Natural History: Patrick Dougherty at BBG

Posted on 2010-11-22 by admin

The view from within.

Blog Widow and I observed Veteran’s Day by visiting the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The Fall foliage was still brilliant, especially in the Bonsai Museum. My other must-see destination was “Natural History,” BBG’s first site-specific installation, by Patrick Dougherty. This was my first visit to the Garden since it was installed in August:

The sculpture at BBG is woven from nonnative woody material that was collected from Ocean Breeze Park on Staten Island. The harvesting site was chosen by BBG’s director of Science because of its proximity to the Garden and its large population of nonnative willow (Salix atrocinerea), which is designated an invasive species in New York State. Removal of saplings of this species helped protect the site’s excellent assemblage of herbaceous plants. The park is owned by the City of New York and is targeted for restoration under the City’s PlaNYC sustainability initiative.

During a visit to BBG a year before beginning the work, Dougherty drew sketches and made word associations based on the feelings he experienced while exploring the potential work site. When asked about some of the words that came to mind as he contemplated what he wanted to build in Brooklyn, Dougherty smiled and said “lairs; a place for feral children and wayward adults.”

The sculpture will be on display until August 2011, when it will be dismantled. It’s going to look awesome in snow.

Slideshow

Links

Natural History at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Patrick Dougherty

Fall Foliage at BBG’s Bonsai Museum

Posted on 2010-11-16 by admin

Detail of the fall foliage of a Moyogi (informal upright) specimen of Acer palmatum in BBG’s Bonsai Museum.

Detail of a Moyogi, informal upright style, specimen of the native Larix laricina, Tamarack.

This Sekijoju, root-over-rock style, specimen of Acer buergerianum by the late Stanley Chinn is one of my favorite photographic subjects at BBG.

Slideshow

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Links

C. V. Starr Bonsai Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Grief & Gardening: Nine Years

Posted on 2010-09-11 by admin

Let’s get the usual question out of the way. This is where I was the morning of September 11, 2001.

This is Skytop Tower at Mohonk Mountain House at sunset the previous night. Blog Widow and I had planned a week-long vacation upstate, starting at Mohonk. The morning of September 11, we hiked up to Skytop. A rustic retreat, Mohonk had no televisions or radios in the rooms. As we left the massive wooden structure to go out hiking, I noticed people huddled around the few televisions in some of the common rooms. I thought nothing of it at the time. I later realized we left just after the first attack.
We hiked around the lake, then up to Skytop, and climbed up into the tower. We had the trails almost to ourselves. As we came down the tower, I sang loudly, my voice echoing through the stone structure: “I love to go a-wandering …” Part of the way, we encountered another hiker coming up the stairs. I stopped singing and said, “excuse me.” Only then did he lift his head to us, tears streaming down his face. “Did you hear what happened?” “No.” “They flew a plane into the World Trade Center.”

We hiked back. When we returned to the buildings, the common rooms were packed with people, watching the news on every available television. We went back to our room. Blog Widow went back downstairs to find out what happened. I had brought my laptop with me, so I tried getting online. He returned to tell me the World Trade Center had collapsed. I was incredulous; I couldn’t imagine what that meant. By the time I went downstairs myself, both towers were gone. I sat and watched those horrible images for the first time.

We decided to hold to our vacation plans for the week, somber though it was. There was nothing we could do back home. My workplace downtown, blocks from Ground Zero, would not reopen for two weeks. Reminders met us everywhere we went. And everywhere we went, we were ambassadors for New York City. When we told people where we were from, as often as not, they broke down crying. We were their reminders.

We drove back to my apartment in Brooklyn that Sunday. I was startled when I saw the first airplane flying overhead; with all flights grounded, the skies had been empty since the attacks. I got my first glimpse as we drove along the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway: twin trails of heavy smoke, orange and red from a setting sun. I burst into tears. Somehow, I had expected the fires to have burned out by then.

When we were allowed to return to work, I got my first personal glimpse of Ground Zero.

