As you roll down the portage escarpment on Quincy Avenue, you pass a large brick structure with no windows; it is covered with Virginia Creeper. (ahem - I mean the windows are all busted out; they're long gone.) I love this building. I imagine it retrofitted as a place for indoor hydroponic gardens and a food market. Keep going and you’ll cross a new bridge with its requisite tall arching chainlink fence. I imagine planting vines on this so that as you cross the bridge you pass through a green tunnel in the warmer months.

In fact, there are lots of places where a chainlink fence could be aesthetically improved with vines. I have had these thoughts regarding Steelyard Commons and the fence behind it that borders the Towpath Trail. What’s up with trees [1] in the SYC parking lot? Per SYC, whatever happened with this plan? http://superorg.net/proposal.html [2]

The idea of planting vines is not purely aesthetic from my viewpoint. Just to clarify, I think green is better than chainlink any day visually, but more importantly we need more oxygen manufacture and more plants to slow stormwater's rush to our waterways.

If it was me, I would plant the whole parking lot with a massive pergola of vines to slow rainfall, consume CO2 and emit oxygen.  I would prefer to have my car parked under a shady blooming pergola than in the sun most any hot midday in NEO. Haven't you noticed how the spots that have shade are always taken in shopping area parking lots? Not just the ones with dogs awaiting their owner's return.

I have been researching softpath methods for reducing the negative impacts of stormwater.  I have been harping on this for a couple of years and wishing to hear some good news about some small things we can do to improve our water quality and deal with stormwater. This is a small thing that, in addition to the aforementioned, would also help to reduce the heat island effect at SYC. As evidenced at the NACWA [3] Conference here a few months ago, Cleveland seems woefully behind the curve when it comes to LID (Low Impact Development) and softpath methods of stormwater management.

New buildings that are being designed for the rebuilt New Orleans are using wires for vine growing to shade and reduce energy costs in that warm climate. We could learn from that example.

I know Virginia Creeper is native to NEO and also Passion Flower (really showy!). The FWHA lists Trumpet Vine among the natives to use in highway planting. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/rdsduse/oh.htm [4]

Also, Trumpet Vine attracts hummingbirds and other birds with its showy flowers -- something SYC could use. The eastern bank planted in vetch, clover, milkweed and native grasses would be less mower intensive than trying lawn grass there and more butterfly friendly.

This is just a relatively easy to implement suggestion for a bloomin' garden of earthly delights instead of a prison-like enclosure for hikers and cyclists as well as those who have to visit the store's loading areas. I would have been happier if the parking lot (and all the trails in the parks) were using permeable asphalt for instance. My opinion; I’m no professional.

OK. So when I mentioned this to a city and county officials who have titles with the words “planner” and sustainability” in them, they said “Guerilla Gardening…” Maybe they have been out planting vines in the night already. Anyone want to nurture some trumpet vines you see wandering off and popping up in the yard for a green attack on some unsuspecting chainlink fence? Got creeper? How bout some cuttings?

    Virginia Creeper [5]

    Passion Flower [6]

[7]   Trumpet Vine [7]

    Milkweed [8]