PROJECTS

GROWNYC ‘GROW FOR CHANGE’ FUNDRAISING GALA

Full service floral design

When environmental nonprofit GrowNYC decided to host their first fundraising gala since before 2020, they wanted to be sure the floral design was as sustainable as the farm-to-table food. Hosted at legendary restaurant Gotham, my design featured centerpieces, column installations, bar arrangements, and bud vases made with 100% local flowers and foliage to create a warm, seasonal ambiance.

OVERGROWN MONARCH PARADISE

Complete garden makeover, renovation, and maintenance

Robin + Pete knew they needed help, but they weren’t sure where to begin. The mosquitos were unbearable due to plant density. Their bulb collection wasn’t getting any light because of invasive vinca. They wanted to keep all the beautiful, environmentally friendly pollinator plants — like native milkweed, asters, and trumpet vine — but not at the expense of enjoying their backyard. Oh, and walking safely to the garage would be nice!

Cleaning up the overgrowth in Robin + Pete’s yard not only made the space feel larger, but it uncovered countless existing delights — healthy, enormous rose and hibiscus shrubs, lilies of the valley and tulips buried in rich, loamy soil, and more — all without spending a dime on garden materials.

This project began in the dead of summer, August 2021, and is still underway in March 2022, about to kick up for the season. More photos will be added here as this newly-transformed garden comes to life.

The couple was ready to invest more in their outdoor space, so we sourced an arbor trellis and covered it in solar lights for dreamy ambiance. Just before the frost we planted a rainbow of flower bulbs with different bloom times for perennial enjoyment. A cedar raised bed will be installed this month and filled with organic soil for the perfect kitchen garden in Ridgewood, Queens.

“Caroline and Rudi took one look at our tangled mess of a backyard and, in consultation with my husband and me, came up with a plan. They were particularly enthusiastic about our wish to maintain a place that was welcoming to birds, monarchs, bees, etc, and made numerous suggestions for native plants and others that would fit well with this vision. They provided us with information about possible plantings and even architectural elements (like a trellis and a raised bed), getting our input into what kinds of flowers, vegetables, and herbs to plant and ultimately planning a garden that will be both colorful and environmentally-friendly. Then they worked tirelessly to implement this plan. While it is still a work in progress, we are thrilled with the results so far. They continue to consult with us along the way, but we trust them completely and are happy to leave much of the decision-making in their hands. They are doing a beautiful job—we are so excited about our new garden!”

— Robin, Gardening Client

WALNUT HILL FARM

Flower manager, Farm worker, market salesperson

For the 2021 and 2022 growing seasons I managed two acres of organic flowers on a pork farm in southern Vermont. As Walnut Hill's Flower Manager, I was responsible for growing, maintaining, harvesting, drying, wrapping, and packing approximately 10K bouquets of flowers over the course of 20 weeks — varieties of strawflower, celosia, craspedia, statice, nigella, and of course, so much gomphrena. In addition to overseeing the flow of production and product development in the field, I work year-round at farmer’s markets in NYC selling flowers and other local products.