Growing up in the city my family did a lot of walking . You could probably call us professional pedestrians. The walks we took led us down tree-lined streets and along front yards that were overflowing with flora. Some homes had a few rose bushes or some simple geraniums. Others manicured their tiny lawns, adding tiny decorative trees within their gates, and multi-colored hydrangeas. My mother would always test us on Latin plant names, much to our chagrin. At the end of the day, we were raised…

Growing up in Brooklyn we did a lot of walking . That walking happened on tree-lined streets and along garden-filled blocks. Some homes just had planters of petunias and left it at that. Others manicured their tiny lawns, adding tiny Japanese maples within their gates, and prickling rose bushes that (if we were lucky) would bloom twice or even thrice a year. My mom would quiz us on plant names, and if we were lucky, we'd catch glimpses of exotic plants inside peoples solariums, or make a stop a…