Native Plant Area

This grant will enable Greene Acres Community Garden to actually create the native plant section we planned last year, but were unable to complete due to lack of funds. Loss of native plant communities is a nationwide problem which impacts our ecosystems severely. Because of development and the widespread introduction of invasive species, some native plants are in danger of extinction. Even more destructive is the impact of the loss of native plant biodiversity on wildlife including birds and insects. When the plants these wildlife species have evolved to depend on are displaced and disappear from their native areas, these species cannot survive. The exotic ornamentals which have come to dominate in many New York gardens do not provide the types of food, nesting materials and cover that our native birds and butterflies need. 

How our group will address the environmental problem: Last year our group made the decision to dedicate this section of garden to native plants. The steps we have already taken: 1. Our group made the decision to cut down a mulberry tree which was inimical to any other plant growth in this garden section (due to creating deep shade as well as the allopathic nature of mulberry trees.) 2. We arranged with NYRP to have two large scale dumps of composted leaves in the area in order to enrich the soil. 3. We bought and planted a spice bush, two ironweeds and a potentilla. This year we plan to use a heavy mulch to prevent the Asian shiso plants which last year dominated this area. In the other areas reclaimed from the shiso plants we will plant natives using information from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Native Flora collection, including plant lists and native nursery lists.

An early morning trip to the native flora section at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in inspirational because it demonstrates how full of life and birdsong a garden can be when plants are selected to nurture our native species of birds. Our garden has set aside a 20ft by 20ft section to be planted exclusively with native plants to reproduce this success on a smaller scale.