Blog Posts

July Poem 2021 by Vera's Pen

7/28/2021

Weeds

What is a weed?
A plant that appears after every shower
By any other name could be a flower
A jewel in the ground waiting to be found
Yet, when found is quickly, removed and
Taken straight to the garbage bin
Hopefully, never to be seen again!
Although discarded again and again
There will never be an end
Because weeds have inherited the wind!
Ode, to weeds!

By Vera’s Pen
Plot D7
July 26, 2021

Watercolor Painting and Sunprints even on a Cloudy Day!

7/11/2021

We planned one simple art activity and ended up with two. Watercolors with stencils and Cyanotypes or Sun prints.

Sunday was cool and overcast so we started out with watercolors instead of sun prints, but then, we went ahead and tried the cyanotypes with great success. Five families showed up to enjoy this art and we would love to make plans to do this again with more folks of all ages!

Landscape Committee Projects: Ongoing Beautification

7/8/2021

In 2014 and 2015 Julie Lipp, Landscape Chair, used to always say, "We have to clean the kitchen before we can cook." In those years RIGC made major advancements in working on our landscape beds that had become overgrown and filled with English Ivy, Japanese Pachysandra, and Mulberry tree sprouts. Julie brought an expert Landscape Designer to speak to the committee, Mr. Daryl Beyers who is now NYBG's Gardening Program Coordinator and author of the book The New Gardeners Handbook.

In 2016, during the year when Johan Marfey was Landscape Chair we added irrigation systems to the north beds and with Beverly Shutes's help we added beautiful teak benches to all areas around the garden in our pathways and acquired these at next to nothing prices from estate offerings.

In 2017, during the year when Julia Ferguson was Landscape Chair we began to learn and add important native plantings to our beds and designs and again with Beverly's help we added beautiful plant ID signs all around the gardens.

Since 2018, RIGC Landscape Chair Curtis Lowrey and his committee have continued with all of these ideas and added early spring bulb colors to several areas throughout the gardens. This year RIGC learned from Matt Kibby, RIOC horticulturist and head of grounds maintenance, that RIGC can be fully responsible for the areas just outside our front gates and so the committee is continuing and enlarging a small beautification project begun several years ago. In addition to maintaining current internal beds, Curtis and his committee are working on the areas in front of our gates in a two year plan.

The final height reduction and removal of yews has been completed. We are now in the process of finishing the borders with Belgian block. Kalin, a new gardener who is also an architect has experience is doing this type of work and is handling that. The beds are being papered and mulched to maintain a clean weed free under the yews. Improving the soil for new additions in fall and spring to thrive. They are excited to be adding canada anemone and lavender later. Both of which are bee friendly and will add color from spring right into the fall! For this year they have also planted zinnias, an annual well-loved by pollinators, that should bloom by September.

RIGC joins Compost Carnival II to Celebrate: Good News for Big Reuse & LES Ecology

6/27/2021

Compost carnival to celebrate some recent good news! Thanks so much Gil Lopez emcee and organizer with so many others of the NYC #SaveOurCompost coalition. The Compost Carnival Sunday (6/27) celebrated a 12 month extension for Big Reuse and Lower East Side Ecology Center’s assurance they will return to the East River Park once Park renovations have been complete. A full afternoon of family fun, education, food and music with neighbors from Astoria, Long Island City, Brooklyn, Manhattan LES, and more!

Highlights and connections included: Gil Lopez emcee, Nate & Hila, Queens Climate Project, Salt Tree Art, Anna Sacks, Funk Rust Brass Band, Queensbridge Houses Residents Association, Cherie Chalouhi, Two Coves Community Garden,

#SaveOurCompost #summervibes #celebratesuccess

Our Second Day Back with Community Service in 2021

6/19/2021

A note from Neal Weissman at the end of the day:

Thanks for all the help and participation on this very warm day.

Vaughn was in early and whipped up a platform to raise his pile of wood off the floor to get them out of the reach of the rats.

Mitch, Colleen, Hilda , Mako, Catherine and Associates Anna Valeria and Hunter were all terrific in sanding and painting the front round table.

Associates, Kalin and Chris, along with Antoine who volunteered for the day from the wait list all worked together and did an impressive job enhancing the border of plot C03 with its existing wood. They just flipped over a board to help extend its life.

Farouk came later and began to sand, repair and paint the other round front table & chairs with help from the Katano family.

Danielle, Yema, and others tried to clean away the berry droppings long the path near the west landscape bed.

Current and prior Board Members Halima, Janet, Curtis, Julia, Jack, and Johan all did their parts, as did many more whom I did not mention.

