On the Road: Kokobo Plantscapes

From our features editor Jenny Andrews reporting from New York: "Scouting with Michael Madarash of Kokobo Plantscapes led me to several of his chic residential rooftop spaces, but also two community gardens that he designed in Harlem in conjunction with the New York Restoration Project, one sponsored by Target and the other sponsored by Home Depot. The Home Depot space had just officially opened that day (in attendance was Bette Midler, avid spokesperson for NYRP) and balloons still nodded in the breeze at the front gate; the Target garden opened the next day. NYRP rep Elvira Catter-Martinez was just cleaning up after the opening festivities and still welcoming parents and children into the Home Depot space, which features play/learning stations and a miniature Tudor house straight out of a fairytale. The kids were lovin’ it. In the Target garden, which includes seating areas and bright red “umbrellas” styled like modern art, a man had found a quiet corner to read. Wedged between derelict buildings, the NYRP gardens are a welcome green interlude in this very urban area."