Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Showing Off DC's Gardens

The GWA-DC Regional Meeting yesterday was a hit! Sold-out (actually oversold!) - which made for a full-to-the-brim bus load and meeting rooms. Hey, I'm not going to complain about success! Even the weather cooperated - keeping us overcast and hazy for nice photo ops until the full blazing sun burnt through by the afternoon.

The USBG and ASLA were terrific hosts. Pictured here is Holly Shimizu addressing our group in the National Garden. (NMAI in the background). Ed Snodgrass spoke on green roofs and had the room enthralled with this "hot" garden topic. No chance I can install one on my steeply angled Cape Cod house, though my more gently angled gazebo roof may be a likely candidate -- though being under the full shade of tall oaks may prevent that project.

One of the highlights and surprises of the day to me was at the tiny Folger Shakespeare Library knot garden. Our speaker, Frances M. Owens, was allotted a mere 30 minutes, but I could've listened to her all day long. What a difference enthusiasm and a love for learning make. It was the end of a long day and it could've been a really boring, dry subject. She made herbal uses of the 1500s fascinating. I'm definitely going back to interview her and pick her brains at a later date. She is an English instructor at the United States Senate Page School. Would've loved to have her as a teacher!

We had a last-minute schedule addition - a stop at the rain garden on H&9th Streets NW (I'm still digging to find the details behind who planned, paid for, and installed it). I think it was well worth it - if you are into taking urban concrete back and greening up the core city.

Since there is no official evaluation form for this event, I'd like to ask anyone reading this who attended yesterday's event to please post their feedback here in the comments field.

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