What a pleasant surprise it is to find potted plants and perfectly manicured bushes throughout the cities we traveled. That is after you work the knot out of your neck from looking up at all the monstrous buildings. It seems as if there are three uses for land in the urban areas. Roads and buildings are the first two and take up the majority of the space. But the plants have taken what they can get. If an area isn't being used for transportation or taken up by a skyscraper, the area is planted with Petunias, Salvia, Snaps, pansies, along with many others. These areas are usually corners or areas near sidewalks that are well maintained. And the number of these small patches of plants increases around every corner.
Even the roads have plants on them. Potted stands of flowers and bushes run along the edges of the major highways. These stands are connected by drip line which means water automatically flows to the plants. This is safer and easier than using a watering truck or watering crew on the highway.
The medians and strips of land along the highway are used as nursery space. The area on the way into Shanghai from the airport is spectacular. Mass plantings of trees are followed by rows of bushes and then flower beds stretch for what seems like forever. In the United States, we chose to leave the median empty of any plant diversity or attention. However, I seeem to remember the southern US highways being pretty.
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