Boston Herald writer Jennifer Athas on row house gardens in Boston's South End: "Boston’s South End is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the largest Victorian brick row house district in the United States, but today the neighborhood is home to many fine restaurants, a thriving arts community, and dozens of beautiful open spaces. Several South End homes feature garden spaces that would make almost any home buyer’s thumb turn green. 'A 42-by-20-foot garden space is ideal for entertaining and growing flowers or herbs,' said Jackie Jaeger of Sprogis & Neale Real Estate. 'With pine trees, maple trees, cherry blossom trees and lilacs, a small back yard can be an oasis in the city,' said Jennifer Gelfand of Keller Williams Realty. One way to see some of these open spaces and a variety of private and public gardens is the annual self-guided tour. The tour features everything from pint-sized patio spaces to rooftop terraces to neighborhood parks and Land Trust community gardens. The tour is the major fund-raiser for the South End/Lower Roxbury Open Space Land Trust, which owns and manages 16 community gardens serving over five hundred families or individuals." Full article here.
And in case you were wondering, things are pretty much the same in Canada, according to Suzanne Wintrob: "After living in an apartment for three years, Regina Schafer of Waterloo, Ontario couldn't wait to move into a house with a lush garden. But when she found the perfect three-bedroom row house last year, she had to settle for a back garden featuring nothing but grass and a rhubarb patch. Schafer called on landscape designer Carson Arthur of HGTV fame for advice. Together they drew up a low-maintenance plan featuring shrubs and perennials that produce blooms and colour throughout the year. Now, with the garden making its first summer debut, Schafer's says her job is simply to weed and enjoy the show." Full article here. (Photo credit: Chitose Suzuki.)