project leader
Shanley P
location
258 West 71st Street
Manhattan (Upper West Side)
latest update rss
Final planting!

the project

On the south side of West 71st Street, a quiet, skinny city park hides between the brownstones. Septuagesimo Uno offers a calm place to sit, but not much else. Aside from its 6 benches and overgrown clump of bamboo, a brick walkway is lined with huge barren planters. So I plan to rejuvenate the park by planting lush, colorful flowers that will thrive in its shade and delight its visitors.

In speaking with park visitors about my project, I received total encouragement and support. One visitor even gave me an immediate $20 donation!

Once I have raised enough money, I will purchase shade-appropriate plants from Urban Garden, a new nursery uptown that has the best prices and has offered to deliver my purchase to the park for free. I plan to spend one weekend cleaning up and replanting the park's flower beds.

the steps

I have already begun planning for this project by taking measurements and doing some research:

  1. The park has about 426 square feet of arable flower beds. Based on observation and calculation, I estimate that I will need about 950 impatiens or mums (depending on the planting time), 27 astilbe plants, and 20 hostas.
  2. Urban Garden, a new nursery on 116th street, has the best prices on these shade-loving plants ($990 total), and has offered to deliver them to the park for free.

When the time comes to get my hands dirty, I will take the following steps:

  1. Prepare the flower beds: remove old bricks, rocks, refuse; remove weeds; till the existing soil; and incorporate new, nutrient-rich soil.
  2. Arrange new flowers in a pleasing design and plant them.
  3. Water flower beds.
  4. Clean up: sweep up loose dirt/leaves and collect empty pots/cartons.

why we're doing it

Septuagesimo Uno is a charming place that deserves some sprucing up and, as a loyal Upper West-sider who longs to restore my green thumb, I am willing to do it!

budget

Average planters in the neighborhood fit 20 impatiens and 1 bigger plant (like a hosta or astilbe) into 9 square feet. Septuagesimo Uno has 426 square feet of planting space, or 47.3 nine-foot plots, so I will need 946 impatiens or mums (but I'll get 950 for good measure) and 47 bigger plants (27 astilbe and 20 hosta). Demetri at Urban Garden (646-875-3991) said impatiens are $20 per flat (36 plants each) and about $10 per astilbe or hosta. That means I will need 26 flats of impatiens ($520), plus 47 bigger plants ($470), for a total bill of $990. I will also need a few bags of Miracle-Gro enriched soil ($5 each). Original Project total = $1,000; ioby fee = $80 *Revised final project total = $898 *Revised ioby fee = $72

updates

Final planting!

 

Last weekend was my final planting in Septuagesimo Park. 

I was so lucky to have help from my mom and a perfectly clear day for the project. Now 200 impatiens, 10 hostas, and 5 ferns will keep the park's large planters full of color throughout the summer! Many neighbors and park patrons stopped by to admire the lush effect of our planting efforts. Indeed, the neighborhood is indebted to all those whose generous contributions (in money and time) have made this project possible! 

Special thanks to Dimitri Gatanas of New York's Urban Garden Center for supplying and delivering the flowers and to Seth Jones of the New York City Partnership for Parks for procuring and arranging delivery of the tools.

More flowers October 15th - It's My Park! Day

 

I have arranged to participate in the Partnerships for Parks' "It's My Park!" day on October 15 so that I can get free tulip and daffodil bulbs for Septuagesimo Uno! Feel free to stop by the park that day if you'd like to help plant.

 

-Shanley

Transformation!

 

Yesterday, September 9, my friend Jess and I spent 5 hours cleaning up the park and planting flowers. First, we loosened up the compacted soil and removed litter, dead leaves, old branches, and countless rocks. Then we mixed in fresh peat humus to enrich the beds. I only spent about 40% of the funds raised on plants and soil yesterday because the nursery's shipments are stuck in transit due to the flooding from last week's hurricane; I plan to buy and plant more flowers next weekend. Nonetheless, the hostas, mums, ivy, and lovely butterfly-attracting bush we were able to plant have made a vast improvement in the main flower beds!

 

It's amazing how much interest a little gardening can attract. The Partnership for Parks and city Parks Department supplied all the tools we needed and stopped by midday to check on our progress. While we worked, several neighbors visited and shared overwhelming gratitude for our activism. One neighbor even donated a hose and bucket after hearing our concern for keeping the new plants watered. Another neighbor said seeing the park revived gave him goosebumps as he has tried in years past to do the same; he promised he'd keep an eye on the new plants and hopes to incorporate some of his sculpture work into the landscape at some point.

 

It was a back-breaking, yet infinitely rewarding day. Thank you, all, for your support; this project wouldn't have been possible without it!

Planting Sept 10/11!

Thanks to incredible generosity, fundraising is complete and the park will soon flourish! Planting will take place during the weekend of September 9th.

photos

This is where photos will go once we build flickr integration

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