If you are like me, you love autumn.  The dramatic change to the landscape is inspiring. Where greens and purples abound, yellows and oranges appear.  In thinking about your yard or garden, the question is how do you capture the beauty of fall? 
 
A great way to embrace autumn is to use forbs and grasses that pop with life in the later months of the year.  One genus of plant that really encapsulates the body of September and October is Solidago. Its common name is Goldenrod and it is everywhere this time of year.  It loves full sun to full shade, wet to dry soil.  You have likely seen it in bloom but didn’t realize it.  It grows in open fields along the road as well as deep within forests.  This past weekend, I found it painting a meadow yellow in Allentown, NJ as well as dotting the woodlands of South Mountain Reservation. 

​It is native to all of North America with specific species adapted to more northern and southern climates.  It also comes in a variety of heights.  For example, the S. ohioensis is the tallest versions of the plant topping out at 40 inches while S. x ‘Little Lemon’ is a shorter option only reaching about 12 inches in height.  Other options include S. rugosa ‘Fireworks’, S. shortii ‘Solar Cascade’ and S. sphacelata ‘Golden Fleece’.  All of these have different heights and spreads and other unique attributes. 
 
In designing your yard to capture the autumn beauty, it’s important to think how you want to use the flower. Do you need it to be a dynamic filler or more of a seasonal interest plant?  Are you trying to use it functionally with a rain garden, or is to for privacy? 
 
Goldenrod does have a wild side.  It doesn’t grow straight up like a grass, though it does enjoy standing tall.  It’s often top-heavy so it will lean toward the sunlight when it can.  If planted in mass, you can define a border with its color, and it can make for naturalized privacy for the late season.  You can also think about combining Goldenrod with other natives such as Lindera benzoin (spicebush).  As the spicebush’s leaves change into their fall colors, the Goldenrod can magnify its spectacular presence. It can also be planted near or intermingled with Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flowers) to highlight the contrast of the L. cardinalis red flowers to the yellow blooms of the Solidago.

​Solidago is edible.  You can make tea from the flowers and leaves.  In fact, its tea was once known as “Liberty Tea” because it was widely used as an alternative to regular tea after the Boston Tea Party of 1773.  It was so popular that China imported it. There are many medical uses for the plant too and has a history of addressing digestive and urinary problems, wounds, ulcers, and cancers.  However, check with your doctor, herbiest or medical professional before you use or consume it.  
 
Solidago is good for rain gardens to help manage rainwater.  It, along with species mentioned above (L. benzoin and L. cardinalis) tolerates inundated conditions of up to six inches of water.  These types of plants are critical for the functionality of the wet zone of your rain garden.  If you have the room in your rain garden, you can add black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa) and/or elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) with the Solidago and spicebush.  All of these plants are edible and you will literally have a wild edible oasis that doubles as a stormwater management device.  Your rain garden won’t just be food for you.  It is a hugely important late-season food source for beneficial insects.  Bees depend on Solidago heavily as other plants go dormant and nectar is in short supply.  Its nectar attracts butterflies as they get set to migrate south for the winter. Other regular visitors include pirate bugs, solider beetles, and hoverflies - all of which are natural pest controls for slugs, snails and aphids.

​By designing the right balance and texture with Solidago, you grab a piece of autumn for your very own.  The combination of complimentary plants make it even more value to you and nature.   In the end, you get a beautiful, sustainable yard as well as a thriving micro-ecosystem that you can feel good about all year long. 

​This past Friday (Sept 16, 2016) was Park(ing) Day, and South Orange joined hundreds of other towns around the world in transforming asphalt into green space for the day.  The action is simple – take a parking space or two that is normally reserved for cars and turn them mini-parks for the day.  Why?  Because it shows just how valuable and easy it is to have small pieces of nature within an urban landscape. Once the mini-park is installed, all you have to do is have fun! 
 
For us, it was perfect weather for Park(ing) Day.  It wasn’t too hot or too cold…and it wasn’t too sunny or too cloudy.  The actual construction of the mini-park (also known as a parklet) started at 9:30am and only took about an hour and half once we had all the ingredients at the site.  However, getting all the materials together that morning started around 6am…and the planning to make the parklet a reality took nearly six months. 
 
First Timers
This was the first time South Orange participated in Park(ing) Day though it has been actively happening annually since 2005.  Our parklet was pretty straightforward.  We rolled sod out onto two parking spaces directly in front of Tito’s Burritos and Wings on W South Orange Ave in the downtown area of South Orange.  We had twenty native plants and one beautiful river birch to decorate the area.  Eventage, a local business, loaned us outdoor furniture and one of the town’s trustees pitched in by bringing a big red umbrella to the site. 

