Summer Field Trip
A Tour of Staten Island's Innovative Public Horticulture Projects
Our day in Staten Island will include visits to the following innovative public horticulture projects:
- Phase 1 of the future 2,200 acre Fresh Kills Park with Mike Feller of the Parks Department's Natural Resources Group and Ellen Neises, a landscape architect with Field Operation. This ambitious project, on a 30 year construction schedule, is over twice the size of Central Park and will be built on 1,000 acres of landfill and 2,200 acres of marsh and wetlands.
- Parks Department's Greenbelt Native Plant Propagation Center, with Director Edward Toth, and Nursery Manager Tim Chambers. This nursery grows 100,000 to 200,000 indigenous native plants (from seeds gathered in the wild) for use in natural area restoration and park management projects in the five boroughs. The Center includes 17,000 square feet of greenhouse and five acres of container nursery operations; it is being developed as an active seed bank resource for the region.
- The Chinese Scholar's Garden at the Staten Island Botanical Garden with Chinese cultural historian and garden expert Edwin Morris. The Scholar's Garden, opened in 1999, was constructed by 40 Chinese artisans from Suzhou (China's garden capitol) with materials shipped from home. The borrowed, opposite, and hidden views that typify this garden aesthetic were developed in Ming Dynasty China (1368–1644).
- A quick look at two ferry terminal plantings—the Waterfront Park (designed at HM White Landscape Architects and completed in 2001) and the terminal's green roof (designed by HOK Architects and installed in 2005). Both feature panoramic views of the lower Manhattan skyline.
Date & Time
Date: Wednesday
June 20th, 2007