The fires continued to burn for months, through the winter, into 2002. For weeks, until a few heavy rains washed the city, everything was covered in ash and dust. It collected in drifts along sidewalks and gutters. Every day I went to work, for months, I smelled and breathed the smoke. All of Downtown Manhattan was a crematorium.

Thousands of shrines and memorials appeared and grew throughout the city. The most heart-breaking were those around St. Vincent’s Hospital, which prepped for massive casualties, but received very few. Few who didn’t walk, or run, away survived. Even today, remains have yet to be found for over 1,000 people murdered in the attacks.

The ash washed away, the fires died, the smoke cleared. The candles and posters gradually eroded. A year after the attacks, the memorials which covered the fences around St. Paul’s Chapel were carefully removed and preserved. Eventually, even the basin which held the foundations of the towers and other structures on the site was emptied. As the direct evidence of what happened faded, new symbols emerged. For me, these are far more powerful and meaningful than any flag or banner.

Tonight, the Tribute in Light will shine again.

The Sphere, the sculpture by Fritz Koenig that had held place of prominence in the center of the WTC Plaza, was heavily damaged in the towers’ collapse, but survived. It’s been on display at Battery Park for the past few years. It will be returned to the Memorial for its permanent home.

Another sculpture, Steve Tobin’s “Trinity Root,” was placed in the courtyard of Trinity Church, two blocks from Ground Zero. It was cast from the roots of a Sycamore that stood in the cemetery of St. Paul’s Chapel, a few blocks north, and directly across the street from Ground Zero. The tree was destroyed when the towers fell, but it shielded the church itself from even greater damage.

St. Paul’s Chapel has been a moving memorial all these years. It’s filled with an ever-changing display of artifacts and remembrances from all over the world.

And finally, the official, multi-million dollar memorial will occupy the footprints of the towers and the plaza between them. Here’s a model of the National September 11 Memorial at the Preview Site on Vesey Street, across the street from St. Paul’s near the corner of Church Street at Ground Zero in Downtown Manhattan.

The first of 400 trees for the grove were planted just two weeks ago, in time for today’s observations. These are Quercus bicolor, Swamp White Oaks. The other species will be Liquidambar styraciflua, Sweet Gum. A forest and waterfalls will take the place of devastation, natural elements no less powerful and evocative for being constrained to an urban grid. They will also remind me of where I was when I first heard of the attacks. A garden as the ultimate embodiment of reflection and recovery.

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Boardwalk Community Garden, Coney Island, Brooklyn

Posted on 2010-09-06 by admin

Slideshow

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Links

OASIS Map

Designing a New Communal Garden

Posted on 2010-07-17 by admin

2010-07-31: Added base plan, drawn to scale, of the site.
2010-07-26: Added transcribed notes from the workshop materials.

On June 6 and June 16, Sustainable Flatbush and the Flatbush Reformed Church held two Community Visioning Workshops for a new communal garden to be created on the grounds of the Church. On Sunday, August 1, 3pm, we invite community review of proposed designs.

Participants of the second community visioning workshop introduce themselves on the grounds of the future garden.

We invite design proposals from the community. This post has basic information about the site, including measurements and general conditions, as well as the notes from the workshop sessions, to inform your designs.

Location

The main area available for the new garden is the front lawn of the Parsonage of the Flatbush Reformed Church. This building is at the corner of a dead-end court, Kenmore Terrace, and lightly-traveled through-street, East 21st Street.

View Larger Map

Here’s how the site looks from the corner. Kenmore Terrace is in the foreground, East 21st Street is on the left. The view is looking slightly east of north.

Dimensions

Here’s the base plan, drawn to scale at 3/16″ = 1 foot, of the site. Kenmore Terrace is at the bottom of the plan, East 21st Street on the left, the parking lot on the right. North is roughly up.

The front porch is nearly 53′ long! It’s just over 25′ from the fence along Kenmore Terrace to the front of the porch, and 27′ from the East 21st Street fence to the side. It’s nearly 85′ from the parking lot to East 21st. The sidewalk bed along Kenmore Terrace is 3’6″ deep. The bed between the fence and the parking lot is 8’3″ deep.

