Hey everyone! It’s Rob here. As Michelle promised, here’s my inaugural Gardeny Goodness post. I expect that many of my future contributions to the Daily Dose blog will focus on the bones of gardens—structures, hardscaping, and the like—but I do love plants almost as much as Michelle, so we’ll see what happens.

So last weekend a friend and I spent a day pedaling around the wonderful bicycle trails that span just about every inch of riverfront in Pittsburgh, PA. We covered about 16 miles through everything from repurposed industrial sites and shipping ports to rejuvenated historic neighborhoods and hidden urban wildernesses.

I’d say what I enjoyed most about our trip were the beautification efforts we found at almost every turn. Some were grand civic ventures with sprawling terraces and inviting water features, but many were intimate personal projects where private spaces happened to border on the public trail. I’m going to share a few of my favorite spots here with you today. I’m not the plant expert that Michelle is, so hopefully she’ll chime in in the comments if anyone has questions about what’s growing in any of the photos below.

Garden containers on the north end of Pittsburgh

We spotted many plantings like these two all along the bicycle trail

Sweeping curves

This spot is at the northwest end of Pittsburgh only a short distance from the beginning of the trail

Each container along this half-mile stretch of the path had a unique collection of plants

It wasn't the most impressive garden bed we saw, but I thought it was fun that this restaurant planted herbs along their patio dining area

Next we found this fun water feature just a little farther down the trail. I'm not sure, but I think the landscape designer took cues from the old canal locks that used to carry cargo ships upriver.

The sights in the photos above are close to the Rivers Casino and the Pirates' PNC Park. In this part of town, the trail is wide and well maintained with plenty of spots to stop and enjoy the view. Park spaces like these are all over town along the trail, each with a unique design.

Parts of the trail pass through quiet corners of old neighborhoods, many of which are a mix of homes, old factories and warehouses, and small marinas. One home in particular stood out for both its unique location and unusual design.

Gardens come in all shapes and sizes

I didn't count, but from the photo it looks like this odd little waterfront home has at least 8 sides. All that separates it from the bike trail is the unique water feature in the foreground.

My favorite detail in this garden was a mossy outcropping on the edge of a small waterfall

I'll be sorting through the rest of my Pittsburgh photos soon and sharing some more beautiful spots in a future blog post. Let me know if you have a questions about what you've seen so far. Thanks!