Working Garden Visit Series - #4 Late Summer in Brooktondale, Dryden & Ithaca

This year FLNPS will host several open native garden visits. Unlike traditional Open Garden Days, these gardens are not all picture perfect, nor are they 100% native. They are works in progress, some new, some older, some more formal, some restored meadows. They are gardens whose creators are trying to incorporate lots of native plants within their own esthetic. Most will be self-guided; a couple will have posted tour times. Be sure to check each upcoming date for details:  Sept 9.

August 26: Gardens open 10am-3pm - all self guided   ***NOTE: Kim garden visit has been cancelled. Sorry.***

Deanna English, Brooktondale 14817:  This property has native plant gardens in the early phases of establishment located around a  newly built pole barn and apartment. Along with native gardens, you can find early phases of a meadow restoration and native plant “islands” in the old hayfield, which is in the process of returning to a more natural state.  In addition to gardens, Deanna and her neighbors partnered with The Upper Susquehanna Watershed Coalition to install wetland vernal pools in the fall of 2021, and the project is rather extensive between the two properties. This is the home of Grow Wild! a native plant nursery which will be open during the tour hours. Self-Guided.

Carolyn Kim, Dryden, NY 13053: A swamp turned farm turned golf course, returning to swamp, this native plant garden features a grove of ancient sugar maples, the beginnings of a food forest, and hundreds of native plants in a variety of gardens and naturalized settings, including seasonal vernal pools, over 1.5 acres. There is abundant wildlife in the area that is returning to this patch now that it is returning to its natural wetlands state, and the old-growth maples support a thriving bird population. Self-guided.

Rosemarie Parker, Ithaca, 14850: A mix of formal and informal areas in a suburban yard of roughly ¾ acre second growth woods and ¾ acre lawn, garden, & “meadow”. The most visible areas conform to the house and neighborhood with many pre-existing non-native elements. The outlying sections are mostly informal native plantings. Dry clay soil and steep grades limit somewhat, but there are still over 170 local and regional natives growing amongst the more exotic species. This garden is open both spring and fall. Spring highlights native ephemerals (alongside lots of non-natives). Fall emphasizes the natives in both informal and front beds. (The “meadow” changes from “mostly looks like a lawn” to 6 ft tall natives throughout.) Self-Guided with plant list.