It was good to be back in the gardens together again!

Roosevelt Island Day 2021 - Saturday June, 12

6/13/2021

Roosevelt Island Day 2021 was not virtual! This year we had a live day of service. Like so much else last year in 2020 all was virtual. However, the plans for this year were a little different from traditions developed over the past 20 years. There was less carnival and more simple times of getting outside together and moving our Island toward being earth friendly. The plans seemed somewhat similar to the first Roosevelt Island Day in 1999 which was mostly about service as we removed knotweed from the beds south of meditation steps along the river!

On Saturday, June 12 th , from 10 AM – 3 PM several gardeners came out and joined fellow Islanders for a day of beautification and celebration of Roosevelt Island.

North of the RIGC gardens from 10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. RIGC and RIOC Youth Center hosted a Compost Learning table. With RIOC's help, BigReuse soil/compost mix, and many volunteers, we planted the butterfly bed/ pocket meadow spaces in the former tree pits near the tennis courts.

We hope your were able to bring your family and friends to the fun, educational, service-oriented activities, located at Blackwell Plaza, on the Meditation Lawn, and all the way from Octagon just north of the Roosevelt Island Garden Club throughout Main St and finally under the Helix near the Citibikes at 2:00.

The days activities included:

Island Beautification Plantings 10 a.m .-12 p.m.
Plogging with iDig2Learn 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Bike Repair
Clothing Drop-off
Free Giveaways of Masks
Paper Shred Truck (thanks to Rebecca Seawright's office!)
Live Music - Haki Compost 12: 00 noon Nate & Hila live
Free Book Swap
Picnic Table Paintings
Battery Recycling Drop-off
Art installation and Poetry Circle with Open Doors at Alone Together photo exhibit under the helix (2:00 p.m.)

If you were unable to attend, check out the updates on Instagram (@rooseveltislandrioc).

Rose Garden Dedication for Marjorie Marcallino

6/12/2021

A wonderful turnout and many more people who were thinking of Marjorie from afar. The Manhattan Rose Society graciously donated this plaque with which we dedicate this rose garden to Marjorie Marcallino.

A song, flowers, friends, and family all together to honor our master rose gardening friend. The ceremony was well attended today, including Marjorie's sister and niece who flew in from Georgia. Carole Kennedy did a great job pulling it together along with the help of Debbie Drucker, Kaz Bujno, and Alexander Mahongue, the new Chair of the Rose Garden.

Important Actions to Save Our Compost TODAY!

6/9/2021

This information is from @AstoriaPug on Instagram and from Big Reuse.
If you can, please call or email your support today!

We have a very challenging two days ahead of us. Senate bill S6282C is gaining momentum. However, time is running out as the state assembly will adjourn on Thursday.

The next two days are critical in getting Senate Majority Leader @andreastewartcousins and Assembly Speaker @cheastie to see the importance of community composting.

Please reach out to them and tell them how essential composting is to you and to New York.

The Senate Majority Leader and the Assembly Speaker need to hear this:

1. Why composting is essential to all of us.

2. The two biggest composting facilities in New York City are facing eviction from the Department of Parks.

3. Bill S6282C/A7774 is a game-changer in trying to divert organic waste away from landfills. This is an environmental justice issue.
https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/s6282?intent=support

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins
New York City Office: (212) 298-5585
Albany Office: (518) 455-2585
scousins@nysenate.gov
Instagram: @andreastewartcousins

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie
New York City Office: (718) 654-6539
Albany Office: (518) 455-3791
speaker@nyassembly.gov
Instagram: @cheastie
#saveourcompost #compostlikeapug #worldenvironmentmonth
#hakicompost

For more information you may also go to twitter save our compost https://mobile.twitter.com/SaveNYCCompost
or www.instagram.com/p/CPtifzojMTe/ Save our Compost

Sharing Garden Joys

5/17/2021

Iliada Bass and the Outreach Committee are looking for possible ways to share our wonderful small moments spent in the gardens.

Take some time to connect with the birds and smell the roses! What joyful moments have you experienced in the gardens recently?

RI Youth Center visits RIGC for Compost Learning

5/14/2021

Wonderful weather on a Friday afternoon in mid-May 2021 for a very active visit from two groups with the RI Youth Center. Anthony Longo and Danika Lam and Peggy Roalf taught students all about the full circle of food scraps to compost and they experienced sifting and the joys of decomposers like worms, centipedes, and rolypolies. Students took back compost they sifted for their garden club at the youth center. We can't wait until the next visit - perhaps a scavenger hunt for more discoveries about our natural world! It is good to be back together with community again.

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