Horticulture
Read our bi-weekly plant features that highlight interesting blooms, bulbs, leaves and berries showcased around the park. For those interested in specific plants, download the full park plant list.
Pier 1 Fresh Water Garden | Photo by Julienne Schaer
The planting strategy for Brooklyn Bridge Park is founded on three guiding principles:
- Create different natural areas that serve individually as gardens but work together to establish a new site ecology
- Maximize area of shade and cover from the wind
- Preserve open space
To achieve this strategy, a number of planting typologies will be created. Natural habitats include costal shrublands and rain garden wetland on Pier 6; coastal forest on Pier 1 and the uplands of Piers 4 and 5; shrubland on Piers 1, 2, and 3 and on the uplands of Piers 5 and 6; a wildflower meadow on the uplands of Piers 2 and 3; marsh and shallow water habitats on and adjacent to Piers 1 and 4 and between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges; and freshwater swale and wetlands near Piers 2 and 3.
Natural plantings also make the site more hospitable as a human habitat. Throughout the park, the planting design coordinates solar orientation and wind protection to allow for greater use. The hedgerow trees and shrub plantings will create a green corridor that provides shade and shelter from the wind for the park users while simultaneously serving as a wildlife corridor. The hedgerow planting is composed of native trees species, low deciduous shrubs and wildflowers. By contrast the tree groves are comprised of specimen trees, noteworthy for their flowering and fall color. Park entries have been designed as formal gardens with a sequence of flowering perennials, shrubs and trees during the spring, summer and fall. In the winter, the park entries will remain green as the planting contains a high percentage of evergreen shrubs and trees. The winter entry will be characterized by the red berries of evergreen hollies and yellow blooms of witch hazel.
Upon entering the park, visitors will discover numerous natural experiences including a flowering water garden, expansive meadows, hillsides with small trees, and lawns. Depending on the season, different needs are accommodated through different park elements. Tree-lined pathways will provide shade in the summer and the topography and buildings will provide protected sun exposure in the winter. The same topography and buildings will provide shelter from the wind and tall hills will absorb the tremendous noise generated by the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, making the park quieter and more pleasant while also providing new elevated views to the harbor.
