​Our yards can be wonderlands of discovery for kids.  They can be a world of natural beauty too.  So often though, the landscape around our houses is void of life and is setup to fight against learning and play.  The great thing is that it doesn’t have to be that way.  We have real opportunities to introduce our kids to nature right outside of our front doors.

​I thought it was time to do a little update about my project with South Mountain Annex in South Orange, NJ.  The whole thing started when I helped get an outdoor classroom created for the school.  After that, several of the parents at the school and I started talking about how to really reimagine the space and address some of the challenges on the grounds.  I suggested we do a master plan for the property to create a concept and look at options for what could be created.  After that, we could narrow-in on ideas that were exciting for installation. 

​We think of plants by what we see, but flowers and leaves…stems and seedheads are actually the expression of what we don’t see – roots. A few days ago, I found the diagram shown below that compares root systems of native plants in comparison to turf grass.  It was wildly exciting to find, because in a simple, straightforward way, the diagram makes obvious several things that are always hidden…i.e., roots.