HSNY Tours: A Word of Thanks

Thanks to all the HSNY members that came out and joined me for the recent tours I have led around the city. They were all great fun and I really enjoyed sharing with you some of the special green destinations I love in Manhattan. I had a great group with me yesterday in the Flower District for a two-hour tour and container gardening talk and demonstration. People asked excellent questions and brought interesting ideas to the table and that was really enjoyable. Congratulations too to Joani for winning the packed container I put together and raffled off at the end of the class (pictured above - an $80 value). She'll get to enjoy this shade tolerant container of elephant ear, impatiens, begonias, ivy, and ferns outside on a table or in a garden for the rest of the summer and then can move a few things inside as houseplants for the winter if she chooses. Thanks especially to George Vallo and Robb Moss of the New York Studio of Floral Arts for being so generous with their space and allowing me to set up shop right there on 28th Street. For those interested in taking phenomenal floral design classes right in the middle of the Flower District action on 28th Street I urge you to visit their website and treat yourself to a class soon. I took a quick class with Robb once and learned so much I can't tell you. Given the success yesterday was I will certainly try and organize more Flower District tours for the future.

And thanks too to all those that have sent me such kind compliments regarding the tours atop the High Line on June 7th. It was so hot up there under that full sun with no protection but the 80 or so members of HSNY and Friends of the High Line were real troopers and I applaud you all for braving the heat and joining Meredith Taylor from Friends of the High Line and I for that amazing day of naturalist walks. For those that were not aware I led a number of tours of the third section of the High Line, over the west-side rail yards, educating people about the environment and the plants up there, from flowering trees to inconspicuous grasses, natives and invasives, their characteristics and how they've adapted over the years, the different microclimates, etc, etc. We discovered some great plants, and again, people brought strong questions to each of the tours and made it really enjoyable for me. So, thank you!

Finally, I am thinking through some more enjoyable and educational green tours we might be able to do around the city later this summer so stay tuned. To receive information about all of our events and outreach programs, become an HSNY member.