Amble and Muse

Getting to Know Wintergreen

Checkerberry. Teaberry. Eastern teaberry. Creeping Wintergreen.

Gaultheria procumbens carries with it many names, including that of 18th century physician Jean-Francois Gaultier (more on that later). What I love most about this short, 3-6" tall plant is how the tough, woody, wiry stem gives way to a horizontal, miniature canopy of three or four leaves. I have always been drawn to Ericaceacous plants, perhaps because they can thrive in sand (and I happen to love the New England coast). These plants are rugged, but if you look closely enough at the right time of year, some will reward you with a velvety, colorful flower.

Wintergreen's pink flower is showy, but tiny. Like that of the huckleberry or the blueberry, wintergreen flowers are silky soft ("waxy") and bell-shaped, emerging at the point at which the leaves meet the stem. Following a summer bloom, bright red berries take the flowers' place. Over the winter, the evergreen leaves slowly change in hue from deep, glossy green to a deep maroon and purple.

Sharing my finds, with the hope that you will share yours as well. 

I. Two Readings

Sharing my finds, with the hope that you will share yours as well. 

I've been behind in my weekly posts, largely because of my own confusion and shock associated with the results of the presidential election. For me, this is not about party affiliation. This is about core values -- my values, the values of my community, the values of the broader populace, and the values expressed by the country's leadership -- and these values are, at the moment, seemingly at odds.

As a designer and an educator, I dedicate my work to improving the relationship between people and the land. I seek to encourage democracy in the design process and in the way we structure and run our businesses and organizations. I explore how our interventions in the built environment affect people. And yet, I think there is more room for advocacy in my own work. How can designers advocate for human rights, for human equality, and for human health? These are my values; how can I integrate them into my design process?

A little over a month ago, the Landscape Architecture Foundation released a new declaration for the field. This document, to which many landscape architecture professionals contributed, commemorates the anniversary of a declaration written in 1966 (signed by Ian McHarg, among others) and sets the stage for contemporary practice. An excerpt from the 2016 declaration states,

"As landscape architects we vow to create places that serve the higher purpose of social and ecological justice for all peoples and all species. We vow to create places that nourish our deepest needs for communion with the natural world and with one another. We vow to serve the health and well-being of all communities. To fulfill these promises, we will work to strengthen and diversify our global capacity as a profession. We will work to cultivate a bold culture of inclusive leadership, advocacy and activism in our ranks."

This week's links (below) share a common theme: how can designers and planners contribute to a more sustainable, equitable, and hospitable world for all?

Sharing my finds, with the hope that you will share yours as well. 

Sharing my finds, with the hope that you will share yours as well. 

Sharing my finds, with the hope that you will share yours as well. 

I. "Professional Identity"