Go Public Gardens is an American Public Gardens Association (APGA) initiative focused on celebrating public gardens throughout the country. During the Go Public Gardens Days event from May 6 to May 15, APGA members like Madison Square Park are encouraging people to visit, value, and volunteer with public gardens in their area.

This week provides the perfect opportunity to meet the team that cares for the trees, shrubs, and perennials that fill Madison Square Park. In addition to our team of horticulturalists, we rely on the help of some very dedicated volunteers to make sure important horticulture tasks are completed seasonally. The individual volunteer program kicked off in April 2021, and volunteers have recorded over 550 hours of service since then. Many of our volunteers are also community members and see our park as their backyard. Over the past year, we have worked with them to learn new skills and create new park plantings to inspire park visitors.

Our volunteers give us 2–4 hours a week of their time, and work alongside the horticulture staff. Deadheading spent flowers, pruning shrubs, and watering annual plantings are just a few of the important tasks our volunteers work on. Planting thousands of small landscape plugs and hundreds of larger shrubs and perennials have contributed to the beauty of our park. This past winter we pruned many of our woody shrubs to ensure healthy growth and desirable structure. The whole team is looking forward to many seasons of volunteer engagement to continue to make Madison Square Park an urban oasis.

Please join Madison Square Park Conservancy in showing appreciation for our volunteers. If you see one of our dedicated volunteers, please stop and say hello! This community involvement in our park makes it a better place for all who come to enjoy. We open up our individual volunteer opportunities each season as our needs for the park change. Check out our website to see when opportunities are available.