I made a follow up to a posting about ODOT Vegetative Screening Site Plans relating to the Inner Belt Bridge realneo.us/content/odot-vegetative-screening-site-plans-tremont-west-side-highway-embankment#comment-23230

lmcshane your input from the perspective of one who has done landscape work is so useful. The disadvantages as well as the advantages need to be considered. The golden raintree is beautiful indeed, and if planted on your property where you can mow over the many, many seedlings it produces there is no problem. But what if they are blown on the wind to your neighbor's patio and pots of roses and so  form masses on sidewalks?

I would like to hear from people interested in the herbal underplantings I suggested and in the ideas of plantings that produce food. When I lived in Okinawa, the Okinawans used the land between the fence of the airbases and the roadways to farm. I wouldn't go that far but I thought that since the Amish make ground cherry pie from ground cherries, we could also make use of them. I've read they grow wild in ditches.

I'd like to hear from "birders," since most rugosas produce large hips which the birds appreciate, and the birds may like the thickets the roses make later on. I don't collect the hips for tea myself, just buy rose hip tea at the West Side Market, but I have read that during WWII roses hip tea was used as a source of vitamin C in ration-starved Britain.

Always assuming they knew about it, wouldn't people be interested  in seeing even a short stretch of roadway so planted? If it were more widely done, and I am certainly not against lilac which I love dear, and one man I was talking to brought up the idea of honeysuckle,  a weed to some, a loved plant to others, on slopes, wouldn't it make visiting Tremont more attractive? Wouldn't it give us a certain favorable renown? Or at least a psychological lift.

I suggested that it could be used by schools for botany study. Educators, is that feasible?

dbra thank you for your kind comment. Tell me, what rugosas do you have planted? And do you live at the end of W. 11 where one turns and follows the path of the highway? When I was healthier, my dogs and I would walk  that far and I saw what I thought was a rugosa. I'm glad you agree with me that they are practically carefree. And lavender! I think I left it out, but I plant it also.

When I walk along W. 11th I see many beautiful roses and lovely front gardens. I see them on Scranton from my car, too. There are many gardeners here, but I think many are elderly and don't use the internet. I would like to hear from gardeners that are on the internet, of any age.

And Norm Roulet I was stunned to see my roses as your header with a credit to me and a full photo of the "bouquet" I sent you. Well, you deserved it, being so prompt and helpful. I always try to give credit, as you did, and praise where due, that's to offset all of my "constructive criticisms."