Dias Y Flores Community Garden

Leslie Ross
Email: ross.bassoon@verizon.net
520 East 14, #35
New York NY 10009
Home: 212-254-1744

Dias Y Flores Community Garden

from our mission statement...

It is the purpose of the Dias y Flores Garden to provide a green, beautiful, restful, safe and congenial space for gardeners to garden and for the community to enjoy.
The garden will be open to the community as often as possible and will also serve as a public space for community meetings and other community functions.
In Addition ....
We are also committed to maintaining and growing our associations with neighbourhood organizations, from local schools to health clinics and encourage their use of the garden.
We also offer many series of free classes through the summer from tai chi and yoga to horticulture, drawing, ecology and herbal sciences.

a very brief history...

Dias y Flores, like most of the gardens on the Lower East Side, exists because of the dauntless efforts of a handful of people. When faced with ruin, they saw an opportunity for restoration and acted on it.
In 1978, the 13th Street Block Association envisioned a community lot, with a garden and a playground, and began the labor-intensive work of clearing out the brick, rubble, and trash -- from broken hypodermic needles to refrigerators and car parts -- all by hand.
Dias y Flores from its earliest days was graced with experienced gardeners and horticulturalists as members, and along with the help of Operation Greenthumb, most of the trees and shrubs that are here today were planted by 1981.

To become a member

To become a member of the garden, one must be at least 18 years of age, attend one monthly meeting, at which one pays the annual membership fee, signs the contract and signs up for a minimum of seven and a half open hours. Members will then receive a key to the garden gate and the tool shed. Members can sign up for a box, which will be awarded according to one's seniority on the list and availability of plots.