Manhattan Chapter of NARGS

About Us

THE MANHATTAN CHAPTER of the North American Rock Garden Society, founded in 1987, is a group of gardening enthusiasts who are dedicated to the propagation and promotion of an eclectic range of plants, with emphasis on alpine and rock gardening selections. Our Chapter Programs, designed for a sophisticated mix of professionals and amateurs, cover a broad spectrum of special interests such as rock and alpine, woodland, bog, raised bed, planted walls as well as trough and container gardening.

Meeting Site

The Manhattan Chapter of NARGS meets about eight times a year and frequently at The Horticultural Society of New York, 148 West 37th Street, 13th Floor, New York NY 10018, between Broadway and Seventh Avenue. Meetings are generally from 6 to 8 pm on the second or third Monday of each month, excluding July and August.

Annual dues for the Manhattan Chapter are $20 per year, check payable to Manhattan Chapter/NARGS, and mailed to:
    Gelene Scarborough
    103 West 105th Street #5B
    New York NY 10025
This entitles members to engage in all Chapter activities and receive five newsletters each year.

For additional information about joining the Chapter, send an e-Mail message to Gelene Scarborough

Date	Speaker	Topic	Location
Sunday, June 10 10 am		Field Trip: Burr Garden	Bellport, NY
Monday, Sept. 24 6pm	Tovah Martin	'Infusing The Garden With Personality'	Horticultural Society of New York
Sunday, Oct. 21 10 am	Nick Turland	Tri-State Meeting: 'Plant Hunting in Southwest Turkey' and 'Flora of Crete'	Lyndhurst Tarrytown, NY
Monday, Nov. 19 6 pm	Brent Heath	'Lovely Little Minor Bulbs with Major Impact'	Horticultural Society of New York

GARDEN TOUR

Frances and Ben Burr will host the chapter at their garden in Bellport, NY. Please confirm attendance with tour coordinator Zabel Meshejian at 212-242-2459. Zabel will provide transportation information and help make individual arrangements. Those who wish to drive their own vehicles will be given directions and the chapter will also rent a van and charge riders $25 to help cover rental and gas. We will meet in Bellport @ 10:00 am. Lunch options include The Bellport, a nice casual restaurant two blocks from the Burr garden. An additional visit to the Peconic River Herb Farm about 30 minutes to the east is also proposed.

Our garden: We have been gardening seriously, since the 1985 hurricane took out the only interesting trees in our yard. Our garden can best be described as a self-designed and self-maintained plant collectors' garden. It is a mix of formal and informal areas. In the front, the lawn has been replaced by simple large parterres of box and lavender. A side garden is comprised of an enclosed quadrant of heathers and heaths we refer to as the Cloister Garden. With respect to rock gardening, there are scree beds, a just-remodeled mound garden, troughs, and a sand garden. There is also a formal pond for tropical waterlilies. In addition there is a large border and other beds for perennials, a rose garden, and a small vegetable garden.