The Wildflower Experiment on Van Cortlandt Park East
In November 2018 the Parks Department was good enough to clear a corner of the park, just next to the children's playground, and deliver a nice big heap of mulch to the site. This was the beginning of our experimental flower garden.
The mulch was spread over the site by Gerry McCleave and her husband Lambert Heenan, to a depth of about two inches. The site was then left to its own devices for the fall and winter.
Then in the first week of May, on a wet Saturday, we returned to do a bit more weeding and to then spread eight bags of topsoil to give our seeds the best start possible.
The following day the rain was gone and we were able to plant our wildflower seeds. To ensure an even distribution, the seeds were added to rough sand, and the resulting mixture broadcast over the site.
Three weeks later the first seeds began to germinate.
And them more and more in the following days.
Now the garden is quite mature, and is attracting butterflies and bees galore.
With the great success of the experimental garden, our efforts turned towards expanding it. This lovely patch of native wildflowers is surrounded by invasive imports such as the Greater Burdock, which stands over 7 feet tall! So after more talks with Parks and the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance (VCPA), we have recently cleared a large area abutting the garden of those weeds. The process began with a huge assist from VCPA in the shape of John and Alex and their 80-Volt hedge trimmers.
The following Saturday, the weather was fine (maybe even too hot) and with the welcome help from Women Of Woodlawn and Woodlawn Taxpayers Association, who combined for a crew of half a dozen volunteers, we were able to clear out the stubble and get the space ready for the next steps.
Those next steps will include tilling the cleared space to kill off as many weed roots as we can, and then toward the end of the Fall, we will plant more seeds which will winter over and get started germinating in the earliest days of spring.
