The Horticultural Society of New York

Skip to content

Press

Selected Press

Edible Manhattan, “Growing New Lives” (PDF)

Fox News, “New program gives former inmates a second chance”

The Huffington Post, “By Leaves or Play of Sunlight, John Cage: Artist and Naturalist”

National Geographic, “This Is Your Brain on Nature”

News 12, “Horticultural program aims to rehabilitate Rikers inmates”

New York Family, “Green Days: The Hort is Growing A New Generation of Little Gardeners and Eco-Minded Families” (PDF)

The Wall Street Journal, “One Bright Side of Rikers Island” (PDF)

Well + Good, “How You Can Help Make Healthy Food a Staple on Everyone’s Table”

NYC Dept. of Correction, “Bold Print: Official Newsletter of the New York City Department of Correction (March/April 2019)” (PDF)

NY1 News, “Kids Part of Beautification Effort Along Sutphin Boulevard”

  • Mission
  • History

The mission of the Horticultural Society of New York (The Hort) is to sustain the vital connection between people and plants. Our social service and public programs educate and inspire, growing a broad community that values horticulture for the many benefits it brings to our environment, our neighborhoods, and our lives.

Founded in 1900, and incorporated in 1902, with J. P. Morgan, Louis C. Tiffany, and J.J. Phelps among its earliest members, the goal of the Horticultural Society was to further the love and knowledge of horticulture through informative monthly meetings, formal lectures, and seasonal flower shows.

Today, over 100 years later, we are still growing a community of urban gardeners. Our development reflects the changes in urban horticulture itself, from a focus on specimen plants and ornamental gardens viewed alone in their majestic beauty, to a holistic understanding that plants and gardens are inexorably linked to the health of people, wildlife and our environment.

At The Hort, we recognize the interrelatedness and complexity of the “green” issues in our city, and therefore the core of our efforts is to educate and inform across the spectrum. We still help New Yorkers know plants and gardens as aesthetic wonders, but now our programs and projects encompass urban farming, rooftop gardening, container vegetable production, bioremediation, storm water abatement, landscape design, vocational training, horticultural therapy and environmental literacy.

  • About
  • Staff & Board
  • Opportunities
  • Partners
  • Press
  • Archives

Cultivating Plants, People & Purpose

OUR LOCATIONS

Education Center
Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park
679 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10031
Midtown Administrative Offices & Library
148 West 37th Street, 13th Floor
New York, NY 10018

OUR PROGRAMS

APPLE SEED builds learning gardens in public schools for thousands of disadvantaged children suffering from a lack of green spaces and fresh foods, and provides much-needed professional development to their teachers.

GREENHOUSE offers horticultural therapy and vocational training to incarcerated individuals on Rikers Island and helps them learn not just a skill but how to change the very course of their lives.

GREENTEAM provides transitional employment to at-risk youth and ex-offenders and helps them secure full-time jobs.

NEIGHBORHOOD PLAZA PROGRAM beautifies public spaces in low-income communities across the five boroughs and helps make New York greener.

NYDIGS provides affordable horticulture-based workshops, activities, and conferences to positively change perceptions and behaviors toward health, community, and the environment.

Board of Directors

Jared Goss, Chairman
Frances Schultz, Vice-Chair
Duncan Sahner, Vice-Chair
Bruce Addison, Treasurer
Martin Breheny, Secretary

George Ball
Elizabeth Cabot
James P. Druckman

Timothy Hamilton
Michael A. Kovner

 

Michele E. Lindsay
Mario Nievera
Lily O’Boyle
Mitchell Silver, ex officio
Patricia Sovern

