Few spaces are more calming than a beautiful garden! Thank you, Charles and Josiah Webster, for giving us such delightful private oases in the middle of Manhattan.
The task of keeping our backyard and roof so alive with color falls to Jill McGuinness, our gardener. You may see her out and about digging, planting, pruning, and watering the myriad of plants, shrubs and trees that fill our outdoor spaces. For us it’s not the first robin that signals the approach of spring. After a long winter, it’s the first sight of the returning Jill!
Jill joined our staff in 2002 and loves working here. She considers our gardens her own backyard. We can tell. We give her free reign and she amazes us year after year. Jill inherited her love of flowers from her mother and swears “gladiola” was one of her first words! After attending Becker College in Worcester, Massachusetts and an initial career in children’s wear, Jill decided to pursue her real passion and became an Intern at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. It was there that she saw our ad and was hired by our President Emeritas, Donald J. Petrie. Well done, Mr. Petrie!
The garden is a source of considerable pleasure for all of us. Right now, the Ornamental Cherry Tree in front of our building is awash with bright pink buds. The Angelique Tulips blooming beneath it match the pink buds on the tree perfectly. This week, there are 700 yellow tulips blooming in our backyard, only a fraction of the 3,000 bulbs that Jill planted here last fall. And this year, she’s planted camellias on the roof. We can’t wait to see what’s next!
Thank you, Jill. We think it is oh-so-fitting that it was an Internship that led to your position as Webster’s Gardener!
