Woodland Garden Design

Shade Hosts Too

It’s a common misconception that woodland gardens can’t also be pollinator gardens. I have a mission to spread the word: Shade hosts too! Pollinators and other wildlife benefitting from a woodland garden in Manhattan I’m currently designing so far include:

Butterflies:

  • Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

  • Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

  • Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)

  • Pearl Crescent Butterfly (Phyciodes tharos)

  • Mourning Cloak Butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa)

 Moths:

  • Luna Moth (Actias luna)

  • Wavy-lined Emerald Moth (Synchlora aerata)

  • Giant Leopard Moth (Hypercompe scribonia)

Bees:

  • Golden Northern Bumble Bee (Bombus fervidus)

  • Green Sweat Bee (Agapostemon virescens)

  • Carpenter Bees (Xylocopa virginica)

  • Leafcutter Bees (Megachile spp.)

  • Mason Bees (Osmia spp.)

Beetles:

  • American Carrion Beetle (Necrophila americana)

  • Big Dipper Firefly (Photinus pyralis)

Birds:

  • Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)

  • American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

  • Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris)

How the Garden Got Started

In the fall of 2023, I attended an inspiring Releaf Workshop hosted by the New York State Urban Forestry Council called “Trees of the Future.” During the event, the New York Restoration Project (NYRP) gave an in-depth presentation on their efforts to reintroduce American chestnut trees into Highbridge Park, a 100-plus-acre urban habitat enjoyed by humans, migratory birds, and the rare Northern Dusky Salamander that sits along a cliff face on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. After the presentation, I had the opportunity to speak with Jason Smith, NYRP’s Director of Northern Parks. We quickly bonded over my passion for woodland gardens and the ecological classes I was taking at the time. Jason expressed interest in establishing a woodland garden in Highbridge Park, of which NYRP manages the northern top of the park and is serendipitously within walking distance from my home.

From that conversation, a plan began to take shape. The designated site was nicknamed “Hannah’s Garden” and had been started a few years previously by a former NYRP employee. Located near the park’s mountain bike trail entrance, it saw lots of traffic but primarily as a pass-through rather than a destination. My goal was to introduce a diverse palette of native plants, focusing on resilient species well-suited to a south-facing oak woodland. It was also important to me to introduce conservation plants considered threatened or endangered in the local ecoregion —an exciting opportunity given the absence of deer pressure in Manhattan.

I measured and planned over the winter and evaluated what was already planted —winter tree ID challenges were overcome with the help of Ryan Lawrence, NYRP’s Forest Restoration Specialist.

Discovered already existing in the garden:

  • Magnolia virginiana - Sweetbay Magnolias

  • Physocarpus opulifolius - Ninebark cultivars

  • Rhus typhina - Staghorn Sumac  

  • Hamamelis virginiana - Witchhazel

  • Sambucus canadensis - Elderberry

  • Rosa virginiana  - Virginia Rose

  • Rhus typhina - Staghorn Sumac

  • Parthenocissus quinquefolia - Virginia Creeper

  • Prunus serotina - Black Cherry

  • Celtis occidentalis - Hackberry

  • Carpinus caroliniana - American Hornbeam

  • Rubus idaeus - Red Raspberry

I was told perennials were also planted but they would remain a mystery until their shoots start appearing in the Spring. There was also many invasive species to be dealt with including:

  • Artemisia vulgaris - Mugwort

  • Rumex obtusifolius - Broadleaf Dock

  • Alliaria petiolata - Garlic Mustard

  • Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata - Porcelain Berry

  • Ficaria verna - Lesser Celandine

  • Reynoutria japonica - Japanese Knotweed

Spring Arrives!