Here is my sketched, unscaled, plan of the site, drawn from the perspective of the front porch of the Parsonage. Kenmore Terrace is at the top of the plan, the parking lot is on the left, East 21st on the right.

Conditions

The plan notes the approximate locations of three of the large oak trees around the perimeter of site, just inside the fence. They provide high shade over the entire property. The sidewalk beds along Kenmore get some sun during the middle of the day, enough, at least, for some Hemerocallis to bloom there.

Soil tests revealed high levels of metals in the soil, too high to grow food directly in the soil. There are ample opportunities for raised beds across the site. A second area, with full sun next to the parking lot, will be used for raised beds.

Transcription

These notes were transcribed from the Workshop collages.

EDUCATION PROGRAMS:
produce, herbs and food
– children-run MINI-CSA for neighbors (like a lemonade but w/ produce)
– COOKING CLASSES/demos *** (on nutrition *)
– medicinal HERB WORKSHOPS

art and culture
– ART WORKSHOPS
– art & CULTURE CURRICULUMS

biking
– BIKE riding LESSONS in parking lot
– BIKE MAINTENANCE workshops

youth-oriented programming
– EDUCATION PROGRAMS – interface w/ local charter school & public schools
– summer/ weekend educational for kids
– GARDEN VISITS- kids visiting garden from schools

gardening programming
– GARDENING 101 info sessions/workshops **
– HAITIAN COMMUNITY SHARING of traditional farming knowledge
– HOW-TOs to encourage others to use their BACKYARD
– SUSTAINABILITY EDucation
– SOLAR installation – demo/workshop when it’s installed
– VERMICOMPOST – how to workshops

methods for running these programs:
– programs out of parsonage
– adaquate documentation of each step taken online
– how to guide for those in other communities looking to start their own gardens and/or gardening tips for those who want to start backyard gardens in the area (similar weather and growing conditions)

EVENTS
theater
– Small THEATER performance on the porch – with a garden or food theme (w/ and for kids) ie. Little Red Hen, Peter Rabbit
– showcase edible plants – “PLANT OF THE WEEK” idea, educate community members about plants they can eat, recipes for preparation, fun facts, etc

food and drink
– monthly POTLUCKS ***
– BBQs w/ veggie foods
– TEA PARTIES! (mint & ginger) **
– mint LEMONADE STAND (5 cents)

for the garden
– LEAF COLLECTION in the fall
– PLANT SWAP
– collective SIGN DESIGN

fun
– non-amplified MUSIC (jazz, blue-grass, brazilian, steel drums)
– ACUPUNCTURE
– BOOK CLUB (w/ environmental social justice focus)

trips
– FARM TRIP

seasonal programming
– spring/easter HAT PARADE
– campfire style GHOST STORIES (smores, etc)
– PUMPKIN carving in the fall

– halloween party (compost halloween pumpkins)

getting to know you
– porch party
– MEET my neighbors

methods
– intergenerational gardening
– gatherings

GARDEN AREAS:
by plants
– Fragrant garden
– butterfly garden ***
– kids garden ** (and education programs)
– discovery gardens ** (tactile plants **)
– meditation bench in quiet leafy spot
– cactus/low water garden
– polinator garden in front of parsonage

for programming
– area for potluck/picnics
– long table for potlucks
– benches & tables for gathering **

art
– murals
– sculptures

for garden techniques
– corner of garden for pumpkin patch (also it’s right next to a cemetery so that’s cool!)
– vertical gardening for the fenced in areas **
– maze path lined w/ flowers
– path (curvy, etc) **
– tree beds – protect trees we are working around

