorous “sidewalk gardens” in the narrow strip of earth along the curb, encouraging passers-by to stop and reflect on the now-softened line between private and public. And in spite of their exposure to car exhaust, winter salt and sand, foot traffic, and unruly dogs, the sidewalk gardens all around Deering Highlands are thriving.”

Just last week the New York Times took up the same subject. (Who says Maine isn’t on the cutting edge of trends?)

Planting the Strip Between Sidewalk and Street

At the end of the article there is a list of recommended plants but I found from the gardeners here in Maine that in spite of the winter salt and sand, foot and dog traffic, just about anything you can grow in your garden will grow in the “hell strip.” Plant away!

From the Garden Conservancy’s website:

Directions:  From south/Peterborough, take Route 101 to Route 202/Route 123 north/Peterborough for about 7 miles to Route 123/Hancock. Go 1.5 miles and turn right onto Fairfield Road. Then go 0.25 mile to end, and park along right side of road. Number 46 is on left.  From north, take Route 9/Route 202 to Hillsborough, then Route 202 towards Peterborough. After Bennington, turn right onto Route 137 into Hancock. At water fountain/stop sign, bear left onto Route 123 towards Peterborough. Go 1 mile to Fairfield Road and turn left. Go 0.25 mile to end to #46. Please park on right side of road.

“This succulent specimen, carved in a pale green striated Afghani onyx, is modeled after the suborder Arminina nudibranch Dermatobranchus, found exclusively in the Western Pacific in deep water around the Island of Vanuatu. The oral veil, or velum, is the only feature that Arminid nudibranchs have in common. Note the suggestion of annulate rhinophores.

This and the other nudibranch sculptures whose images I have been promiscuously promulgating by email will appear in Boston this November in a special exhibit. Along with underwater photographs of the real things by some of the best u/w photographers around, the exhibit will be a part of the award ceremony for the Pinedo Award, a very prestigious event attended by many of the CEO’s of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies. The Pinedo Award is given annually to an individual for achievement in translational oncology. In the world of cancer related medicine, it is one of the highest awards out there. For those of you who might be wondering what the connection is, many nudibranchs are highly toxic, their aposematic coloring serving to warn away predators. Their toxins are the subject of research in the development of drugs to treat cancer and a number of other diseases, so the nudibranch you see just might one day save your life.

Following the Pinedo Award event, the sculptures and photographs will become part of an exhibit that will travel to Science Museums and Aquaria here and abroad. A spotlight will shine on these exquisite creatures, and the exhibit’s unique mix of art and science will seek to add its voice to a critical call for marine conservation and the importance of maintaining biodiversity.”

“We’re artists, gardeners, food lovers, frequent travelers to Italy. A day at home starts in the studio or garden and ends in the kitchen. A day away starts with coffee, sketching, lunch at a carefully selected place, then on to viewing a great work of art, architecture or garden, topping the day with dinner and conversation.”

The gardens at their New Hamshire home are equally beautiful in winter and summer:

March 25 – 1:00 pm – Harrison, ME – Harrison Village Library – Visit the Library Website

April 13 – 6:30 pm – Newburyport, MA – Newburyport Horticultural Club – Newburyport Library -Visit the Library Website

May 17 – 2:00 pm – Freeport, ME – Freeport Community Library – Visit the Library Website

June 3 – 2:00 pm – Rockport, ME – Rockport Garden Club – Visit the Opera House Website

August 19 – 12:00 noon – Brunswick, ME - Harpswell Garden Club – Curtis Memorial Library – Visit the Library Website

October 1 & 2 – Times TBA – Bangor, ME – Bangor Book Festival – Visit the Festival Website

over the next few weeks
i’ll be updating the sharecropper
blog with post-season reflections
on all of the parcels to share
what i learned about urban gardening
in nyc last summer.

there are also tons of photos on flickr
and a documentary about the project by
skye macleod, video producer from  columbia
university’s ed lab.

Sharecropper Video: Part 1

Sharecropper Video: Part 2

Sharecropper Video: Part 3

links can be found at:  www.sharecropperart.org
other works at: www.leahgauthier.com

then sharecropper 2010 comes home
to bloomington, indiana!

“The Wattle fence had decayed and I wanted to build something that would be more lasting. Except for the new pressure treated in-the-ground posts, it is built entirely of wood scraps left from construction that had been languishing in our basement (with no apparent use except as kindling) dregs of old deck paint from various projects, segments of coated wire recycled from the old veggie box surrounds, and scrap chunks of granite.

The granite is to give the weed-wacker something to chop against without chewing away at the posts, and to allow the slats to be spaced up enough from the ground to protect from frost heaves. The inner wire is attached to pounded-in metal fence posts which keep the refuse a few inches away from the wood.

It was a fun project for me…the closest I’ll get to what might be loosely considered “carpentry”!”