Advisory Board

CeCe Black
Andrea Henderson Fahnestock
Janet Mavec

Staff

Sara Hobel, Executive Director

George Pisegna, Deputy Director & Chief of Horticulture

Administration

Lauren Keane-Farrell, Senior Director of Administration

Cleo Lewis, Director of Finance

Adriana Lall, Assistant Director of Finance

Katherine Biggar, Administrative Manager

Raquelle Sewell, Administrative Assistant

Children’s Education & Professional Development

Pamela Ito, Director of Education

Carla Shotwell, Greenhouse & Education Center Manager

Bethany Kogut, Education Manager & Content Creator

Thalia Flores-Perez, Garden Educator

Rosa Karim, Garden Educator

Development

Kevin Sullivan, Senior Grant Writer

Charlotte Muth, Development Associate

GreenHouse & Horticultural Therapy

Mechthild (Hilda) Krus (HTR), Director of GreenHouse & Horticultural Therapy

Sarah Schluep, GreenHouse Program Manager & Horticultural Therapist

Zahra Booth, GreenHouse Instructor

Jake Kennedy, GreenHouse Instructor

Nadine Kruczowy, Project Coordinator

Valentina Michelotti, Curriculum Writer

Douglas Pentland, GreenHouse Instructor

Kiana Taylor, GreenHouse Instructor

McLean Zauner, GreenHouse Instructor

Rose Upton, GreenHouse Instructor

Horticulture

Nick Guntli, Senior Director of Horticulture
Horticulturalist

Wilson Berroa, Field Supervisor

Natalie Brickajlik, Program Development Manager

Patrick Costello, Workshop Instructor

Davonta Daniels, Assistant Gardener

Georgia Faulkner, Director of Special Projects

Loissa Harrison-Parks, Account Manager

Paulene Hosein, Field Supervisor

Jeremy Jungels, Director of Horticulture

Taariq King, Gardener

Amiel Lucre, Gardener

Josuan Martinez, Field Supervisor

Jennifer Palmer, Therapeutic Garden Workshop Coordinator

Steven Roig, Field Supervisor

Kemberly Villalta, Gardener

Craig Zeitlin, Account Manager

City CleanUp Corps
Meet the Corps

Join our team! 

Full Time Positions

Therapeutic Workshop Instructor

Gardener

Horticulture Field Manager (Account Manager)

Greenhouse Garden Manager

 

City Cleanup Corps Temporary Positions (Ends December 31, 2021)

The City Cleanup Corps (CCC) is a New Deal-inspired economic recovery program to create jobs and make New York City the cleanest, greenest city in the United States.  Announced in the Mayor’s Recovery For All of Us plan, the CCC will employ 10,000 New Yorkers to help beautify our city. Corps workers will wipe away graffiti, power wash sidewalks, tend to community gardens, beautify public spaces, and work with community organizations to clean their neighborhoods. Questions and applications can be sent to CleanUpCorpsJobs@thehort.org.

Available Jobs

Maintenance Crew Member

Program Associate

 

The Hort is an Equal Opportunity employer.

We provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities to enable them to perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations are also available for these individuals during the hiring process. Please email jobs@thehort.org should you require a reasonable accommodation during the hiring process. 

Collaboration is a vital component of everything the Hort does. We partner with greening and environmental organizations, academic institutions, departments of the local, state and national government, cultural and arts organizations, community-based groups and social service agencies. If you are interested in collaborating with the Hort on a project, please contact one of our staff members here.

Selected Press

Edible Manhattan, “Growing New Lives” (PDF)

Fox News, “New program gives former inmates a second chance”

The Huffington Post, “By Leaves or Play of Sunlight, John Cage: Artist and Naturalist”

National Geographic, “This Is Your Brain on Nature”

News 12, “Horticultural program aims to rehabilitate Rikers inmates”

New York Family, “Green Days: The Hort is Growing A New Generation of Little Gardeners and Eco-Minded Families” (PDF)

The Wall Street Journal, “One Bright Side of Rikers Island” (PDF)

Well + Good, “How You Can Help Make Healthy Food a Staple on Everyone’s Table”

NYC Dept. of Correction, “Bold Print: Official Newsletter of the New York City Department of Correction (March/April 2019)” (PDF)

NY1 News, “Kids Part of Beautification Effort Along Sutphin Boulevard”

The Horticultural Society of New York’s archives (1811 – 2010) are available from The New York Historical Society through NYU Digital Library Technology Services.
Guide to the Horticultural Society of New York Records