Top 10 Street Trees in NYC and Their Brilliant Fall Color

I hope we are all enjoying this marvelous show being put on by the trees outside. I have always wanted to hone my tree identification skills and maybe you have too! Now is a great time to learn because they stand apart even more than usual by showing their colors. Here is a little guide to the ten most common street trees in NYC and their fall color. Let’s go tree IDing with our new super sweet skills!

London Planetree, Platanus × acerifolia

McGolrick Park in Greenpoint is full of huge London Planetrees

Littleleaf Linden, Tilia cordata

Norway Maple, Acer platanoides

Green ash, Fraxinus pennsylvanica

Callery pear, Pyrus calleryana

Red Maple, Acer rubrum

Honey Locust, Gleditsia triacanthos

Silver maple, Acer saccharinum

Pin oak, Quercus palustris

Ginkgo, Ginkgo biloba

If you're feeling confident in your tree identification skills, go try this matching game! 

For some facts about New York City trees, like how much carbon they store or how much pollution they remove from the air(it's a lot!) head over to MillionTreesNYC. 

Happy tree watching, everyone.

It’s Time To Plant Some Bulbs

Winter can seem like it lasts forever(and it hasn't even started yet). When those spring bulbs start to pop up, it gives us hope that winter is almost over. Now is the time to get those bulbs in the ground so we can enjoy them in the spring. Different bulbs bloom at different times ranging from as early as February and going through June. It’s nice to have a variety so you have bulbs popping up all season.

Some nice varieties to choose from:

Early Bloomers

Crocus chrysanthus, Snow Crocus

Galanthus, Snowdrop

Mid-Season

Daffodils

Narcissus Fidelity

There are so many types of daffodils and tulips. Some varieties bloom early such as, Narcissus 'Tahiti', some mid-season such as Narcissus Fidelity, and some are late bloomers such as Narcissus bulbocodium 'Golden Bells'.

Tulips

Tulip 'Veronique Sanson'

Tulips also have a range of bloom times depending on the variety.

Late Season

Lilium asiatic 'Elodie', Lilies

Allium 'Globemaster', Alliums

I wish these were everywhere I went.

Planting

When choosing your bulb layout, keep in mind the bloom times, colors, and heights. If you have different types blooming at the same time, you don’t want the shorter ones to be hidden.

Most bulbs prefer an area of full sun.

The rule of thumb for planting depth is digging a hole 3x the height of the bulbs. You can layer your bulbs depending on their size and bloom times as well.

Add soil amendment and cover bulbs. You may want to plant annuals over bulbs for extra frost protection.

How To Lay Sod

I’m not the biggest fan of lawn yards. But in New York City, we are lucky if we get a 5’x5’ piece of dirt outside.  In this case, I think it’s fine to want some grass for your kids, your pup, or even you to play in. Growing grass from seed can be a pain and take forever, with not great results. Why do that when someone else can grow it for you and you just roll it out? Brilliant.

How to lay sod:

First you want to clear your area. If there is patchy grass or other weeds where the sod is going, you need to remove all of it so the soil is bare.

Turf likes well-aerated soil. If the ground is very compacted, use a tiller to loosen the ground.

Add finished compost and soil amendments and till into soil.

You need to level the area where the sod will be placed. If it will be near a sidewalk or paved surface, you want the soil to be a couple inches below this surface.

Now you can unroll your sod in rows, making sure to line up the edges.  Pull it flat making sure there are no raised points. Do not step on your sod as you are laying it.

Make sure the edges of the pieces are snug against each other but not overlapping. You can use a knife to cut the pieces to size.

Once everything is laid, water, water, water!

The new grass needs a lot of water to settle in and take root. Make sure to keep it well watered every day for a week or so. After that you can cut back to every other day for a few weeks. 

During the first couple weeks, while it is settling, you don’t want to step on it.

Buying sod instead of seeds is, of course, more expensive but you are buying convenience. You are paying someone else to spend over a year to grow it and then you go from bare dirt to a lush carpet of grass in a few hours.

Sod is great because it can be laid at almost any time of year. It is best to lay it in the spring or fall when you won't have to water it as much. You can do it in summer but it will take a lot more watering and be a bit more fickle. 

Here is a tiny front yard we installed in Park Slope. They had a toddler and wanted just a little place for him to be able to play. 

You can see the lines from the edges of each roll. These lines go away within a week or two as it settles in. 

Before and After: Park Slope Backyard

This Park Slope backyard received the full Staghorn NYC upgrade. 

It went from a very unwelcoming, barren, concrete slab to a warm, lush, comfortable yard. 

BEFORE:

AFTER:

First things first, that concrete was really bringing the place down. We added some bright wood pavers to the yard which instantly changed the feel. Once drab and cold looking, the backyard now felt warm and welcoming. The contrast of the existing fence color and the new pavers really complimented each other. 

For planting, we used the existing border garden and added planters along the opposite wall of the yard. We chose part to full shade tolerant perennials, grasses and shrubs to fill this shady backyard. 

The ferns are loving it!

Foxglove still in bloom!