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Message from our RIGC President

3/25/2020

Dear RIGC Members and Associates,

As bad as things are during this outbreak, this may still be to some extent, the quiet before the storm and NYC is in the eye of the storm, but like all storms, this too shall pass. Meanwhile, we strongly encourage all members to stay home.

Watch the NYS Governor's daily updates on TV. Sign up for RIOC advisories. Visit gardens around the world on virtual tours. Write a blog post on your favorite plant or collect old photos of your own garden for our website and send these to me at [email protected] and to [email protected].

Staying home is your best course of action to protect yourself and others. This virus will sicken persons of all ages. In addition, it also remains crucial to have an abundance of caution if you are older or have health issues. Based on our surveys, the biggest portion of our club are people over 70, and the second biggest group are over 60.

We all need to take care of one another by the warm embrace of keeping our distance from one another. Things are changing daily. The "elbow bump" was briefly very popular but is now passé, replaced by 6' of social distancing and lots of hand washing.

Since you are not in the gardens to take care of your plot, you might be worried what your garden will turn into without you; yes, there will be weeds, but so be it. Like everything else, the RIGC Standards Committee is also on hiatus at this time. (And actually our lives would be a lot better if our only worry was about getting an LOV. )

Take care of yourselves, be well, and I look forward to seeing everyone again when this is over.

- - - Neal

Neal Weissman, PRESIDENT
Roosevelt Island Garden Club
[email protected]

A Brave New Spring by Iliada Bass

3/20/2020

With all the escalating news and all the twist and turns around our jobs, kids’ schedules, our lifestyle and the entire economy, it’s easy to forget that, in our gardens, a whole entire new season is quietly brewing and slowly emerging, about to burst into a riot of colors, scents and indescribable beauty.

I am amazed and humbled every early March, a lot of times February, by the brave little crocus showing up in full color, delicate, and perfect in their tininess, pure and unapologetic, nor proud. Especially when they pop their beauty above snow, gorgeous and carefree against frost and frigid winds, there for whoever or no one to see them, it makes you wonder… are they aware how humbling that is for humans? Who of us is capable of standing up so fragile, vulnerable, so carefree and giving in the midst of winter and look so gorgeous in the process?

Or hellebore - grand dames of winter gardens - so poised and elegant. The rosemary has been standing there all along, green and fragrant - just in case you need it, and the sage, wilting a little, but still there, with so much to give. Other herbs start sprouting their leaves - oregano, parsley, and the chives are taller by the inch. As you pass, or lean to touch the fresh green, short whiffs of herbs mix with the smell of the earth and you just have to dig your hands in the soil - the full signal of spring.

A few days ago, the daffodils were coming up all green, with barely a tinge of yellow in the slim buds. What a shock to see so many in bloom today, already double height, their sway as legendary as once portrayed by poets - and little do they know or care about that… Last week, one hyacinth bud was barely out of the soil, it’s tight geometric perfection giving away a hint of pink. This evening, three of them standing tall, still opening and growing, fragile and unformed, still gathering their pink together. The irises are sending their swords up, the columbine’s delicate leaves have been silently confronting February, the strawberries are sending off their offsprings underground in all directions, lupines grow their clusters with decorum.

What a gift!
Never the smell of parsley and its baby sprigs were more enchanting. The garlic and oregano are throwing all their might in every tiny leaf, - each, a powerhouse of beneficial engines running high, pushing to grow. Add to this the general non-stop chirping, the tiny buds of growing colors on the trees and the clouds moving at speed only God knows where, and you completely forget of crisis, of all our human limitations and made-up solutions that only take us that far…

When every day, right in our face, we see and hear the lesson: life is more beautiful without all those agendas and our little ulterior motives; just live and be happy, enjoy what’s around us, forget repeating ourselves how we’re mastering nature and universe - we’re not, we never did, we are just part of it. And we should be grateful to learn from all our fellow living things in the garden how to be simple, and ourselves, and simply give the best we can, ideally - unconditionally.

What does social or physical distancing mean in a garden?

3/14/2020

Go to the CDC page : PREVENTION OF CORONA VIRUS DISEASE 2019

Anyone of any age with an underlying health condition or those who have been exposed to known cases of COVID-19 virus or those who are exhibiting any symptoms of sickness like fever or dry cough should always stay inside.

Individuals who do go outside for mental health and exercise should follow these crucial guidelines to stay safe in this serious time of global pandemic.

Stay 6 - 10 feet from others at all times.
Take a different pathway if it looks like you must cross near someone.
Use clean gardening gloves at each visit. Disinfect tools and items used before and after use - even when using gloves.
Keep the gates locked at all times. Avoid any direct contact with the gates and wash hands before and after all visits.
Take any trash out on your own to AVAC. Do NOT leave any items in any common trash cans for others to dispose of.
Never congregate in groups. Limit time spent in your garden out of courtesy to others.

update 3/22 re: organic materials from the garden

The branch pile and new materials area of the communal compost system are closed and at capacity.
Leave any clippings of any kind neatly in your own garden.

Message from our RIGC President

A Brave New Spring by Iliada Bass

What does social or physical distancing mean in a garden?

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Message from our RIGC President

​A Brave New Spring by Iliada Bass

What does social or physical distancing mean in a garden?

Categories

Archives by date

A Brave New Spring by Iliada Bass