On "Buffalo Horticulture" and Landscape Design

Native Plant Garden - New York Botanical Garden.

Its a funny life. For all of time, this work, well, until social media, it was just something I did that was hidden away in people's back yards. It was pretty lonely. And even still, I was driving home from Cortland the other day, talking with 'Junior' and he got serious with more for a second, looked at me and said, "I'm just not really sure what it is that you do. Like. What is Buffalo Horticulture exactly?" 

A while later, as Junior napped in the passenger seat, I saw on the right side of the thruway, a slope that had been bulldozed to the appropriate angle of repose and planted entirely with Little Bluestem - Little Bluestem, of course, because it is seen as a native and "natural" - planted on a perfectly angled slope at a bridge cutout, obviously man made...

"Concept drawing for 'Headquarters of the United Nations, NY, 1951." (Citing: "Josef Albers: Life and Work." Charles Darwent. Thames & Hudson, NY 2018. p.239)

"Junior. You see, everyone fetishizes nature, always, so much.
Buffalo Horticulture, ya' see,
Yes, I design, build, and care for landscapes and gardens
But, to me, they are urban
They aren't nature.
I mean - Ecologies, birds, wildlife, green infrastructure,
These are real things we consider
But nature is a different thing. We don't make it.
Soil, plants, concrete, turf grass - these are materials
And when I'm doing my work..."

"Look this up on your phone:
'Josef Albers United Nations window design"

"You see. When I'm working, I'm not looking at that..."
Pointing out to the wetland meadows along side of "The 90" between Leroy and Batavia
"...I'm thinking with images like this one from Albers of a window he designed."

Junior scrolled through his phone.
The window sketch never came up in "Images"
Just endless versions of Albers' "Homeage to the Square."

"Yeah. I mean. That not what I'm talking about, But...
​Yeah. We can look at that one too." 

  

"Homage to the Square (A)" 1950. (Cited: Josef Albers: Life and Work. Charles Darwent. Thames & Hudson. 2018. NY - p.21)