Interview with Michael LoFurno (Fitzwater 2000 Community Garden)

Community gardens -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

Fitzwater 2000 (Philadelphia, Pa.)

LoFurno, Michael

Philadelphia Flower Show

Neighborhood Gardens Trust (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Urban gardening -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

Founding member of Fitzwater 2000 Community Garden, Michael LoFurno, traces his path to urban gardening and landscape design. His community garden focus is on food production, trees, and native plants. Funded by project grants, Fitzwater 2000 has developed a long-term focus on sustainable gardening -- beginning with a landscape plan for the garden and the establishment of a pollinator program in the 1990s. He stresses that community gardens should be planned to "look good year-round" through sequencing and through the development of a welcoming "foyer." He credits the strength of Fitzwater 2000 as achemical free space and pollinator strong. In addition, he describes community programming, for example, Fitzwater 2000's Halloween event, its garden produce giveaways, and "teaching moments" for neighborhood children. He credits the Neighborhood Garden Trust with providing protection for the garden into the future.

LoFurno details his early experiences with gardening and scouting and his path to landscape architecture and horticulture. He describes his involvement with PHS Garden Tenders, the PHS Harvest Show, and the Cactus and Succulent Society. As a faculty member in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture, Temple University, he has for many years led the University's exhibit entry at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Interview and recording credit: Joe Makuc

2022

English

Philadelphia (Pa.)