Meeting a client for a lecture on landscape architecture at the Arts Club provided a moment to check out the annual plantings along Michigan Ave. The Magnificent Mile has been transformed during recent years into an annual showcase. This wonderful sea-change began when Doug Hoerr, LA, first initiated parkway plantings for his client: Crate & Barrel. Other merchants followed suite and now we benefit from the competition. I love the effort but have mixed feelings about the results. The intent is to draw in more tourists so they will spend more dollars (my husband and I were discussing a time in the not-so-distant past when tourists did other things besides shop, and Disney and Nike stores weren't yet considered cultural destinations). To this end, it appears that there is no limit on what will be planted. The creativity thrills me, but, in my Midwest Ecological Landscaping Association (MELA) hat I am sometimes challenged but the lack of sustainability. Not that an annual planting would speak to that category, but I think there are better choices. This summer, I was heartened to see a combination featuring one of our native sedges, Palm (Carex muskingumensis). On the other hand, despite its aesthetic appeal, moss is not a good choice for our area. So, I worry that local gardeners will try to mimic the effect. On the east or NW coast where the soils are more acidic, Martha Stewart may be able to coax them with buttermilk, but in the harsh, high alkaline environment of Chicago one has to go to extreme measures to keep mosses going and it's rarely through winter. That being said, fun & fashionable sculpture from the Art Institute of Chicago School inhabits and enlivens these plantings making them a worthy destination.
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