GARDEN INFRASTRUCTURE:
garden-based infrastructure and decor
– beehive **
– birdhouse *****
– greenhouse ***
– sundial
– solar lighting/lanterns **
– water fountain *** (solar powered ones *)

gardening method infrastructure
– rain water catchment ***
– composting

for fun
– treehouse*
– swing **
– hammock

for transport
– bike parking **** (bike racks)

for entryway
– beautiful welcoming gate **
– sign on gate w/ info on how to join
– arbor over entrance

etc
– recycling on church grounds
– wind power
– solar power **
– human power
– whimsy

walls
– living wall

– a living structure – like a small yurt from woven willows that are still growing and changing – the kids can play in it
– sound barrier

GARDEN TECHNIQUES:
methods

– lasagna gardening
– 3 sister type planting (corn, beans, root veggies)
– companion planting as a model for small space gardening – how to have a garden grow food for your family in a small space
– permaculture

– heal the soil

– container gardening
– recycled containers as planters (ie. pickle barrel) – drill holes for drainage
– raised beds for food
– cold frames (windows work! “or so i’ve heard”)

fertilizing
– organic fertilizers (garden plenty, liquid kelp spray, sea rich)
– organic **

keep
– seed library – seed saving

THINGS TO GROW:

herbs *

– food herbs ***
– basil *
– medicinal herbs ** (ie. comfrey, hyssop, lavender)
– parsley **
– rosemary **
– cilantro
– thyme

fruits

– grapes*
– berries
– fruit trees **
– avocados
– strawberries
– pink lady apples
– peaches
– cherries
– watermelon
– apples
– grapes
– blueberries

vegetables
– pumpkins
– squash*
– brussel srpouts
– eggplant
– artichoke
– salad greens*
-radishes
– beans
– chickpeas
– root veggies (onions ***, carrots ***, potatoes ***, radishes)
– tomatoes **
– peppers
– garlic
– scallion
_ ginger **
– any green leafed vegetables
– kale
– legumes
– swiss chard
– zuchini
– bell pepers
– leeks
– green beens
– tomatoes
– hot pepers
– lettuce
– cucumbers

– wine harvesting

flowers

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Links

Garden Visioning Session report, Jeremy Teperman, Sustainable Flatbush, 2010-07-01

Flatbush Reformed Church
CAMBA
Flatbush Farm Share CSA

35 North Pearl Street

Posted on 2010-07-15 by admin

Part of Garden Bloggers Buffa10, Buffalo, NY, July 2010

Red Monarda, Beebalm, against a turquoise blue door in the backyard of 35 North Pearl Street in Buffalo’s Allentown neighborhood.

This is one of the first gardens I saw in the Allentown neighborhood of Buffalo the afternoon of Thursday, July 8. Perhaps because it was first, it got extra attention. Nevertheless, I think you’ll agree it was worthy of it.

A simple design made practical use of a small, urban backyard. The hub and spoke design creates multiple focal points: a fountain, a chair, and the blue door. This is an important design strategy for making a small space seem bigger, part of our conversation on the “short bus” one afternoon. At the same time, it grants reliable access to most of the flowers beds for maintenance. A strong design like this works even – especially – when flowers are past and leaves are gone. And Buffalo’s notorious snows would highlight it further, when it’s not completely buried.

Slideshow

June 16: Community Visioning Workshop for a new Communal Garden

Posted on 2010-06-15 by admin

The Parsonage at the Flatbush Reformed Church is the proposed site for a new communal garden.

This Wednesday, June 16 at 6pm

Are you a gardener, or have you always wanted to get your hands in the dirt?
Sustainable Flatbush is collaborating with the Flatbush Reformed Church to create a new community garden!

Join us in a creative brainstorming session to plan this new neighborhood green space!

WHAT: Community Garden Visioning Meeting
WHEN: Wednesday June 16th at 6pm
WHERE: Flatbush Reformed Church, 890 Flatbush Avenue (at Church Ave.)

Refreshments and childcare will be provided!

What to expect at the meeting:

* see the garden location!
* contribute your ideas for what the garden will be
* what we can grow (flowers? herbs? vegetables?)
* how we can best use the space we have
* how we will build and maintain the garden
* learn how you can get involved!

For more information: 718-208-0575 / info@sustainableflatbush.org

Sustainable Flatbush brings neighbors together to mobilize, educate, and advocate for sustainable living in our Brooklyn neighborhood and beyond.

