The largest horticultural therapy garden opens

It's hard to make money as an urban farmer...really hard. One entrepreneur in Philadelphia has done just that. Mary Seton Corboy deserves a ton of acclaim and your full attention.

-Community gardens normally are built on public lands, for obvious reasons...building a garden on private lands raises a number of potentially thorny issues. So this guide full of best practices is definitely a handy addition to your virtual book shelf.

-As far as I know the aquaponics certificate offered in the Northern Mariana Islands may be the first of its kind in the world. Maybe it went lightly reported because it's the Northern Mariana Islands and few people know where that is? Congratulations to the inaugural five.

-The largest horticultural therapy garden opened in Chicago last week. At 12,000 square feet it is the biggest in North America by far.

-No doubt you've seen a few crowdsourcing campaigns focusing on aquaponics. Some based on mushrooms, others urban agriculture. How about one that tries to do them all?

The growing population in Australia’s major cities poses a problem for city planners as well as residents seeking to find adequate green space. A rising number of previously desolate urban rooftops are now being put to use as private residential green spaces for relaxation, personal well-being and socialisation.

“There’s no question about the environmental benefits of green roofs but the social benefits are not yet fully explored,” said 360 Degrees landscape architect Daniel Baffsky, who designed the rooftop garden for the M Central building in Pyrmont last year.

“Up on the roof everyone is equal,” said Baffsky, speaking of the social hub he created for the building’s 400 residents which provides a common area for interaction. This provides a huge benefit for urban apartment owners who previously had no place for chance encounters in which they could get to know their neighbours. It also offers a community feel to those living in urban jungles.

Even single family residences are adopting green roofs as an added sanctuary and to reap the environmental benefits. Australian green roof design firm Junglefy says its main market these days is for roof gardens on home extensions.

Nick Williams, University of Melbourne plant ecologist says tough, versatile plants for a rooftop garden are a must so they can survive long periods without being watered and require little maintenance. Plants with a high tolerance to sunlight are also essential.

- See more at: http://sourceable.net/sydney-rooftop-gardens/#sthash.cWmv6RCH.dpuf