Upper East Creep...Do not be afraid.

Some questions come around every year that aren't really questions. They're rumours. Maybe competing interests start them, i dunno. Like I imagine the guys who make their living repointing brick started this one. Thats the one that says  allowing Virginia Creeper, or Ivy to grow up a building will cause terrible damage to the integrity of a building structure. While its true some types of Ivy can cause damage, its minimal and more likely to happen DURING the process of removal. Anyhow this is Va Creeper in NYC's upper east side, around 73st and York I think. Do not be afraid! Its grip is actually pretty fragile and definitley isn't doing any harm. In fact in the Fall this will be a wall of mind blowing sunset oranges and red. Then its gone till Spring.

Slick Rick and His Flower Trik

One a my favorite NYC garden moments was in The Village talking to the owner of a 'garden center' down there that looked more like a used furniture store . The guy brought me upstairs to his office to tell me a thing or two about the garden biz when i mentioned I what I did. In the middle of his long winded rant about the ins and outs of being a Gothem green ho'  he leaned in close to me and said..."I got two words for ya ...silk flowers." or something to that effect. He went on to explain how his fake flower landscapes had been a hit with many of the city's municipal localities.  They loved them he said and so did he -no water, no messy soil, and NO ONE is the wiser. I would tell you wear some of these fake landscapes are but he swore me to secrecy .