Have you noticed the rainbow in Madison Square Park? Each urn circling our fountain has been carefully designed to be one of the six colors of the Pride flag. Each year the park proudly hosts the start of the Pride Parade, and our Horticulture Manager, Gaby, wanted to reflect the joyful occasion within the flowers and foliage. The living rainbow grew and bloomed throughout the month of June to be one more splash of color in the neighborhood as we all celebrate community, self-expression, and love.   

The art of garden design takes technical knowledge of a plant’s needs and the visual impact of each selection to create meaning. Flower and foliage color is taken into account, height and spread, soil and light requirements, and the texture that the plants invoke. Horticulturalists guide how visitors feel in a space through the selection of species and the arrangement.

Notes from our Horticulture Manager, Gaby: 

The knowledge I bring about how plants grow and thrive as a horticulturalist makes me see plants vastly different than most, but even without knowing their names or how to take care of them there is a universal appreciation of their beauty. Our park brings a wide range of the public together, who will all perceive our plantings differently, but through design we aim to make our space welcoming. Garden design is art; it is envisioned, drafted, changed, and rearranged countless times. Planning the Pride display started back in January with rough sketches and was then refined again and again as the details fell into place. Next time you look upon a garden or a plant that stops you in your tracks, remember that there is a horticulturalist behind it hoping that it will. 

I wanted to share my design drafts to give park goers some context to the plants they will see throughout the summer. Designing container gardens includes the following guidelines: thriller, spiller, and filler. The ‘thriller’ is usually a tall, dramatic centerpiece, the filler is a complimentary plant, either in color or texture used to fill space and create dimension, and the spiller hangs over the edge of the container. 

We have some beautiful vines featured as our centerpieces. In the blue urn, a stunning blue morning glory, Ipomea ‘Heavenly Blue,’ acts as our height and drama, while the vibrant blue Salvia microphylla acts as our filler. Variegated Plectranthus is a gardener’s best friend, no nonsense—very easy to grow, and a beautiful spiller. Other notable plants featured include the Love in a Puff vine, Cardiospermum halicacabum, whose seed is encased in a delicate husk that I’ve always found charming. The orange urn features our beautiful and vibrant Mexican flame vine, Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides. In the red urn, we have Ipomea quamoclit, or Cypress vine, whose red, tubular flowers attract hummingbirds and bees. While planning seasonal displays primarily focuses on visual impact, we are always considering how to best support our pollinators in the park. 

MSPC aims to be a space where people can celebrate and gather, building strength through community bonds, and adding to New York City’s legacy of resistance against adversity. 

From all of us at MSPC, Happy Pride!