The Flatbush Reformed Church is a welcoming, inclusive and ecumenical Church located in the heart of Brooklyn.

A section of the wall filled in by participants in the first Visioning Workshop on June 6.

Links

New community garden — not at Brooklyn College, Helen Klein, Flatbush Life, 2010-06-08

Flatbush Reformed Church
Sustainable Flatbush
CAMBA
Flatbush Farm Share CSA

Help Envision a New Garden: Sunday, June 6

Posted on 2010-06-03 by admin

Update: June 16: Community Visioning Workshop for a new Communal Garden

Update, 2010.06.04: Added information about the site.
Update, 2010.06.03: Added registration link.

The Parsonage, Flatbush Reformed Church, 2103 Kenmore Terrace, corner of East 21st Street, Flatbush, Brooklyn

Thus Sunday, June 6, from 4-6pm, we’ll be holding the first of two Community Visioning Workshops for a new communal garden on the grounds of the landmarked Flatbush Reformed Church. One site is a small, fenced-off area. The other is the front lawn of the Parsonage. This landmarked historic building was built in 1853 – though portions of it may be even older – and moved to this site in 1913.

Front lawn, looking east from East 21st Street

The main area is the front lawn of the Parsonage. It’s a large area, about 25-feet deep, from the fence along Kenmore Terrace to the porch of the house, and about 85-feet long, from East 21st Street to the Church parking lot. There are opportunities to further develop the buffer plantings, 3-1/2-feet between the fence and the sidewalk, that Church members have already established.

Buffer Plantings, looking from the entrance gate toward East 21st Street

The site is dominated by large, mature Oak trees lining the fence on Kenmore Terrace and East 21st Street. These cast dense shade, and working with this constraint will be one of the challenges for designing the garden and plantings. I have a lot of experience with urban shade gardens, and see the potential in this site.

The most interesting aspects of this project will be the community partnerships. CAMBA, a large community-based service organization, has a young mothers program that meets at the Parsonage. We want the space and gardens to be child-friendly, and provide opportunities for exploration and learning about nature and gardening. The Flatbush Farm Share CSA distributes from the front lawn of the Parsonage. They offer shares for all income levels, and subsidize low-income members. We want to accommodate their needs for space and provide opportunities for education programs.

Soil Sampling for Texture Analysis

Press Release

Sustainable Flatbush is partnering with the Flatbush Reformed Church to create a new community garden! The whole community is invited to be involved in the planning and care of this neighborhood green space.

Two Community Garden Visioning Meetings have been scheduled for Sunday June 6th and Wednesday June 16th. At these brainstorming sessions community members will visit the garden area, located on church grounds, and work collaboratively to envision this new public green space: what can be grown, how to best utilize the space, how the garden will be built and maintained, what to name the garden, and how to be a part of it!

The new community garden is a joint project of Sustainable Flatbush’s Urban Gardens & Farms Initiative and the Flatbush Reformed Church.

The Urban Gardening and Farming Initiative works to foster community gardening efforts in Flatbush, promoting healthy local food, sustainable horticulture practices, and community building and beautification.

Sustainable Flatbush brings neighbors together to mobilize, educate, and advocate for sustainable living in our Brooklyn neighborhood and beyond.

Flatbush Reformed Church is a welcoming, inclusive and ecumenical Church in the heart of Brooklyn.

WHAT: Community Garden Visioning Meetings
WHEN: Sunday, June 6th at 4pm and Wednesday, June 16th at 6pm.
WHERE: Flatbush Reformed Church, located at 890 Flatbush Avenue at Church Avenue, just three blocks east of the Q train or three blocks west of the 2 train, Church Avenue stop.

Sign up here to attend a Visioning Meeting.

Refreshments and childcare will be provided.

Links

New Community Garden at Flatbush Reformed Church!, Sustainable Flatbush, 2010-05-31

Flatbush Reformed Church
CAMBA
Flatbush Farm Share CSA

Native Plant Profile: Amelanchier x grandiflora

Posted on 2010-05-09 by admin

Jump to How to Plant a Tree.