In the spring of 2024, garden transformation began in earnest. I started with consistent weeding of the invasive species and IDing the emerging native perennials. What popped up were:

  • Aster divaricatus - White Woodland Aster

  • Circaea lutetiana - Enchanter’s Nightshade

  • Ageratina altissima - White Snakeroot

  • Rudbeckia laciniata - Wild Golden Glow

  • Packera aurea - Golden Ragwort

  • Aquilegia canadensis - Columbine

  • Canada goldenrod - Solidago canadensis

  • Chasmanthium latifolium - Northern Sea Oats

I soon started dividing an overabundance of native ferns from clients’ gardens and replanted them into the woodland garden. As a basic tenet of sustainable gardening, I shuffle and share plants as much as possible between projects when appropriate.

Fern varieties introduced included:

  • Onoclea sensibilis - Sensitive Fern

  • Matteuccia struthiopteris - Ostrich Fern

  • Athyrium filix-femina - Lady Fern

  • Athyrium filix-femina 'Lady in Red' - Lady in Red

The Community Gets Involved!

These divisions formed the backbone of the first planting phase. Later that May, at a corporate volunteer event with Con Ed, and local Washington Heights residents, we planted approximately another 100 native plants. Some had been divided by myself and Christopher McArdle, Deputy Director Northern Manhattan Parks from Swindler Cove, earlier that month including:

  • Phlox divaricata - Woodland Phlox

  • Asarum canadense - Wild Ginger

  •  Maianthemum stellatum - Starry False Solomon's Plume

The first official nursery order arrived from Long Island Natives and included:

  • Dryopteris marginalis - Marginal Wood Fern

  • Polystichum acrostichoides - Christmas Fern

  • Andropogon gerardii - Big Bluestem

  • Baptisia tinctoria - Yellow False Indigo

  • Adiantum pedatum - Maidenhair Fern

  • Deschampsia cespitosa - Tufted Hair Grass

  • Penstemon digitalis - Foxglove Beardtongue

  • Cares blanda - Woodland Sedge


A generous donation of native seedlings started by one of the High Line horticulturists I met while working as a Hort-Partner on the High Line added another 50 plants to the project in June. These included:

  • Carex vulpinoidea - Fox Sedge

  • Carex flaccosperma - Blue Wood Sedge

  • Physostegia virginiana - Obedient Plant

  • Penstemon hirsutus - Hairy Beardtongue

  • Penstemon digitalis - Foxglove Beardtongue

  • Asclepias verticillata - Whorled Milkweed

  • Aesculus parviflora - Bottlebrush Buckeye

  • Deschampsia cespitosa - Tufted Hairgrass

  • Geum allepicum - Yellow Avens

  • Cirsium discolor - Field Thistle

Summer Fun

Summer involved transporting gallons of water by hand from my home, or open hydrants when available weekly. NYRP crew also brought tons of water anytime it didn’t rain for more than a week. All this hand watering allowed the plants to settle in. I also added a few plants divided from other gardens I work in including:

  • Sisyrinchium angustifolium - Blue-Eyed Grass

  • Erigeron annuuus — Eastern Daisy Fleabane

Fall Planting Joy

That fall, we completed a second planting, adding 150 more plants to the garden. Primarily focusing on groundcovers and winter interest. The planting included:

