GARDEN TOURS
Attendees enjoy Nina’s Troy Hidden Garden Tour
TROY, N.Y. » The annual springtime Hidden Garden Tour attracted lots of people who came to marvel at what Troy has in bloom.
For its 20th anniversary year, the event was named Nina’s Troy Hidden Garden Tour in honor of its late founder, Nina Pattison, who died earlier this spring.
Pattison’s personal garden was still a prominent stop on the tour, which featured a total of 42 urban gardens in the Historic Sage, Washington Park and adjoining neighborhoods of downtown Troy.
Over in Little Italy, Kathleen and Charlie Tesnakis showed off the garden of their new home, including vegetables, fruit, f lowers, and herbs.
Though it was a first-time tour stop, this Third Street garden is actually more than 40 years old.
Last year, the Tesnakises purchased the property from Gerald Germano, who tended a garden there over four decades.
“I really thought that this whole section of Little Italy was perfect for the garden
den tour,” Kathleen Tesnakis said about why she chose to participate in the event. “Many of the Italian families who have lived here for generations really cultivated beautiful gardens like this one. They fed their families and their neighbors with gardens like this, and I thought it would be a great thing to share.”
Tesnakis and her husband own ‘e ko logic, a downtown Troy-based company that uses recycled cashmere and post-consumer fabric to create one- of-a-kind clothing. As an environmentally friendly clothing designer, Tesnakis was thrilled to learn that Germano had used only organic means to tend to his garden.
Organic strawberries, rhubarb, spinach, peas, tomatoes, and pears are all expected to be part of the garden’s harvest this season.
Tesnakis is happy to be the new owner of such a special legacy garden.
“It’s so wonderful to be able to hand your home over the next owner, and leave this type of legacy that can be experienced and celebrated and shared by future generations,” she said in a news release. “That’s what Troy is all about.”
The new homeowners aim to keep the garden fruitful and flowering for years to come, with the same intention and thoughtfulness as those who started it. “To me, that’s what makes a legacy garden, one that’s fed the neighbors, fed families for generations and brought a lot of joy to a lot of people.”
Presented by The Friends of Prospect Park, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit, all proceeds from the Hidden Garden Tour benefit ongoing improvement projects in Prospect Park, located on Congress Street in Troy.