Today I planted Amelanchier x grandiflora ‘Autumn Brilliance’, Apple Serviceberry, in my backyard native plant garden.

I chose my backyard as my final class project for Urban Garden Design at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden last year. Serviceberry is one of the two key plants I specified for my planting scheme. Serviceberries are multi-season plants. They bloom in early Spring, before the flowering cherries. The berries ripen in mid-summer; they are edible and tasty, and attractive to birds. Fall color is excellent. Branching structure and bark provide winter interest.

Here are the initial sketch and final design for the project. The Amelanchier is the second smallest circle on the left (north) of the plan. In this design for an urban woodland garden, the Serviceberry plays the role of an understory tree. The larger circle on the right is Sassafras albidum, the canopy tree, which is proving even more difficult to source than the Amelanchier.

Here’s how the north bed looked this afternoon, before planting the tree. The large shrub is Viburnum dentatum ‘Blue Muffin’, Arrowwood, which I transplanted here last Spring.

The Serviceberries hybridize readily in the wild. Although I specified A. arborea, A. canadensis, or A. laevis in my plant list, the species have proven difficult to locate. A. x grandiflora is a horticultural hybrid of my preferred species – sources disagree on whether it’s between A. arborea or A. canadensis and A. laevis – so this is a good alternative. Serviceberries are in the Rosaceae, the Rose Family, and so are subject to the same diseases as more conventional fruit trees such as apples. ‘Autumn Brilliance’ is a cultivar selected for its fall foliage and disease resistance.

Serviceberries sucker readily. Their growth is usually shrubby. even the larger species typically grow as trees with multiple trunks, but they can be trained to a single trunk. I went looking for such specimens on Thursday. I found two at Chelsea Garden Center in Red Hook. One was already tagged as sold. I bought this one.

It’s deceptively small-looking in the photo. That’s a 15-gallon container. Once I got it into the backyard, I had some appreciation for the task I’d set for myself. Here it is set on the wagon I used to wheel it into the backyard.

How to plant a tree

When planting a tree, it’s important not to plant it deeper than it was grown. I measured the depth of the container, and used that as a guide; since the soil level in the container is two inches down from the edge, I took two inches off the height of the container. You can also just take marks against your planting tools. I made final adjustments of depth with the tree in the hole: starting high, then gently tipping the tree and taking out just one shovelful at a time until the top of the roots were just above their original depth.

I also measured the width of the container. Normally, the width is not important: you can dig two or three times wider than the width of the roots, the wider the better. But I was planting into tight quarters – an already planted bed – and didn’t want to have to remove more soil than I needed to. Also, I worked this soil last Spring, when I built out the bed, so I didn’t need to dig a wider hole this time around.

Before I tucked the tree in, I took the opportunity to prune out any broken or crossing branches. It doesn’t affect the look of the tree, and reduces later problems. This is easier to do with the tree on its side than upright. I have a pole pruner to use as the tree gets bigger.

Before

After. See? It doesn’t look any different.

The final challenge: getting the tree to and into the hole without destroying the other plantings. For this, I setup a wide board as a ramp to slide the root ball over the other plants.

Fortunately, just at this moment, Blog Widow returned home, and a neighbor stopped by. We made quick work of getting the tree in, with little damage to the other plants.

Mature size is 15-25′ high and wide. This will provide critical late day shade for the wildflowers and ferns planted in this bed. I could already see the difference today. Birds will be attracted to the fruit, which ripen before those of the existing Viburnum and Ilex verticillata. With early bloom and excellent fall color, this tree will anchor the garden in all seasons, and help define the space. This is the single most costly plant I’ve ever purchased. It’s one of the best investments I’ve made in the garden.

[http://goo.gl/fb/Y9Gjn]

Greenbelt Native Plant Center, Staten Island

Posted on 2010-05-03 by admin

Tim Chambers, Greenbelt Native Plant Center Nursery Manager, and our guide for the tour, explains GNPC’s history and mission at the start of the tour.