  •  Gaultheria procumbens - Wintergreen

  • Cornus sericea ‘Farrow’ - Red Twig Dogwood

  • Salvia lyrata ‘Purple Knockout’ - Lyreleaf Sage

  • Lobelia cardinalis - Cardinal Flower

  • Osmundastrum cinnamomeum - Cinnamon Fern

  • Lindera benzoin - American Spicebush

  • Clethra alnifolia 'Sixteen Candles' - Summersweet

  • Geranium maculatum - Wild Geranium

  • Phlox divaricata ‘May Breeze’ - Woodland Phlox

  • Phlox subulata ‘Emerald Pink’ - Creeping Phlox

  • Phlox subulata ‘Red Wings’ - Creeping Phlox

  • Adiantum pedatum - Maidenhair Fern

  • Asclepias incarnata - Swamp Milkweed

  • Asclepias speciosa - Showy Milkweed

  • Ilex verticillata 'Southern Gentleman’ - Winterberry

  • Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red’ - Winterberry

  • Mimulus ringens - Monkey Flower

  • Pycnanthemum incanum - Hoary Mountain Mint

  • Spiraea alba var. latifolia - Meadowsweet

  • Symphyotrichum cordifolium ‘Avondale’ - Blue Wood Aster

  • Symphyotrichum novae-angliae 'Purple Dome' - New England Aster

  • Oenothera fruticosa 'Fireworks’ - Evening Primerose

  • Anemone virginiana - Tall Thimbleweed

  • Iris versicolor - Blue Flag Iris

  • Silene caroliniana - Wild Pink

  • Carex pensylvanica - Pennsylvania Sedge

Unfortunately, the fall planting coincided with the start of a drought that brought less than two inches of rainfall over the next two months. Without an irrigation system in place or a water source on site, the plants require a painful amount of hand-watering by NYRP staff and myself to ensure they survived in their new home. My planting design prioritized drought-tolerant species adapted to the natural conditions of an oak forest and pre-drought, only a few plants had been lost —a giant victory for such challenging conditions. It was an anxious fall to say the least as multiple fires burned in parks in NYC. Even Highbridge caught on fire several times but in areas further south.

I’m sure a small percentage of the new plantings fell victim to the lack of water, but as I monitored, the majority seem to have survived. The soil is very rich as all the leaf litter is left in place, which helps hold in water and give the plants a good headstart. Giant Quercus rubra - Red Oaks provide the primary canopy. Their bark pattern is efficient at funneling rainwater to the ground, and every bit of moisture helps during a drought.

As with any urban public garden, theft and vandalism is always a factor. I was particularly sad when I found Columbines pulled out several times and three newly planted Symphyotrichum cordifolium - Heart-leaved Aster cultivar ‘Avondale’ suddenly disappeared. One of the young trees had its leader snapped as well.

I rarely visit the garden without bringing a garbage bag. Beer cans and snack bags are often left in the garden, as well as some less savory items.

Yet nothing personifies hope for the garden as much as the seeds I'‘ve been direct sowing in the garden for the coming years. The first seedings included:

  • Aquilegia canadensis - Columbine

  • Podophyllum peltatum - Mayapples

  • Jeffersonia diphylla - Twinleaf

Gardens are About Growing the Future

As I look ahead to spring, I’m eager to see how the garden evolves. All of the plants are still in the early stages of growth. The “sleep year” phrase of the old “Sleep, Creep, and Leap” garden adage. Despite their size, they’ve already begun transforming the space. I’ve enjoyed getting to know the resident garter snake and, less so the copious amounts of poison ivy, which gave me my first-ever allergic reaction this past fall.

I’ve been seeding and transplanting in Anemone virginiana - Tall Thimbleweed and Anemone canadensis - Canadian Anenome with the hopes they’ll help bully some of the poison ivy out.

Mulch has helped with suppressing weeds and invasives. The base of the garden is a berm built atop cardboard and that helps as well. My hope for this upcomingnyear is to add more Spring Ephemerals and continue to cover the ground with plants. I’m working with Seth August, Administrator of the Founder Seed Program at the Greenbelt Native Plant Center and one of Greenbelt’s official seed collectors Patrick Over to introduce appropriate local ecotypes to the garden that are disappearing regionally, were once native to Manhattan and can be reintroduced, or at risk from deer forage in other NYC boroughs.

One particularly rewarding aspect of this project has been the opportunity to conduct ecological studies as part of my continuing education. For my Master Ecologist certificate, I completed a final project on invasive Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata, commonly known as Porcelain Berry, which, I’m happy to report, is present in only small numbers within the 3,000-square-foot garden. Hand-pulling has its rewards, as does bulling invasives out with native species.

This project has been a labor of love, combining my passion for native plants, conservation, and community engagement. The woodland garden at Highbridge Park is still young, but it’s already making an ecological impact, and I can’t wait to see it thrive in the years to come!