National Gardening Association

2007 NYC GROWS Garden Festival

April 28, 2007






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Bright sunshine, big city! The 2007 NYC GROWS Garden Festival, presented by Target, had both. Sponsored by the National Gardening Association (NGA) and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation, the second annual festival attracted thousands of people to Union Square Park, and the tents of more than 50 exhibitors and nonprofit participants.

“We were very pleased with the event-the traffic was great and at times we were so busy we could barely function, but that was good!” exclaimed Tammy Hobar, Rodale Publishing.

Visitors to the festival learned how to churn butter with Organic Valley farmer David Hardy. Notable gardener Rebecca Kolls demonstrated how to make kid-friendly animal container gardens. William Moss, formerly of TLC's Town Haul, showed teens how urban gardening can work for them.

Children mingled with National Wildlife Federation's Ranger Rick, had their pictures taken with life-size flowers at the Target tent, and planted live flowers and vegetables at the NGA tent.

Ten lucky visitors went home with prizes from the 2007 NYC GROWS Garden Festival Drawing. Prizes included a $1,000 Target gift certificate; an Ames True Temper garden tool starter kit; a pruning, shearing and window box garden prize from Black & Decker; and a Smith and Hawken 5' garden bench.

The festival-the culmination of National Garden Month®, NGA's month-long celebration of gardening-was also the focus of a special press conference, where Adrian Benepe, NYC Parks & Recreation Commissioner, read a mayoral proclamation designating the last Saturday of April to be forevermore a day of greening in New York City.

“The Mayor's proclamation is part of the city's long-term commitment to making New York a city of green,” said Benepe. “Spring has arrived and the five boroughs are overflowing with color, thanks to our community partners who have worked to make our parks, playgrounds, community gardens, and Greenstreets come alive. Tomorrow's NYC GROWS Garden Festival is a day for everyone-from experienced gardeners to novices-to celebrate the greening of New York City.”

The NYC GROWS Garden Festival was created to spread awareness for gardening in the nation’s largest city. “If we can GROW plants in New York City, we can GROW them anywhere,” said NGA President, Mike Metallo. “Our aim is to capture the attention of New Yorkers and then the nation to spread the word that gardening is essential for the overall health and well-being of the human race.”

Next year's festival will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2008, in Union Square Park. For information on being a sponsors or exhibitor, contact Mary Jo Reale at maryjor@garden.org or 800-538-7476, extension 141.

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Thanks to our 2007 GROW Campaign, National Garden Month, and NYC GROWS Garden Festival sponsors




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