Today’s photos are from Virginia Sherry.
I’m writing to you from Staten Island, the greenest borough of New York City, where I have gardened for over 60 years. I’d like to share information and recent photos about one of our borough’s treasures: the 13-acre Greenbelt Native Plant Center, a nursery, greenhouse, and seed-bank complex. Its primary mission is to provide seeds and potted native plants in support of the restoration and management of many of the city’s most significant natural areas.
The photos I’ve included here were taken by me on a visit to the center on April 26, 2021, just in time to catch some of the native perennials in spring bloom.
Wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis, Zones 3–8) dances in the wind.
This trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens, Zones 4–8) is about to flower. When they open, the blooms will be long, red, beautiful trumpets—much loved by hummingbirds.
The fruits that follow the flowers of wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana, Zones 4–9) are tiny but fragrant and delicious.
The delicate little daisy blooms of this Eastern daisy fleabane (Erigeron annus, annual) are visited by a wide range of pollinators.
Rue anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides, Zones 4–8), a spring-blooming native, is ephemeral, quickly going dormant and vanishing after flowering.
Red chokecherry (Aronia arbutifolia, Zones 4–9)
It’s easy to see that the blooms of wild columbine cater to hummingbirds, with their long red spurs holding nectar.
Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum, Zones 3–8) is another spring ephemeral, specialized to get up, flower, and photosynthesize before the tree canopy fully leafs out and blocks the sun from the woodland floor.
Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
If you want to send photos in separate emails to the GPOD email box that is just fine.
Have a mobile phone? Tag your photos on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!
You don’t have to be a professional garden photographer – check out our garden photography tips!
Do you receive the GPOD by email yet? Sign up here.
Comments
It's wonderful to see that the native wildflowers can fit right in with the cultivated ones. One side of my backyard is filled with wild strawberries. It reminds me of when my children were young and ate them. The texture of my yard between the wild plants and moss is an added treat, because I don't care about it at all. I've found, as a gardener, that often what I ignore turns out better than what I obsess on.
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for sharing!
I also let natives infiltrate the garden, and we have a splendid array of birds and creatures who regularly dine here. Am hoping to add some spring ephemerals soon.
I enjoyed your native plants. Thanks for sharing.
Until now I had never thought of Staten Island as as a place having a "13-acre Greenbelt Native Plant Center, a nursery, greenhouse, and seed-bank complex"-always imagined lots of big buildings...nice to know, nice photos too!
Nice to know that such a place exists. Thank you for sharing your lovely photos.
This is just lovely - that rue anemone is so beautiful, like a perfect porcelain cup! Thank you for sharing.
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Sign up Log in