Awesome Native Spring Bloomers

It's finally spring! The trees are all colorful with flowers and lots even have leaves already! I love when the leaves come back. The bulbs are all in full force. We like to plant native perennials in our gardens because we believe if we are going to change our environment then we should try to coexist with nature rather than compete with it. Native gardens promote biodiversity, they provide food and shelter for local birds, insects and mammals. Native gardens also need less maintenance because the plants are better adapted to the area. 

Here are some of our favorite spring blooming, native perennials that you could use to brighten up your garden!

Amsonia, Eastern Bluestar

Amsonia blooms March through May with little blue clusters of flowers. This is no one-season trick plant though. In the autumn it turns dramatic orange- yellow.

Aquilegia canadensis, Eastern red columbine

Columbine's are the coolest looking flower! Look at them! Like weird little alien spaceships. They're show starts early. They can bloom from March through July.

Baptisia australis, Blue false indigo

Black swallowtail that instantly came to
Baptisia we planted on a Brooklyn rooftop

Baptisia can bloom from May through August. They attract awesome butterflies like the black swallowtail above!

Phlox stolonifera, Creeping Phlox

Who doesn't want a flower carpet? Because I sure do. Creeping phlox is such a show off. I've seen lots of it lately and it always makes me giddy. It blooms from April to May. 

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day, Earthlings!

This is the 46th year of celebrating Earth Day. 46 years ago people started to realize how our way of living was harming our environment. This was at a time when industry chugged away polluting our skies, rivers, lakes, and oceans without consequence. Leaded gas was pumped into cars. Oil spills were common and a river even caught fire! But it was also a time when young people were taking to the streets to protest the wrong they saw in their country and the world. There was an incredible energy put out by the youth for the Anti-War Movement and the Civil Rights Movement. Earth Day founder, Gaylord Nelson, then a democratic U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, saw this energy and used it to spread awareness of the environmental issues of the time.

The similarities of that time and now are frightening. But again, people are taking to the streets to protest war, fight for civil rights and environmental justice. The environmental movement got us the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act. That was great but so much more needs to be done. Now climate change is a huge threat to our planet and us. It is the most pressing issue of our time and we all need to do our part. Here are some things we can do today and always:

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

When you throw your trash "away", it does not disappear. It goes to a landfill where it decomposes sending methane, carbon dioxide and toxins into our air, soil and water. Reducing waste is the best way to fight this. Using reusable bags, travel mugs, and water bottles cuts out plastic and paper waste that would sit in a landfill. Recycling that waste is the next best option. Find out what you can and can't recycle in NY. 

Compost

Composting is a form of recycling but for food scraps and plant waste. It's a biological process in which natural microorganisms break down organic matter. Check out our blog about composting! If you don't have space for a composter, there are locations around the city where you can take your organic waste. Check out GrowNYC to see where you can bring your compost waste.

Buy Local & Eat Seasonally

Buying locally grown food cuts down on carbon emissions needed to transport produce. Instead of strawberries in the winter, when they'd have to be shipped in from another part of the world, eat local strawberries when they are in season. They taste better when they're fresh and they have more nutritional value when eaten closer to the date they were picked. Living in NY, we have an endless amount of farmers markets throughout the city and many stores that partner with local farms. Many think that organic local produce is unaffordable, so many markets have worked with the city to be able to accept EBT/food stamps. Check out this map to find the closest market to you and what days they're open. 

Myrtle Avenue

Join a Community Garden

Many of us in the city don't have space for our own gardens. So many have come together as a community to make our neighborhoods and environment better. There are community gardens in almost every neighborhood. Community gardens are not only a place to grow food and plants but also a place to meet your neighbors and a platform for the community to share ideas for bettering our surroundings. Ever wanted to have a neighborhood cleanup? A community garden would be full of people interested in helping in that type of thing. Anyone can join, just reach out. Find the your closest garden here. 

Join an Environmental Group

Earth day is everyday.. because we live here. It needs our help more than just one day a year. If you want to get more involved find a group near you that is doing good things, and join! Here's a list to get you started. 

