HGCNY’s new Garden Buddies program is off to a good start. Led by Diana Green, three Garden Buddies have visited two school-based native garden projects and one homeowner who wants to add native plantings to her yard.
The homeowner visit was with a new homeowner who is dedicated to transforming her yard into a native plant garden. The Garden Buddies met her at her home to help her clarify overall goals for her yard; evaluate her site for sun/shade and structural needs; identify invasive plants; offer suggestions for native plants that would fit her site; and to discuss creating an overall plan and implementing it in manageable stages. Follow up emails were sent and the homeowner was offered ongoing assistance as needed.
Two Garden Buddies took a trip to a nearby nature center to visit an educational project offered to High School Seniors in five school districts that meets daily at the center. Seven students are currently involved. They showed the Garden Buddies their many current projects, including: a native plant nursery where they are growing trees and shrubs; removal of invasive honeysuckle and buckthorn; a compost set up they are working on using to heat their indoor classroom; a biochar creation project; a soil creation project; a maple syrup operation; a mushroom growing project and various citizen science projects they participate in. They have also helped with local restoration projects and are open to offering their help to others. The students’ and instructor’s knowledge and their enthusiasm for their work was impressive. They asked for our help in choosing appropriate native plants for a specific area where they are removing invasives. Garden buddies offered our handouts to use for public education, expressed our admiration for their work and plan to stay in touch with this exciting program.
Garden Buddies also met with a junior high school biology teacher at their school. The teacher shared their plan to have four eighth grade biology classes transform a front garden that now includes mostly non-native plants into a native garden. The teacher has applied to the national Wild Ones organization for a grant to fund this planting. The teacher has extensive knowledge about native planting, having converted their own yard into a native garden. They have developed a detailed planting plan and student assignments that will use studying the garden to meet state teaching standards. This public-facing garden has the potential to educate many students, staff and families who will walk by it regularly. The teacher has a plan to include students from other classes such as technology students to create educational, weatherproof signage, and photography and art class students to document biodiversity changes. Garden Buddies listened with enthusiasm to the plan and offered some minor garden suggestions and also ways to spread the word of this project to other area teachers and students. Another great teacher-led effort to stay in touch with.
These three initial Garden Buddy visits have been fun, exciting and beneficial to all involved. It is a collaborative approach to sharing knowledge and resources.
If you are interested in becoming a Garden Buddy, please please click the button below!