Jackson Heights Life

Hello,

As a resident who lives in the low 70's it is always a pleasure to see the pristine condition that Windsor is kept.  This has changed since work is being done on the building and a scaffold is up.

Does anyone know what type of work is taking place?  I sure hope they don't do anything that changes the appearance of the grounds and building. 

Hi,
I live in The Windsor,  our roof is being replaced.

Actually, I would say the grounds are looking better than ever. I have friends who live in the building and I have to say, I'm jealous. The Windsor has cleverly approached its landscape in ways that might be lost on those who aren't savvy about design and urban ecology, but The Windsor is WAY ahead of its time for a number of reasons.

1) They designed their back area to be more accessible than it once was. It provides grouping of intimate seating for small gatherings and individuals. It's lovely, protected, and well tended without being overly manicured and sterile. It has two functional compost bins (one for active composting and one for resting) that are dutifully tended by building residents. They've thoughtfully approached rules for its use, so noise won't become a nuisance late into the evening.

2) They've maintained the historic foundation plantings around the building's perimeter, respecting the neighborhood vernacular and blending nicely with other period nearby buildings. I would love to see them underplant rather than mulch...but it's not my building.

3) Maybe the most exciting is their entry garden, which is entirely native species. Healthy landscapes are dynamic, diverse, and support native ecology. Their front garden bursts with drifts of phlox early in the spring, has impressive asters even late into the fall, and dazzling winterberries through the coldest months. It's constantly changing with the seasons, stepping away from the tight static default of azaleas, yew, hydrangeas, and the other ubiquitous conventional suburban plantings that have robbed our environment of much of any ecological function. Don't even get me started on how native gardens outperform when it comes to carbon sequestration, stormwater management, or educating youngsters about the environment...

I wish my building did half of what The Windsor has implemented. We just have concrete and no will power to even compost.
Scaffolding can be tough on plants, it robs them of light, ventilation, and water - not to mention the physical damage at its base. Here's hoping The Windsor's landscape rebounds quickly, and that more neighbors will wake up to the importance of landscapes, even small ones, in urban environments, as well as beauties beyond the overpruned and overmulched.

This sure looks like a personal response by a deeply angry person who is so afraid of conflict they have to hide behind a screen name and the old "most people....".

I do wonder what the [removed by moderator] has to say about their [removed by moderator] members publicly disparaging neighborhood gardens.

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