Welcome to The Melissa Garden! A native New Yorker, I was raised on the Upper East Side and spent many of my childhood days roaming through nearby Central Park. It was here, in the 6-acres of the Conservatory Garden, that my fascination with horticulture and gardening was born. After feasting my eyes on this remarkable green space in the middle of the urban jungle, I started experimenting with growing my own smaller indoor garden. My parents indulged my passion and allowed me to take over the windowsills of our apartment, the only place where my plants could get a peek at the sun. I loved planting seeds in small indoor containers, watching with awe as sprouts emerged from the soil, grew leaves, and blossomed. Though this was my hobby for many years, my childlike wonder with it waned as I grew older and eventually stopped altogether.
I graduated from college with a degree in finance and spent grueling years working on Wall Street. On weekends, I would again wander through the lush oasis of Central Park, taking a moment to breathe in the quiet freshness so contrary to the pace of my every day. Eventually, I found the man of my dreams, and we moved to a brownstone in Brooklyn. Here, we had a little more space and even a modest backyard. I once again found my green thumb and worked hard to transform our small slice of the outdoors into a lush urban oasis. Gardening once again became my passion, even if it was limited by our tiny parcel of NYC real estate.
I started this blog to share my love of urban gardening with others. Here I share tips for creating your own urban retreat, secrets for indoor gardening, and snapshots of the best gardens I’ve encountered around the city on my travels. Comments and questions are always welcome, and I invite you to sign up for my email list to get the latest blog posts!
-Melissa Stone