The mission of the Horticultural Society of New York (The Hort) is to sustain the vital connection between people and plants. Our social service and public programs educate and inspire, growing a broad community that values horticulture for the many benefits it brings to our environment, our neighborhoods, and our lives.

OUR PROGRAMS

HORTICULTURE

We provide low-cost garden design, installation, and maintenance services to ensure that all NYC residents, especially those in low-income and marginalized communities, have access to green spaces. As a further public good, The Hort uses a workforce development model for service delivery: our full-time landscape and horticultural staff provide high-quality infield vocational training and paid internships for our crews, which consist of individuals overcoming barriers to employment. The Hort has designed, installed, and maintained more than 2,000 gardens and green spaces throughout New York City.

EDUCATION

The Hort provides education and enrichment programs for New Yorkers of all ages. Based out of the Greenhouse Education Center at Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park in West Harlem, The Hort offers free and affordable classes, workshops, and public events—both virtually and in-person—that engage more than 10,000 youth, families, and seniors in learning about gardening, nutrition, environmental science, and the culinary arts. The Hort’s educators also work at 35 public schools at which The Hort has designed and installed learning gardens, serving over 4,000 students annually.

THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE

The Hort has pioneered and advanced the practice of therapeutic horticulture through which people improve their social and emotional wellbeing by cultivating and caring for plants. The Hort’s program provides services to more than 1,000 people each year including individuals incarcerated and detained at the Rikers Island Correctional Facility. Additionally, we provide custom therapeutic gardening workshops, serving public, supportive, and affordable housing facilities, senior centers, outpatient treatment centers, the shelter system, foster-care settings, and detention centers.