Urban Neglect as Opportunity

Cities are full of public spaces that are virtually abandoned, with no one tending to them, caring for them, giving them the love they deserve, taking advantage of the opportunities they offer.

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This is the state of the public boulevard where I’ve planted the Sedges Instead beds. I seem to gravitate towards impossible sites!

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The soil is basically compacted concrete, low in organic matter, and full of tenacious non-native plants that provide little in the way of habitat for pollinators and other beneficial insects.

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The surrounding trees, non-native black locusts, spread like mad, sprouting up everywhere with their thorny protection.

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I’m determined to demonstrate that this boulevard can be brought into some semblance of ecological health and community value! These places call out for tending.

At this site, I am planting native sedges, along with other flowering native plants, with the hope of inspiring others to tend neglected public spaces.