Monday, May 3, I visited the Greenbelt Native Plant Center (GNPC) for the first time. This tour was one of over 45 events scheduled for NYC Wildflower Week. From the event description:

The Greenbelt Native Plant Center is the only municipal native plant nursery in the country. It is a 13-acre greenhouse, nursery, founder seed and seed bank complex owned and operated by NYC Parks & Recreations Dept. Over the past fifteen years, the center has grown hundreds of thousands of specimens from locally collected seed of the city’s indigenous flora for use in restoration, and replanting projects and is currently developing bulk seed mixes for the city. The GNPC is a partner in the establishment of the first national native seed bank called Seeds of Success.

GNPC operates as a wholesale nursery serving primarily, but not exclusively, restoration projects around the NYC area. GNPC partners with other growers around the region. Not all their efforts go to NYC wild areas and parks; some go to other, nearby restorations, and they also receive plants of specific species when they don’t have the stock to meet the demand.

There are over 2,000 plant species native to the NYC area. GNPC currently propagates about 350, a remarkable proportion. That range is important; GNPC is not just in the business of species preservation, but also restoration of plant communities. That work requires sourcing of many different species, and the plant “palette” required depends on the goals of each project.

Collection

It all starts with the collection of seed from the wild. Collections are done throughout the region; NYC itself has over 8,700 acres in 51 nature preserves under its Forever Wild program. Wherever it comes from, the seed collection protocol links back to the mission of GNPC. As Tim Chambers, our guide for the tour, and GNPC’s Nursery Manager, explained to us, non-selection is the goal.

Use of plant materials from local populations ensures the success of ecological restoration or enhancement of natural systems. Our seed collection begins by employing internationally accepted protocols for collecting seeds from wild populations that capture the full genetic variability of a given plant population. Genetic variation is the basis for evolutionary success.
– Mission, GNPC

Part of the protocol includes random sampling across a population. Collecting seed from the most vigorous plants, or those with the largest seedheads, or some other criteria, introduces unnatural, human selection. This distorts the evolutionary history captured in the genetic diversity across the population. The population grown on from those seeds will be less representative of the original, less adapted to the conditions in which the original plants were found, and less suitable for restoration efforts.

Collection must be distributed not just spatially across a population, but across time. A given population may have individuals whose seed ripens slightly earlier, or slightly later, than the bulk of the population. These outliers give the population as a whole more resiliency in the face of unusual or extreme conditions: a drought, an early frost, an unusual outbreak of insects. Seed must be collected throughout the ripening seasons to capture that diversity.

Processing

If you’ve never collected seed from your own plants before, I can recommend it. It’s not so straightforward as you might think. You don’t usually collect seeds. You collect the fruits that contain the seeds. Getting the seeds out – separating the seeds from the chaff – can take some work. And it requires different techniques for each species.

Separation Equipment

Barrels of Chaff

This chaff was softer than the softest feathers or wool you’ve ever felt.

Germination

After separation, germination is tested in the Seed Lab. If germination succeeds, it means the seed is ripe; they sow the seeds in trays. They’re germinated and grown in a greenhouse dedicated to this first stage in getting plants from seed.

What results is a dense mat of first growth.

I didn’t get the id of these grass seedlings.

Amelanchier canadensis, Canadian Serviceberry

Agastache nepetoides, Yellow Giant Hyssop

Growing on

To grow past this point, the seedlings must be separated from their siblings. They’re pricked out from the mat and planted in individual containers, just like you find in any plant nursery. It’s delicate, time-consuming work.

The result is an abundance of beautiful, healthy seedlings of NYC-local ecotype native plants. These will be grown onto successively larger containers, depending on the needs of the projects for which they’ve been contracted.

Pinus strobus, Eastern White Pine. Mature height: 150 feet.

These cute little guys are Liriodendron tulipifera, Tulip Tree. Mature height: 120 feet.

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Location

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Conditions

Transcription

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References

Collection

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