Time to intermit and ponder on the life and good works of Ladybird Johnson , as describe so very well by theWashington Postin the past workweek . First up is fashion writerRobin Givhan :
She had an appreciation forbeautyand its potential to infuse pridefulness in masses , to ease them and to bring them joyfulness . Her focus was not on the rarefied Earth of museums and philharmonic , but beauty in a far more democratic form : nature .
With her death Wednesday at 94 , much has been said about her dogged determination to see tulips and daffodil brighten the Washington landscape and to coaxwildflowersto bloom along the country ’s highways . Notice that she was entranced by wildflowers , not painstakingly cultivated antique rose or picky orchids . She wonder at the kinds of flowers that often melt into the background signal .
Givhan go on to take a stand herself , urging the fashion industry to strive for pretty clothes that can be worn by any cleaning lady , not just Cameron Diaz . large mind . Never happen .
And I love this tidbit about how Ladybird , who had the misfortune to follow Jackie Kennedy as First Lady , adjusted to the public eye , “ She trimmed down to a sizing 10 , learned to apply flattering make - up , but never managed to keep her stocking fromsaggingat the ankles . ” IknewI care her .
Next , from an appreciation byAnn Gerhart :
She hated the word beautification . It sounded sissified , she always say . She concentre on the health and pathology of the world we inhabit . After bacchanalia combust , she planted Narcissus pseudonarcissus . Yet she bear out her imagination not through garden - club flap but through a flurry of legislation . ”
Garden club fluttering?Speaking as a former garden clubhouse prexy , that hurts . But does it reflect a bias against this traditionally distaff social institution or are garden clubs really still just quiver ( and judge airheaded displays of single flowers in glass jounce ? There you see my own preconception . )
Garden writerAdrian Higginsalso writes that Mrs. Johnson hat the word beautification because it trivialise what she was taste to do .
She help prepare the rhytidoplasty of much of Washington ’s civic spaces through mass plantings of outpouring bulbs and flowering trees and shrubs ; vestiges of that floral blitz linger even as other major U.S. cities today have faroutpaced Washingtonin their commitment to rejuvenation .
So , I at long last see in print the asseveration that our chapiter city is lagging behind other major U.S. cities in get green . I immediately burn down off a message to DC ’s enviro Yahoo mathematical group : “ DC Not Green ? ” asking if masses agree and if so , what can be done ? Just asking .
Higgins also mentioned that the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center in Texas is working with the American Society of Landscape Architects and the U.S. Botanic Garden “ to rise standards and guidelines for certifyingsustainable green landscapesin the same way that building now are certified by the U.S. Green Building Council . ” The program ’s aimed at prominent landscape projects like public parks , highway plantings , and office parking area ; seeSustainable Sitesfor more details . judge from how quickly the Green Building Council ’s LEED military rank for environmental sensitivity are becoming de rigeur for developer , similar standards for landscape gardening could have ahuge impact . We ’ll quell tuned .
But there ’s more big news from the Wildflower Center . They ’re working to get a web - basedcarbon footprint calculatorto help in plan environmentally sustainable landscapes . But get this : Higgins cite a Wildflower Center staff member say , “ We are finding that in many cases [ meadow ] grasses may be more effective in sequestering atomic number 6 than forest . ” So , like the disputation now rearing in the nutrient industry over distances travel , conservatory and oil - based fertilizers , it look like the landscaping world faces some food fights of our own between competing interest group .
Finally , anarticleabout Mrs. Johnson ’s shock on D.C. include lists of park and schools she had a helping hand in improving and made this crucial tip :
In Johnson ’s view , what she was trying to do was much more pregnant than merely making things expect nice . Beautification had to do with combating befoulment , halting urban decay , leave recreational opportunities , attending to citizens’mental healthneeds , developing public transport and addressing the grow crime rate . “
Someone from the non-profit-making grouping Washington Parks & People is quoted :
When she talk about beautification and the environment , she was talking about forgotten born places and leave people . She link up the two . She really was the person who constitute theurban environmental movement .
Was Mrs. Johnson ’s part as an environmental groundbreaker – flop up there with Rachel Carson – widely known before this week ? No matter . Her legacy is now well-defined .
From these stories we start to see the impact this steel magnolia had on the Washington , D.C. domain . For storey of her effective works in Texas , we ’ll have to postulate our Austin readers .
