Eye-catching seasonal displays and a dedication to tree and lawn care are at the heart of the Conservancy’s mission.

Madison Square Park’s landscape was first designed by Ignatz Pilat, a noted horticulturist and landscape-gardener working throughout New York City in the mid-1800s.  He is best known as working alongside Fredrick Law Olmsted as Central Park’s head landscape gardener. During the restoration of Madison Square Park in the late-1990s, internationally renowned public garden designer, Lynden B. Miller, re-imagined the grounds and gardens, which had long been neglected. Her principle of providing year-round vitality through a variety of perennials remains a guiding force behind the work of our two full-time gardeners.  Some of the park’s signature plants include hydrangeas, hollies and dogwoods.

The Conservancy’s responsibility also extends across Fifth Avenue to historic Worth Square, where our gardeners maintain the planting bed surrounding the obelisk dedicated to General William Jenkins Worth.

ARTICLES

April 17, 2012

Spring Blossoms

Our ornamental cherry and apple trees are presently in peak bloom, here at Madison Square Park. Flowers usually only last a week so you better catch them before they’re gone. For thirteen hundred years Japan has celebrated the beautiful spring blossoms of the Sakura trees, commonly known as flowering cherry. The term Hanami was used… Read more

Interesting Blooming Plants

Spring blooms are anticipated and appreciated, with Tulips, Daffodils, Bradford Pears among others being represented well all over the city. The following however is a small list of some spring blooming flora that you can see in Madison Square Park right now that are not as popular, but are interesting and even arresting despite their… Read more

March 22, 2012

Delightful Daffodils

Those familiar with Greek mythology may recall the story of Narcissus, a man so beautiful that upon seeing his own reflection in a pool of water, became mesmerized. Unable to leave the beauty of his own reflection he died. The story continues that a flower grew from the ground where he died. The flower was… Read more

February 22, 2012

Hellebores: A Winter Wonder

If you have noticed the warm weather this winter, you may also have noticed that many bulbs and plants are popping up and budding – and in fact, they have been for some time. The Hellebores in the Park were in bud by early December which is a tad early, but are now in full… Read more

Plants in Progress

The spring equinox might not be arriving for another month, but Madison Square Park’s bulbs are already preparing for warmer weather. Maybe Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow earlier this month, but six more weeks of winter do not seem to be on the agenda this year.

January 26, 2012

A Green Winter

Evergreen plants have been revered in temperate zones throughout history as symbols of hope, strength and everlasting life. So, it’s no surprise that these persistent plants are present in various cultures. Every year during the Holidays in Mad. Sq. Park, we decorate with a large evergreen tree and garland. This year we even added some… Read more

January 25, 2012

Hawk in the Hood

As stated in an earlier post, we have a new resident in Madison Square Park, and the pigeons and squirrels are not happy about it. Red-tailed Hawks are one of the most common birds of prey in North America, inhabiting open country, woodlands, prairies, mountains, plains and of course the occasional bustling metropolis. While it… Read more

November 30, 2011

Winter Splash

Sadly, our fall urn plantings have completed their life cycle and have moved on to the pearly gates of compost heaven, but fret not plant lovers! Last week, gardener Steph and I finished the installation of the winter season urn plantings, and we are quite pleased with them. We decided to split the design duties,… Read more

November 23, 2011

Inside Information

The Madison Square Park Manager, Brad Lowe, took some time out of his busy schedule of seasonal plantings, leaf raking and more to share a some of his wealth of Park knowledge with us. How many people does Madison Square Park employ? In addition to our office staff, the Madison Square Park Conservancy employs four… Read more

November 11, 2011

MSPC Staff Planting

This past Wednesday, Madison Square Park Conservancy’s office-bound staff escaped the Eleven Madison building and had some fun in the dirt. With the help of our amazing gardeners, our 10 MSPC staff members planted 6,000 bulbs in Worth Square. We got our hands dirty while planting a range of bulbs, including Grape Hyacinth, crocuses, species… Read more