Why don't the gardener's come?Why do the organizations with the missions forget the mission?

     It has been a while since my last post. We have been busy making the NYC Citywide Nursery the best it can be and growing the Sargent ~Downing Garden & Nursery the best we can!So it has been hard to sit down and write in between being a husband and dad. Also I have been struggling with some health issues.
     However this is what is on my mind.One day we asked for volunteers to come and help with the weeding and watering because things were backing up at the Sargent ~Downing Gardens & Nursery. On that particular day my three children and I were the only ones who showed up after I emailed one hundred and fifty people on the list for help
     My daughter looked at me straight in the eye and asked,"Why didn't anyone show up?" I told her sometimes that is the way it is,we have to do the right things and eventually people might follow.That day we continued to weed and the children placed rocks around the garden paths for others to follow the right path.
     Last night a wonderful great new member called and asked me, "Why aren't there more people in the Sargent and Downing Gardens coming out to garden as a community?" .
     It was the same question posed to me only once by a child and then by an adult. I think the answer still remains the same in both cases, but that is a sad reality.
     As I was reading the writings of both Andrew Jackson Downing and Henry Winthrop Sargent I could detect a deep seeded sarcasm with in the lines. It was almost as if they were mad at the community. I guess it wasn't any easier to be an advocate for nature and convince the public of the importance of planting trees and plants in the mid 1800's than it is now.
     So now I pose this question to all the gardeners in our community where are you? We need some help and the children could really enjoy seeing us all come out even if it is once and awhile.
     The second part of this commentary is why do we hear words like mission,partnership or community which sound so good in press releases and grant proposals for non profit organizations,but yet they really find it so hard to do the right thing and really get out in front to help build community efforts by taking our hand and really showing us all how to do it.
    In closing I think it is really up to all of us in the community to take care of where we live and bring up our children. Let it grow and show the youth what an important job it is. That is a truly sustainable plan. Thank  you to all of you who have been here and keeping it alive and working, you are all beautiful people.
    We need volunteers to water and weed through the rest of the summer. Go to sdgardens.com sign up in our guest book. Thank you, Richie Cabo