With cooler weather and shorter days already here, gardeners in Riverside Park have started fall planting. The cooler, wetter weather (which we’re always hoping for!) is ideal for getting plants in the ground.
Without the stress of summer drought and soaring temperatures, plants have time to get established before going dormant for the winter. Fall is also a good time to assess the garden and replace anything that may not have made it through the summer. This season, we’re planting nearly 150 shrubs and 1,500 perennials! Jess Kaplan, Director of Horticulture, gives us an overview of this fall’s plantings and highlights what’s new in each section of the Park.
South Park
Our pollinator meadows along the boardwalk and hillsides received some much-needed new plantings. After a successful summer of weed removal, with many thanks to the volunteers who helped with these efforts, we had room to add new flowering perennials. Heavy rains at the end of September also meant some boardwalk beds needed cleanup and replanting after rising Hudson River waters washed away their edges. Some gardener favorites from this planting include Liatris (blazing star), Vernonia (New York ironweed), and a mix of grasses.
Section 1
If you frequent Hippo Playground, you may have noticed that the bed just outside the playground has been resting for the past year or so. During that time, gardeners added truckloads of leaves and compost to improve the soil. This month, we planted shrubs and perennials to welcome visitors to this refreshed garden space. This project required patience to ensure the planting would have the conditions it needs to thrive. Among the new additions are Carex (sedge), Phlox, marginal ferns, Christmas ferns, lady ferns, and a couple of witch hazels.
Clay Courts
Just north of the clay courts, our ballpark team spent the summer clearing a slope of weedy grasses and mugwort. To improve drainage and open up the storm drain, we needed to rethink and regrade the slope. This fall, we planted most of the area after starting with a smaller section in the spring. The project also gave us a chance to introduce plants suited to a rock garden setting, using the rocks in the landscape to help prevent erosion.
Section 2
One of our goals for the Park’s natural areas is to establish a thriving layer of shrubs. Many of these narrow spaces have beautiful tree canopies and swaths of perennials, especially asters and goldenrods (Solidago), but the shrub layer is less established. Near the field house, we’ve been working to change that. This fall, we added witch hazel, pinxterbloom azalea, and winterberry. These shrubs will bring seasonal color to shady natural areas while providing habitat and food for birds.
Section 3
The slopes alongside Claremont Avenue have seen many improvements over the past couple of years. The thoughtful removal of invasive plants, followed by new perennial and shrub plantings, has brought multi-season interest to the hillside while helping stabilize the steep slope. Low-growing sumac and yellowroot are a couple of favorites for these areas. Camel Playground has also gained a new spot of color near its entrance, where a variety of flowers will brighten the space throughout the summer and fall.
As the growing season winds down, we’re excited to see the improvements made throughout the Park this spring and summer. We hope you’ll come out to enjoy the last of the fall blooms before the gardens settle in for winter!