We’re Growing: Voices from the Field, Spring Edition

MHG Meetings

Sponsored By: Metro Hort Group

We're Growing: Voices from the Field, Spring Edition

Thursday, March 21, 2024
Mark this date on your calendar! Meet and hear our Spring Panelists talk about their new (or old) favorite plants.
Get ideas and inspiration as we all gear up for the season ahead of us.

The Central Park Arsenal
Fifth Avenue and 64th Street
Third floor: The Arsenal Gallery

Doors open for refreshments at 6:00 pm
Meeting begins promptly at 6:30 pm
General meetings are free to Metro Hort members. No reservations are necessary.
Guests are welcome to attend for a $20 contribution

MEET THE PANELISTS!

Rosemarie Miner @ourtemenos

Rosemarie is the founder and Principal of ecological landscaping firm, Our Temenos. With more than 10 years of experience reclaiming and restoring urban spaces and a B.S. in Ecology, Rosemarie has aligned the business with a commitment to a livable future. She has built native, medicinal and edible landscapes, in the public and private sector, with a focus on the sustainability of logistics and operations. Our Temenos executes installations with intention and an avoidance of shifting damage and degradation downstream. Rosemarie also believes strongly in critical examination of workers' rights in the field of landscape design and urban agriculture and is implementing principles of solidarity economics in a small business context.

Outside of work, Rosemarie spends time enjoying community theater, dancing, playing in the dirt and a good book.

Jessica Kaplan @riversideparknyc

Jessica Kaplan has worked as a horticulturalist for the past 10+ years specializing in native plants. She is dedicated to educating the public on the benefits of incorporating native species into their spaces. With a deep interest in the connection between public spaces and people, she has developed volunteer opportunities and public programming in parks across NYC. Jessica is committed to creating an environment that facilitates learning and curiosity in the exciting world of horticulture.

Sara Evans

Sara Evans is the Director of Living Collections and Curator at The Green-Wood Cemetery, a National Historic Landmark located in Brooklyn and recognized as one of the world’s most beautiful cemeteries. She previously served as Manager of Horticulture Operations and Projects at Green-Wood, first joining the Cemetery in June 2016. Among her many roles, she manages the plant records of the arboretum and supports scientific research projects that are hosted at The Cemetery. She is an alumni of CUNY Brooklyn College, where she studied Urban Sustainability with a focus on environmental science and sociology-a curiosity that is continuously fostered working at a historic cemetery and public garden. She serves as the co-chair of the Data and Mapping Committee of the New York City Pollinator Working Group that works to conserve pollinating and beneficial insects in the city and beyond.

Juan Correa @bluedahlia.nyc

Juan Correa is a full-time Horticulturist at Blue Dahlia Landscape + Design, where he works alongside a talented crew of horticulturists and gardeners. Juan oversees the maintenance of rooftop gardens, keeping clients’ plants healthy and happy, and ensuring that the gardens continue to meet clients’ high expectations across the five boroughs of New York City.

Juan's first steps into the horticulture industry began at Farmingdale State College, majoring in Biology with an interest in horticulture and agriculture. Juan interned at Farmingdale State College Teaching Gardens, working alongside many different people of diverse backgrounds and majors. Since interning, Juan has worked for various landscape design companies as an urban gardener. Juans interests include Invasive Plant and Insect Management, Arboriculture, and Plant Systematics.

William Curtis-Bey @greenbeygardens

William Curtis-Bey is the founder of Green Bey Gardens, an ecological garden design, installation and management company based in Brooklyn, NY. William is a seasoned horticulturist with a lifelong passion for cultivating vibrant green spaces in urban environments.

Early in his gardening career, a pivotal mentorship with Professor Milford Graves, a renowned figure in jazz, herbalism, and gardening, instilled in him a unique philosophy: gardening as a martial art, demanding both harmony and meticulous execution. William has over three decades of gardening experience including working with organic farms, private, non-profits, landscape companies and public parks in New York, Pennsylvania and California.

Inspired by the gardens and gardeners in Japan, he studied Japanese history and gardening while living in Kyoto, enrolled in Long Island University’s study abroad program. William has also attended the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California, Santa Cruz where he completed their Ecological Horticulture program. William’s expertise translates into creating low-maintenance, organic gardens that seamlessly blend functionality with aesthetic beauty, each project a meticulously crafted symphony of nature and design.