• Mad. Sq. Holiday 2007: Wrap-Up
• Ask the Gardener!
• Holiday Break at Shake Shack
• Homeless Outreach Program is Launched in Flatiron District
• Mad. Sq. Park in the News

MAD. SQ. HOLIDAY 2007
Tree Lighting Celebration

Mad. Sq. Park Holiday Tree

Despite a gloomy weather forecast, on Tuesday, December 11, hundreds of neighborhood residents, office workers and kids joined together at dusk to celebrate the holiday season in Madison Square Park.

Following tradition, the New York Life Singers filled the air with joyful seasonal music as the crowd assembled. Manhattan Parks Commissioner William Castro and Dominic Diprimo, Pharmacy Supervisor of Walgreens, greeted the crowd which included representatives from the other sponsors including the Flatiron 23^rd Street Partnership, Charles Schwab, Fifteen Madison Square North and the 23^rd Street Association, and Time Warner Cable.

New York Life Singers

Just before 5 p.m., the kids chanted the countdown and the tree was lit to a loud chorus of ahhs! Chef Matt Corbett and his team at Punch Restaurant and Bar served up spicy bread pudding and candy cane hot chocolate for all guests. Meanwhile AudraRox entertained the kids young and old!

We hope that you will come out for a stroll and enjoy the park which is dressed up for the season with twinkling lights and golden accents thanks to our neighborhood sponsors whose generous support makes all aspects of Mad. Sq. Holiday 2007 possible.

Mad. Sq. Holiday was brought to you by our neighbors

Refreshments graciously provided by

Kim Wickers, Director of Horticulture

Q: Hi Kim - My question is regarding fallen leaves in the flower beds. I always thought that leaves protected the roots of plants during the winter months.  Is this true or should they be removed?  By the way, I enjoyed the Tree lighting ceremony and the tree looks beautiful.

A: Thanks for the compliment.

There are several reasons I prefer to remove dead leaves from the beds and lawns. The first is appearance; the beds look so much tidier with out them. I know that most people reading this will not have a staff of five armed with leaf blowers (which I do not love, by the way, but that is for another article) to rid their yards of fallen leaves. However, a rake will do just as good a job.

Fallen leaves are dense, dead material that decomposes over time, so you may be tempted to leave them where they fall. But that’s the second reason for removal. The problem is that when you get an inch or so of leaves on the ground followed by the usual fall rain, the inch now has become a "leaf waffle," a gross slimy mess that is difficult to clean up in the Spring. So, why add extra work to your clean up?

In a garden bed, the freshly decomposing leaf material will rob nitrogen, alter the ph of the upper layers of the soil and deprive perennials of much needed sunlight. On your lawn, dead leaves are the equivalent of a black garbage bag over the grass.

If you want to mulch, don’t use your dead leaves as your mulch—pine mulch is fine. It is always recommended that you mulch after the ground freezes—this date varies depending on where you live. The frozen ground insulates the roots. Mulching before the ground freezes keeps the area warm, thus not allowing it to freeze properly.

Say no to leaves in the garden except for leaf mold. Leaf mold is ground up leaves that have decomposed and make and excellent top dressing in the spring. The key is grinding them up before they are put into a compost heap. Let them sit in the pile and in less that a year you will have “black gold,” as I call it. It makes your garden look great! So get out there and pick up those leaves!!

The Flatiron district’s Homeless Outreach Team started working on December 3 and will be working Monday thru Friday for 20 hours a week through March 31. When warmer weather hits, the shifts will change to 35 hours a week.

If you want to report a homeless-related issue in the park or in the neighborhood, you should call 311. The 311 operator will refer the call to the city’s local outreach team or the BID team, if applicable.

To learn more about this initiative, visit www.discoverflatiron.org.