​All in all, we laid out 700 square feet of super healthy tall fescue sod.  It covered two parking spaces as well as some of the sidewalk.  The simple act of putting grass were people typically see asphalt was magic.  Pedestrians, at first, wasn’t sure if they should step on the grass or walk around it.  Cars passing by stared at the green turf as if it was a unicorn with wings.  Even as we started to roll out the grass, one of the volunteers helping us said to me, “I don’t know about this….”  Oy!
 
By the time the sod was nearly finished, that same volunteer was raving about just how awesome it was and that the act of transforming a small corner of South Orange had a huge positive impact.  That’s the thing about green space and our typical surroundings, we don’t always know and can’t visualize how a small change can redefine a place.  Small changes are sometime the biggest challenges, because the inertia to “not change” is as great for little steps as larger ones.  The time commitment to accomplish a tiny move forward is as much as jumping far ahead.  All of this adds up to more risk for less reward, and who wants to put in so much work for a bit of success?  That’s the beauty of Park(ing) Day, it offers people a reason to do a small effort for one day as a part of a larger movement to show real results.  Small successes have a tendency to grow in momentum. People like to see things accomplished.  I feel like our parklet was a big success even if it was for only two parking spaces for a short period of time.   

​Transformation, Not Traffic 
As we planned the parklet, one of the big concerns was that we were going to put it on South Orange Ave.  The throughway is notoriously busy with traffic and cars speeding down it.  As a highway, it stretches from Newark all the way west to Morristown.  I’ve heard lots of people express that it doesn’t feel safe, and that traffic calming measures should be taken.
 
I hung out at the parklet the entire day of Park(ing) Day and it’s amazing how it almost made the traffic seem non-existent.   Not only that, the parking spaces we turned into a grassy mini-park are less than 50 yards from an overpass for the NJ Transit commuter trains.  During weekdays, multiple trains race by every hour.  I only noticed the train once throughout the day. It wasn’t that the sod and native plants somehow dampened the sound of the cars or trains.  It was that the atmosphere of the mini-park turns your focus away from the noisy infrastructure that surrounded us. 

​Kids would stop by the parklet and feel compelled to roll around in the grass.  We even had a bunch of folks do push-ups together for the 22 push-ups for 22 days for Veteran’s Awareness on PTSD.  People were visiting the parklet throughout the entire day, so new conversations were launched every few minutes or so.  I met a ton of people last Friday.  We all talked about how much we love living in South Orange and how the community is the most valuable asset of the town.  The beauty of the parklet was that it shows that we enjoy and need somewhere to slowdown and see other people.   
 
How it Happened
I can’t say enough about how many people helped make the parklet happen.  From volunteers to setup the day of to people being supportive about the idea to the partnerships made with local businesses and folks in the local government, everyone made it possible.  The South Orange Environmental Commission is where it all started.  The commission’s support of the idea was what got everything kicked off.  Also, people like Walter Clarke, Jim McGowan, Matt Glass, Bob Zuckerman and Patricia Canning all gave something to turn the idea into a reality.  Tito’s Burritos and Wings and Mike Caldarella were a huge help by sponsoring of the event.  As I mentioned, to get the sod on the ground took about 6 months of planning.  We had to talk to multiple town departments and staff around permits and requirements.  We had to get the ok from Essex County to occupy part of the road and sidewalk.  We had to raise some money to buy all the sod and plants and tree.  All of this took lots of talking and moving forward in little bity tiny steps.  I wasn’t sure we’d make it happen at points. 

​Next Year is Afoot
Success breeds success. We are already talking about next year and how we can give parklets a bigger presence in the downtown area.  South Orange is a dynamic, growing community of passionate individuals and families.  We all want the spirit of places like New York City to live here too.  We all want to see amazing things happening around every corner.  With this inaugural Park(ing) Day in South Orange being a big success, I’m hoping to make the town more sustainable and fun all at the same time for years to come. 

​Parki(ng) Day is quickly approaching, and we are getting last minute arrangements together for the day.
 
Most Importantly
Right now, according to weather.com and accuweater.com, it looks like Sept 16 is going to be perfect weather for Park(ing) Day in South Orange.  Come out for 10 minutes or all day!  We're going to be celebrating outdoor living at the parklet!
 
Fun Stuff
We are also getting together a few super awesome events for the day.  Right now, the AMEN FB Group is partnering with us for a happy hour-ish event at 8pm!  Should be lots of fun hanging out on the green with folks.
 
