Characteristics you'd expect of the Garden State

The identity of "The Garden State" refers to the state as a whole. The identity of the state therefore ought to be based on adding organic shapes and earthy colors. The best gardens are filled with a verity of rich colors and not just green. In fact, the two colors used for the Garden State Parkway are an obvious choice but lack the presence of a colorful blooming color. Green is the color of grass or the stems of flowers, not exactly the red of tomato or the yellow of a flower. The identity hasn't bloomed, which makes for a boring garden. The intention of The Garden State as an identity is to call attention to an alternate lifestyle of living besides the city or a farm. NJ has become confused of its own identity (or what makes it special) as it is being swept up in the urban fabric of modern life. Visit any shopping mall in NJ and you will see trees integrated into the design of parking lots (different than New Mexico), this indicates that the value of using nature as an accent is still present. Still there are not enough visible gardens to make the identity genuine and credible. Perhaps the best reason/argument for this identity is the potential of symbolism as an alternative lifestyle.