And that's what makes community gardens so appealing. Defying the wave of development that has turned big cities into a sea of strip malls, localities have set aside open space as garden plots for the public. Unfortunately, there aren't enough. Last spring, when I called Fairfax County about getting a plot, I discovered the waiting list. The county rents more than 800 garden plots - but all are taken.
Some people wait years.
In the cyber age of instant everything, many people find surprising pleasure in the simple act of growing flowers and vegetables. I found myself pleading with the county gardens coordinator for a plot. At my house, the problem is shade, I explained. Our house sits on a sloping, heavily wooded lot. By June, the canopy of trees is so dense that the only flowering thing that thrives is the intrepid impatiens.