Hundreds Of Thousands Turn Out For People's Climate March In New York City

Demand Change in Environmental Policy

We all can do our own little part do help but there needs to be big changes made from the top. Our leaders need to feel pressure from the people that elect them. EPA regulations need to be strong and be enforced. Our energy sources need to become renewable and we need to get off of fossil fuels. We can't keep allowing corporations to ruin our environment for short term gains. In the long term, we will all lose. So VOTE! Sign petitions. Get out in the street and protest. Demand that changes be made. Do it for the kids. 

Today is Car Free Day NYC!

And hey, have fun! Yes, climate change is serious but helping the environment doesn't have to be. Go plant a tree with some friends! Go have fun with other New Yorkers and get talking about how we can all help! You can check out some Earth Day events around New York here.  

Meet the Team!

The Staghorn Crew

Katherine Aul,                    Founder & Principal

Katherine’s passion for plants and landscape design began from an early age amidst the daylily beds of her mother’s garden. After completing a horticultural internship at the New York Botanical Garden she went on to receive her master’s degree in Landscape Design from Columbia University. Since then, she has been designing and installing gardens throughout the NYC metro area and beyond.

Katherine finds inspiration in the wild, native landscape. She seeks to create sustainable garden spaces that are beautiful, engaging, and restorative to both the visitor and the existing environment.

Katherine’s enthusiasm for the field has led her to speak on such panels as the 2014 Plant-O-Rama at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and her work has also been featured in Dwell magazine.

Dana Boyd,                          Director of Horticulture

Dana’s love for getting her hands in the ground grew when she traveled through Central and South America working on permaculture farms. She continued this work when she returned to the states working on urban farms in Baltimore while getting her degree in Environmental Science.

Seeing the importance of connecting people, especially in urban settings, with the natural world led her to New York City to work as a farm manager for the Horticultural Society of New York. She has now been with Staghorn NYC since April 2015. Working with Staghorn has allowed her to combine her passion for helping the environment and native species by reintroducing habitat, and connecting people with nature.

In her spare time, Dana tends to her extensive indoor plant collection, travels, reads, does lots of yoga, and likes getting into new hobbies, like ceramics!

Colin MacInnes,                    Director of Carpentry

Colin is a renaissance woodsman hailing from Michigan. After completing his education in aviation, Colin switched gears and refocused his talents on agriculture and later carpentry as an apprentice under a master carpenter in his home state. Now a woodworking pro in his own right, he leads carpentry projects for Staghorn ranging from custom outdoor furniture to decks and planters.

In his free time, Colin can be found building high-end interior carpentry pieces, hiking, fishing, cooking, and spending time with his loyal canine companion, Millie.

New Members!

Marisa Prefer, Assistant Gardener

Marisa Prefer is a multi-disciplinary educator, amateur herbalist and designer who explores relationships between land, food & power by building regenerative systems for well being. Marisa has collaborated with artists, farmers, healers and big-thinkers of all ages from coast to coast at the Berkeley Art Museum in Berkeley, California, Local Roots Farm in Duvall, Washington, the Sage Mountain Herbal Education Center in East Barre, Vermont, and more recently in New York as the Assistant Coordinator of Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Children’s Garden, the Curriculum Developer for SwaleNY, a NYC Master Composter, the Programs Manager at urban agriculture education outfit Sprout Farms, and as part of the artist group non/studio.

Hester Griffin, Assistant Gardener

Hester's love of plants began during her sophomore year of college at the New School when she planted a dye plant garden. This was the first of many gardens and farms that's she's worked on. Her interest in traveling and plants has led her to many amazing places, but she always find herself back in NYC. There's something especially fun about growing plants among skyscrapers and cement.

When Hester's not gardening, she will most likely be found wandering around NYC, cooking, or working on textile projects. She also escapes the city to visit family in Maine and hopefully somewhere warm during the winters!

We Have an Office!

We are super excited to move into our new office at Coworkrs in Gowanus!

New office, new crew!

Have an awesome weekend everyone!