“They call it dirt therapy,” Austin laughed. He’s just finished putting in a dwarf pomegranate tree, a project he calls a ‘delicious experiment.’ “Sometimes you have to try things just to see how they’ll work out.”A year ago, that uncertainty would have unnerved Austin. After serving as a Marine in Afghanistan, Austin had developed a very strong preference for knowing as much as possible ahead of time. “I’d say I was tense, but that’s not even close to an accurate description. I was beyond tense.”

It was a therapist’s recommendation that Austin create a meditation space in his home that led to that initial call to his NYC urban garden designer.  Today, his rooftop garden is more than his retreat. “This is my studio, where I can be creative and express myself.” An NYC urban garden can give you an outlet for powerful feelings. “And I get a good work out here – you don’t have to work up a sweat, but sometimes you want to, because doing something with your hands just makes you feel better.”

A well-designed urban garden in NYC connects us with the cycles of life. “Sometimes I get so stressed out I just get stuck in the moment,” Austin confessed. “I feel like if I’m down, I’m going to be down forever. But then I get out in my NYC urban garden, and there’s tulips coming up. Those leaves weren’t there yesterday – and they’re going to look different tomorrow.

Everything’s changing, all the time. That’s the way the world is supposed to work. A garden reminds you of that!”Austin’s rooftop urban garden in NYC has also served as a gathering place for his friends. “Some of the guys from my unit live around here, and we get together and hang out. It’s fun to club or whatever, but sometimes you don’t want that. Sometimes you just want somewhere to be and have peace. A NYC urban garden gives you that, whenever you want it.”