At 12:30pm, we are getting together anyone that wants to do a group video for the Push-Up Challenge for Veteran's Awareness at the parklet.  The Push-Up Challenge is 22 push-ups for 22 days to keep people aware that 22 veterans commit suicide everyday (on average).  We want to show our support that we are not alone and help is within reach!  Check out my video doing push-ups and a few other folks I know also taking the challenge.

You can check out my most recent push-up video here.

​Directly after the group video, we are getting lunch at Tito's Burritos and Wings in South Orange, one of the partners that is making Park(ing) Day in South Orange 2016 happen!  Come hangout and get some great eats with us.
 
And Now the Work Stuff
We will need some volunteers to help setup the parklet the morning of Sept. 16th.  We are planning to start the setup at 9am sharp and to be finished by 11am. Come help us roll out the green sod carpet for Park(ing) Day!  If you need more info about volunteering, please hit me on email or by message.
 
If you want to help with building some of the awesome-designed-seating for the parklet, we will be doing that this weekend and next week.  Defintitely hit me on email or by message about that.  It’s BYOD (Bring Your Own Drill) for that party! Definitely hit me on email or by message if you are interested!  
 
All the Other Stuff
Where: 6 West South Orange Ave, South Orange, NJ
Date: September 16, 2016
Time: 9am until 11pm
 
Event Schedule for Park(ing) Day in South Orange 2016
9:00am: Setup Starts (volunteers are welcomed!)
11:00am: Setup is a Wrap (hopefully!)
12:30: Group Video at parklet for Veteran's Awareness Push-Up Challenge (come if you are doing the challenge or want to start it.)
1:00pm: Lunch w/ South Orange's Environmental Commission
8:00pm: Party on the Green, Happy Hour with the AMEN FB GROUP
 
 

Once a year, (all around the world) artists, activists, designers and regular folks come together to show how little actions can have big impacts on our daily life.   The event is called Park(ing) Day and it’s been happening since 2005.  It started in San Francisco, but is now a global phenomenon.  The goal is kinda simple…for one day, or even a couple of hours, people takeover parking spaces and turn them into mini-parks.  This year, South Orange is joining the party!
 
With the help of lots and lots of people, we will be taking over two parking spaces in front of Tito’s Burritos on South Orange Ave in South Orange, NJ this year.  The installation of our mini-parks (often called parklets) will start around 9am and should be open for business…or actually, relaxing, non-business by 11am on Sept 16th, 2016.  We are doing on that date because nearly 1000 other towns will be doing the same thing on that day as part of Park(ing) Day.  It’s really exciting to have the chance to create a gathering spot in a part of South Orange that would really benefit from a little green space.  It’s also really exciting to transform an area that’s usually super car-centric into outdoor space for people.
 
Success is a Process
I tried to build a parklet in South Orange last year for Park(ing) Day, but we didn’t have enough time to make it happen. Last year, I gave myself 2 weeks to pull everything together…and that’s just not enough time.  So this year, I started in April to give myself plenty of time.
 
There’s lots of people I had to talk to and lots of authorities I had to get permission to do it.  Plus, there was the design for the parklet, raising a little money to buy stuff for the design and finding the best partners to get everybody to know it is happening.
 
The original design was a little ambitious and was a little too expensive.  Below are some renderings I made of it. 

​The Team
Now, however, a full team of community members, local businesses and orgs are making Park(ing) Day a reality this year. The parklet is officially a South Orange Environmental Commission event.  My company, chambersdesign, along with Tito’s Burritos are local business partners.  South Orange Village Center Alliance is helping spread the word, and of course, this wouldn’t be possible without the blessing of the South Orange Parking Authority.  We are hooking on with The Maplewood/South Orange Advertising, Media, Entertainment Network (AMEN) to have a happy hour (or something like a happy hour) at the parklet the evening of Park(ing) Day. 
 
The Specifics
We will be taking over 2 parking spaces in front of Tito’s Burritos at 6 W. South Orange Ave, in South Orange, NJ on Sept 16, 2016.  The parklet should be fully installed by 11am that morning and will be the “IT” place to be the entire day.  The parklet will have seating as well as grass for you to hang out and see how a little bit of green space would transform the feel and community of South Orange. 
 
Plans are still being developed for the evening activities.  I’ll be updating everyone about the happenings and going-ons as they are solidified.  
 
If you are interested in volunteering to help install the parklet, want more info before I get around to blogging about it, or want to donate to the cause, feel free to email me at neil (at) chambersdesign (dot) net, or go to the contact page of this website. 
 
I’ll post images of the final parklet design as they are completed.