Just a week after our big snowstorm …
Tag Archives: flora and fauna
MA 42 – Parks and gardens
15 AugI’m still not going to do a proper post on this “Magistratsabteilung” but I did want to give an example of their work. Someone chooses a mixture of flowers that is then planted in all the public places. This photo was taken at a traffic triangle near me. When they put these flowers in I was skeptical that they would amount to anything. Now that the plants have grown and filled in, though, I think it is a most successful combination.
This season’s choice
More things growing in Vienna
25 JulWhether by accident or design there are squash plants growing in some concrete planters not far from the communal gardens. I was very tempted to pick the blossoms and make stuffed squash blossoms but (a) I don’t know how 😉 and (b) I’d rather see what happens with them. The photo below is at least a week old. They have grown considerably since then. (We’ve had quite a bit of rain.)
squash plants in the city
Things growing in Vienna
30 JunIn addition to the wonderful things planted and maintained by the MA 42 (Magistratsabteilung 42 – The municipal parks and gardens services), which does such a good job they deserve a post devoted entirely to their work, there are a number of other things growing in Vienna. This spring I became aware of some communal gardens near the university campus, where dedicated amateur gardeners are growing vegetables and some flowers. It’s a wonderful idea and terrific use of land that was otherwise just being wasted. Here is a photo to show what great results they have already gotten, where the growing season has really just started.
Communal gardens
Not far from there on a traffic circle, beautifully planted in yellow and purple by the park and gardens services, is a sunflower that was planted by an anonymous beautifier:
How do I know that it didn’t plant itself? Because it has a sign:
The sign says: Please water me. THANK YOU! Your Alsergrund “Grätzl*”-Sunflower.
* The word “Grätzl” also deserves its own post, it has so many associations. Short version: It is Viennese dialect and refers to one’s neighborhood.
Sunday morning in Vienna
27 MayI must confess that Sunday morning is my favorite time in Vienna, especially when the weather is the way it is today–bright, cool, and clear. The streets and parks are empty (except for the dogs and their people) and usually clear of trash thanks to the untiring efforts of the city workers , the air is fresh (no traffic), and it is blissfully quiet except, this morning, for ecstatic birdsong. There is an exquisite sense of having enough time, peace, well-being, and surrounding beauty to work out life’s knottier problems–with fresh rolls to take home for breakfast as your reward.
The Linden Trees (or “lime trees” if you’re British)
24 MayHard for me to imagine that almost a year has gone by since I started this blog. What reminded me was that the linden trees are in blossom again, smelling as sweet as ever, especially in our suddenly muggy weather. No wonder poems were written and songs composed about them!
Elderflowers
15 MayJust a quick post to announce that the elderflowers (Holunderblüten) are in bloom in Vienna.
This may not sound very exciting to you, but it they are beautiful, smell sweet, and are used to make a syrup for a really tasty soft drink special to Austria. 🙂
ecbinvienna 