Spring may be a month away, but here in your Park, we’re preparing for the seasons of floral abundance ahead! This year, we’ve given our northern Chelsea parklands some extra attention, installing new fencing around our Habitat Garden and undertaking major plantings along our bikeway buffers.
Home to native plants, our three-block Habitat Garden attracts and supports an array of local wildlife through our Park’s changing seasons—making this stretch of Chelsea a unique outdoor classroom for Environment and Education programs, and a site of seasonal beauty for all Park lovers. The new fencing and gates our team is installing will help protect this precious resource, helping us fulfill the Hudson River Park Act’s mandate to set aside native habitat while the garden’s features remain on display for passersby.
Along the bikeway buffers in this area of the Park, we’ve focused on beautifying improvements. Sandwiched between the bikeway and highway, our buffers see high traffic and often offer visitors their first glimpse of our urban oasis. From W 29 St. to W 34th St., we’ve pruned, planted and improved our soil with compost, ensuring our buffers’ newest plants will thrive alongside existing healthy greenery.
This spring you’ll see these areas bounce back to life, filled with flowering shrubs and perennials that will last from May to the first frost in autumn. California privet will help screen the highway as pink knockout roses bring a burst of color for six blooming months. In summer, orange daylilies and purple nepeta will add bright seasonal interest, and in fall chrysanthemums and the orange-to-red sumac leaves will bring autumnal warmth.
Our improvement efforts on these northern Chelsea features will continue through early April, and we can’t wait to see how the Park’s warm, blooming seasons bring even more beauty to this well-loved section of the Park!