I'll Take This as a Sign of Maturity: Interest in My Neighborhood Garden

I'm sure I've walked by this spot at least a dozen times, but for some reason I noticed this plot of land at the end of my street on Saturday. It's one of the city's Greenstreets areas, which according to the NYC parks Web site, were developed in 1996; there are currently more than 2,000 of them. I know it's hard to see in this picture, but there's garbage strewn all around this one: Its weak fence is no match for the countless cups, paper bags, plastic containers, and even red ribbon that I saw inside the tiny garden yesterday. I also admit that I'm the farthest thing from a green thumb; I love flowers and plants but I suck at taking care of them.

How, then, to help this sad little neighborhood garden? It's in an area with mostly businesses -- there are few residential units in the surrounding blocks, which makes me think that I'm the one who should do something here. Apparently, there's a class on Wednesday called "Caring for Street Trees," in which one can get some tools and a permit, but it's full. Maybe I should just try to clear the garbage on my own, and hope that someone from the parks department comes to care for the plants in the spring? Or I could go back in time and actually pay attention in my college horticulture class.