Beginning in early September 2010, botanist Marielle Anzelone and a group of local college students from Eugene Lang have been working in the Union Square native plant garden to revitalize the space after a loss in interest and funding for the project earlier this year.
In concept the garden is meant to provide inspiration for local homeowners and gardeners to plant there own native species instead of the more commonly planted “introduced” species. Furthermore, “it is a place where we can educate the community about the types of beautiful flora that are possible in Manhattan and preferable to introduced species which are often invasive,” said Anzelone. Native plants offer a variety of advantages to introduced plants. Because native plants have been adapting to the weather and environment of Manhattan for hundreds of years, once established they require less water and effort than many introduced plants. Another reason that native plants are preferable is that they trap water within the soil more effectively creating a richer and more diverse plant space. Finally, wildlife such as native birds and insects are often highly dependent on a particular species of native plant to survive and so growing native plants encourages native animals to flourish here in Manhattan as well.
Originally started by Anzelone as an educational environment within Union Square the garden has suffered greatly this past year due to lack of funding and the intense weather. The project is a non-profit initiative funded predominantly by the Open Space Institute Inc. with the help of other private and public donations. In 2008 the Hudson River Foundation for Science and Environmental Research awarded the garden its first grant. Since then funding for the project has declined and Anzelone herself has put in considerable time and money just to keep the garden alive. Now however, with the help of several Eugene Lang students, the garden is being revamped and will hopefully be in good condition to endure the winter by the time the weather begins to change.
Much of the work that needs to be done is actually removing some of the native plants that are taking over the garden. Because it is meant to be an educational garden, many of the plants will need to be replanted and other will need to be kept under control to preserve the diversity of the garden. Furthermore, labels for the different species as well as branches and logs to keep the walkway clearly marked need to be put in. “One of the greatest difficulties with this garden is that it is a public space and so people will actually come in and dig up our plants so they can sell them,” said Eric Thomann another leader of the garden revitalization who specializes in urban horticulture. On top of this, many farmer’s marker vendors store items such as weights for their tents in the garden, which kills smaller plants and generally harms the flora.
Even with all the challenges ahead there is clearly a valiant effort being made to keep this garden alive. Students meet weekly to work in the garden and some are even going in on their spare time to keep the garden healthy. Under the supervision of Marielle Anzelone and Eric Thomann it seems highly possible that this native plant garden will stay in existence and help continue to educate the public about the wildlife heritage of this great city.
Sources:
http://nycnativeplantgarden.wordpress.com/
http://www.drosera-x.com/initiatives/native-plant-display-garden-at-union-square-park/
http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/eco-friendly/native-plants-nyc-460509
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