Historic Gardens

Irish Hunger Memorial

Irish Hunger Memorial wall brickwork Photo © Alice Joyce

Not far from Ground Zero, the Battery Park City neighborhood in lower Manhattan has greatly changed in the years since 9/11. I stepped off a shuttle bus at an unexpected stop, catching sight of a poignantly composed green sward. The Irish Hunger Memorial, designed by artist Brian Tolle, with landscape architect Gail Wittwer-Laird among the project’s team, commemorates the famine of the mid-1880s, at the same time, raising awareness for all who face hunger in the world today.

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Landscape Architecture

Jack Chandler Garden Design at Cornerstone

New Garden Space Photo © Alice Joyce

New garden space unveiled at at Cornerstone Sonoma, designed by notable northern California wine country landscape architect, Jack Chandler. You enter the intimate confines of the garden by passing through a rear doorway of the flower and garden shop, Tesoro. Tesoro opened in September, moving from its long-time location in St. Helena. You might select a fresh bouquet of blooms, order flowers for an event, or spend time poring over the carefully selected ornaments and utilitarian objects filling the shelves — imprinted with the brilliant taste of owner and floral designer, Paul Stokey. A haven for shoppers, Tesoro features elements for the home together with outdoor garden items, on view in the crisply modern garden setting.

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Green Roofs/Vertical Gardens

Patrick Blanc: Vertical Gardens Update

Blanc Garden Drew Fall 2011 Photo © Alice Joyce

Since its installation in April, the expansive Drew School vertical garden has filled out beautifully. Gracing the new Sam Cuddeback Assembly Wing with California native species, the garden merited a “Wow… wow!” from its designer, artist/botanist Patrick Blanc, the inventor of the Green Wall as we have come to know it. An exciting revelation in Patrick’s talk: The world-class botanist specializing in tropical flora has had a new plant named for him. Patrick discovered Begonia blancii in Palawan, in the Philippine Islands.

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