apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

What a beatiful opening photo....so soothing for the eyes.

Kristin, do you have a photo of the grass chair you can post?

the grass chair is in the slide show
LOVE that wall made of windowboxes . . .

Thanks Guido. (don't know why I didn't see the link to the slideshow)

The closing photo in the slideshow looks heavenly.

that top photo is so yummy! Keep in mind that the entire country of France is taxed in order to fund the divine gardens of Paris, full of ever-changing annuals and perfectly pruned trees, while here in the US, landscape architects regularly have to deal with ridiculously small construction budgets and the expectation of $0 maintenance "budgets."

Thanks for sharing Kristin.
I want to lay on the grass, take a shower then sit in the big chair!

Inspiring! Gorgeous shots, wish I was there.

Love Paris!!!! Love this post!!!!

Just another observation on how different things are here in Europe -- in our little commune (Swiss term for a municipality or community), they change the flowers in the all planters and beds each season (at least once).

They dug out the pansies and spring flowers three weeks ago, and have been putting in increasingly elaborate plantings of summer flowers ever since. We now have a big (3' high by 4' long) flowered bee with a honey pot (made of plants too) spilling honey (i.e., yellow flowers) into one of the beds. It has our 4 year-old in stitches every time we go past it. Yesterday, while the workers were adding flowers to the beds in our neighborhood park, they gave her a pot of her favourite flower to plant.

The loveliest thing though, is how open grassy spaces (and lawns) are dealt with. Mostly, they are planted with meadow flowers and grasses, and might be mowed once a season (or not). I can't tell you how lovely it is to have tall nodding grasses arching and swinging by the side of the road -- how graceful and beautiful -- instead of the awful chemical-soaked excuse for green lawn everywhere in North America. Sure, our lawn here has a few dandelion, but they are not taking over (and no one that we know here uses chemicals -- not like our street back home!). Lawns here are not kept as short as lawns back home. There are the tiniest white flowers, like miniature daisies, that take over our lawn -- they come back immediately after it is cut.

Why can't we deal with green spaces the same way in North America?

thank you kristin... magnificent!

in defense of North America . . .
they change the plants seasonally around Grand Army Plaza, the entrance to the park, and other locations in NYC. In the park itself, huge sections are growing back to their original wooded native beauty. The outdoor spaces of the Botanic Gardens are fabulous here!
Most of the above is done with private $$, and it's not Paris, but it's not a pesticide-soaked mine field either.

Guido -

New York as a city is a world leader in many senses, no less so for lanscape architecture! NY is able to generate public dollars for such enlightened efforts; the creativity and effort in NY cannot be compared with the average-sized city in the U.S. or Canada.

I was speaking of my hometown, and others like it, which constitute the vast majority of North American communities. While there are many exceptions, the rule in most cities is not to spend money on lanscaping, and not to ban the use of herbicides. (the motion was narrowly defeated by our city council just last year) In my neighborhood, which is on well and septic, almost everyone uses lawn chemicals -- a single dandelion is considered a threat to property values. Highway and roadside easements are sprayed for weeds, and planters are done only once a year, and only in key locations.

The contrast with what I see here in Switzerland, in a modest-sized city (no a capital), is marked. My wish is that we would apply some of their practices back home.

I love the garden, but what I especially wish is that our city hall (in Boston) looked anything like the one in Paris!

At the risk of sour grapes-ing (it is truly lovely), a garden of ever-changing annuals isn't necessarily the most earth-friendly. While I agree that more attention needs to landscaping (and would pay for it), I'd like to see emphasis shifted to more perennials and local annuals - which are not going to look quite as divine year round. The wildflower meadow is a lovely idea.

I really wish that in my area, they'd have less lawn and more plants, especially in the areas that they really don't intend for people to walk on. (I call them dog s*** runs). If they don't want people to walk on it, why not put bigger plants or shrubs? We're subtropical and have absolutely stunning choices - gingers, sago cycads, giant philodendrons, azaleas... why do people insist on so much grass?

I agree with the grass comment--I live in southern Arizona, and seeing lawns maintained in front of an apartment building or strip mall which will never be used drives me nuts. Xeriscaping is beautiful, besides. We even have a community here that mandates homeowners maintain a lawn and pine trees!

awesome kristin! just wanted to share some pictures i have from there last year:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachelmoon/tags/lhoteldeville/