Stuyvesant Square Spotlight: Louis Timko
Meet Louis Timko, SPNA board member, Gardening Committee Chair, and one of the dedicated volunteers helping care for Stuyvesant Square Park week after week.
Since first joining SPNA shortly after moving to the neighborhood, Louis has become a familiar face at Saturday morning gardening sessions, where volunteers gather to plant flowers, spread mulch, maintain garden beds, and help keep the park beautiful for the entire community.
We recently spoke with Louis about how he got involved, what he loves most about volunteering, and why anyone—even first-time gardeners—is welcome to join in.
How did you first get involved with SPNA and the gardening committee?
I first got involved with SPNA within a few weeks of moving to the Gramercy neighborhood. My then-girlfriend (now fiancée) and I were eating Ess-a-Bagel in the park that she had frequented for years, and I saw a group of volunteers moving mulch in a wheelbarrow. Growing up, my parents had me doing hours upon hours of work around the house, which made me miss working out in the sun, gardening, and landscaping. From there, I approached the then-head of gardening, gave them my email, and became a regular weekly volunteer. After about a year of helping out and falling more in love with the park, I was eventually asked to join the SPNA board as the new Horticultural Chair, which I happily accepted.
Louis Timko, SPNA board member and Gardening Committee Chair, refreshes a garden bed during one of the park’s weekly Saturday volunteer gardening sessions.
As chair of the gardening committee, what does your role involve—especially on Saturday mornings?
The head of the gardening committee is first and foremost a facilitator. Many people believe that I am an expert gardener or know all there is to know about plants, but in reality, it’s more about recruiting and organizing volunteers to help keep the park beautiful. On Saturday mornings each week from April through October, we have volunteers in the park from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. cleaning up the beds, planting new flowers and shrubs, mulching, and much more. My job is to make sure everyone has the tools they need, is having fun, and is staying safe.
What do you enjoy most about leading volunteer gardening in the park?
My favorite part of volunteering in the park is spending time in the sun and with my neighbors. It’s so amazing to hear volunteers' stories about what the park means to them and how its rich history has shaped their personal lives. On top of that, I work in an office all week, so I really could use the sunlight where I can get it.
Do you have a favorite area, plant, or seasonal moment in Stuyvesant Square Park?
I don’t think I have a favorite plant or area, but I do love the few weeks in early to mid-April when the first blooms come up. Every year, we plant thousands of flower bulbs in the fall, knowing we won’t see them again until the Spring. Then April rolls around, and the payoff is huge: seeing bulbs planted years ago that have remained in the beds, slowly adding to the collection and making each Spring more vibrant than the last.
What has been a memorable moment or interaction while volunteering?
One of my most memorable moments came this past year, as we installed fences around the quads alongside Second Ave. This was an unbelievably tiresome and involved process, but the juice was absolutely worth the squeeze. A team of volunteers and I pounded in fence posts, unraveled and wrapped up hundreds of feet of wire fence, and walked out with well-protected beds that would no longer be subjected to wandering dogs and trampling feet. This was both the most exhausting and most rewarding thing I have worked on in the park.
What would you say to someone who’s thinking about joining a Saturday gardening session for the first time?
I would say just come out. It’s ok if you don’t know how to garden, it’s ok if you have to leave early, it’s ok if you have a bad back. We have hundreds of things to do and need as much help as possible. We would appreciate even just sitting at the signup table and taking down emails. The park is at its most beautiful on Saturday mornings, and as a volunteer organization, we need all the help we can get to keep it that way!
Interested in getting involved with the Gardening Committee? Send us a note at info@spnanyc.org. We’d love to hear from you.