Native Plants Educate and Inspire at the Botanical Garden of NYC

If you’re planning a trip to New York City, make sure to Visit the Native Plant Garden, which opened in 2013 at the New York Botanical Garden. There is something for everyone here. Shade anglers will discover plenty to look at in the dappled layers beneath a canopy of river birch, dogwood and sugar maple. Farther along the path, beneath an open sky, plants that enjoy sun sprawl in wispy cascades that capture the end or offer up their blossoms in rigid, colorful spikes. And there are areas for sitting and listening. In the center of one of the largest cities on earth, the noise of bees and birds is very sweet.

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Flared pots display native plants outside the entrance pavilion — you won’t find begonias or geraniums here. Rather, decorative grasses welcome you with this landscape with plants indigenous to eastern North America.

More than 100,000 plants cover this 31/2-acre USDA zone 7a place, inspiring anyone searching for strategies to come up with a sustainable landscape or combine plants in new ways. On a recent visit, I discovered a new baptisia that I’d love to test — the short purple cultivar ‘Purple Smoke’ (Baptisia australis ‘Purple Smoke’), since I really like anything with purple spikes.

Winding paths take you through a woodland and connect to other different places. There is a glade, wetland, wet meadow, dry meadow, native boundary and promenade walk that runs along an angular 230-foot-long water quality that cuts through the center of this landscape.

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“The entire site is a tribute to the rich, diverse structures of the Northeast,” says principal designer Sheila Brady of Oehme, van Sweden. “We pivoted the look round the geology, all the beautiful rock outcroppings, the wet meadow and the mature forest nearby.”

Among the project goals would be to integrate a sustainable water feature. “We capture all the surface runoff in a system that uses biofiltration and minimizes potable water usage,” Brady says. Storm water is discharged through plants like sweetflag (Acorus sp) and stored in cisterns belowground.

The New York Botanical Garden

From the specially constructed wetland, a pump recirculates rainwater, moving it through layers of sand, gravel and plant roots that filter and clean the water through this natural biofiltration system.

Slender blue flag iris (Iris prismatica ‘Exeter’), one of just three iris species native to New York, can be found along the boardwalk. If you have got wet soil, a pond or stream, you will be interested to know that this tough perennial naturally happens in these types of areas and has a lovely spring bloom.

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From the dappled light of this woodland, clumps of wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) mingle with prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), a delicate bud with wand-like seed heads. Aquilegia canadensis ‘Little Lanterns’, called Canadian columbine, is blended into the screens and is much more intensely colored than the species.

Red Northern lady fern (Athyrium ‘Lady in Red’) forms a floor cover, along with eastern teaberry (Gaultheria procumbens) and Appalachian sedge (Carex appalachica).

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Prairie dropseed cascades along the edges of paths and adds a tactile element.

“What really intrigued me was the way, in spite of a simplified plant palette, a very powerful sense of location for each habitat area was communicated,” says garden photographer Karen Bussolini.

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Grasses abound on rocky slopes, where they soften the hard shapes of boulders.

For Bussolini, that also functions as a ecofriendly garden coach in northwestern Connecticut, the plantings are still inspirational. “The garden is filled with very great plants, any one of which could be an asset in any garden, but here grown in neighborhood,” she states. “The routines of intermingling plants were endlessly fascinating, and I left inspired to try quite a few of them.”

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Noteworthy species on view along the meadow route include tufted hair grass (Deschampsia cespitosa) and wavy hair bud (Deschampsia flexuosa), both planted en masse along a grove of river birch (Betula nigra ‘Heritage’, zones 3 to 7).

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I really like how these granite steps have been creatively incorporated into an accessible route that runs close to a rock outcropping, overlooking the wetland. The paths are made with Gravel-Lok, a sustainable material that allows rainwater to filter through without puddling.

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Right plant, right place is the golden rule for gardening. For anyone with poorly draining soil, the backyard’s Wet Meadow contains many plants that can take rough growing conditions, like tall cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis). Adapted to bogs, stream banks and weak soils, it is a native from southeastern Canada all the way to Central America.

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Seen in late-afternoon light onto a low angle, the rich tapestry of blossoms is spectacular. They will be hitting their peak color soon as frost approaches. In winter they’ll offer an essential nesting habitat for all species.

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As you develop the route through the Dry Meadow, an enormous granite Shrimp looms — called Split Rock. It is a prominent focal point, sited in the path so that visitors can easily touch its shapes, peer in the space where the rock has split in two and find out about the local geology.

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The upper reaches of this meadow route are punctuated by dramatic rock outcroppings and boulders placed into the walkway material. Designing around existing rock formations can be intriguing, as they create a warmer microclimate and can require a specific plant palette due to the character of the soil.

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“Why is this garden unique is that it was not only supposed to be a beautiful and inspiring garden, but it was also supposed to teach our customers the most essential role that plants play in the living ecosystem all around us,” says Jody Payne, curator of the Native Plant Garden.

Bees of all kinds are attracted to tall blazing star (Liatris aspera), which also brings finches that consume the seeds. It is increasing with purple love grass (Eragrostis spectabilis), which has a habitat range that extends from Maine to Florida.

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Among the most beautiful meadow grasses is little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium ‘The Blues’). Here its tawny leaves brushes from New England blazing star (Liatris scariosa var. Novae-angliae) in the hot, dry microclimate.

The New York Botanical Garden

Strong-stemmed coneflowers (Echinacea sp) are sprinkled through the meadow. Butterflies love the nectar. In winter their seed heads will offer food for birds.

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From September to November there’s a shifting palette — Eastern showy aster (Eurybia spectabilis) is a standout, with masses of pale purple flowers, and a tall dark purple New England aster called ‘Marina Wolkonsky’ caught my eye in the Native Border. Asters are found growing throughout North America east of the Rocky Mountains, and New England asters grow widely through the Northeast.

Shrubs with notable late-season foliage include high bush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) and sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia, zones 4 to 9). Some of my favourite trees are here also — ‘Winter King’ hawthorne (Crataegus viridis) and the lovely fringe tree (Chionanthus virginicus).

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“Naturescaping is gardening in closeness with nature, learning from the ways natural plant communities maintain themselves,” remarks Bussolini. “It is gardening to attract wildlife, restore backyard ecosystems, preserve funds [and] reduce pollution and maintenance.”

It is a sensibility that’s gaining ground. Recent books on the subject contain Beautiful No-Mow Yards, The American Meadow Garden and Bringing Nature Home.

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The education pavilion is a shady location where you can sit, and in addition, it functions as an outdoor classroom. Educational programs happen here year round.

More info: Native Plant Garden at the New York Botanical Garden

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