Planting With A Purpose

A new crop of home gardens are being cultivated to do everything from attracting wildlife to yielding fresh vegetables right outside the window. —by Shaun Tolson Sometimes the best way to enjoy your home is to venture outside of it. The desire to connect with nature through gardening has gained traction among homeowners in recent years, and 2020 gave it a giant boost in popularity. “Bringing greenery into your home and living space is a huge trend, and the pandemic has made it even more noticeable,” says Ron Vanderhoff, general manager and vice president of Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar, California. “People want that soothing aspect that plants and greenery and living things around you bring.”—Ron Vanderhoff, Roger’s Gardens GM and VP GrowNYC’s Gerald Lordahl agrees. “We’re all under a lot of stress, and connecting with nature is relaxing,” says Lordahl, greening program director. “Working with a garden or plants and caring for something reduces stress and gives people a purpose.” NYC Terrace Garden In 2020, thousands of people signed up for GrowNYC’s virtual gardening workshops, offered through its distance learning website. “There was easily a 200 percent increase in interest this [past] year,” Lordahl notes. Roger’s Gardens, too, saw a fivefold increase in business in the last nine months of 2020, as Vanderhoff learned through his seed suppliers. Similar spikes in gardening occurred across the country as millions of people transitioned to home offices. “Many of them found that working remotely worked quite well for them,” says Pam Healey, manager of Fowler’s Garden Center in Southampton, New York, “so a lot of people took up gardening because they had spare time and they weren’t spending four hours a day commuting [into the city].” While there are myriad types of home gardens, two are at the forefront of the green thumb craze—vegetable and natural habitat gardens. Both can be grown by neophyte gardeners. Perhaps more surprising, both can be successfully implemented in urban environments. FOOD FOR THOUGHT “People are gardening for a purpose rather than just to have a pretty yard or to fill up the space outside, which traditionally might have been the reason,” says Vanderhoff. “Now they’re gardening to grow vegetables for their table, or to support pollinators and attract wildlife, or to teach a life lesson to their children.” Vegetable gardens have become increasingly popular in the past year, partially because they provide a sense of security. “Having food right outside your window— there’s something about that that makes you feel comfortable,” he says. Whether you’re a pro or a novice, Vanderhoff’s first rule of gardening is the same: “Be a slave to the seasons. They’ll tell you what to grow.” Greenwich Village rooftop garden Pick easy vegetables to start—tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers, for example—and plant them only during the natural season in which they grow. Radishes, beans, Swiss chard, kale, and sweet peas are also good bets because they grow quickly and can be continually replanted. Even city dwellers can grow gardens for their kitchen on a small balcony or terrace. One popular approach is to hang and suspend plants on terrace walls, creating a vertical garden. “Obviously, you put more diminutive plants in vertical gardens,” Healey says. “Many people will use a vertical garden for herbs.” No matter what style of vegetable garden you choose, the best practice is simply to practice. Trial and error is essential. “The best vegetable gardeners are just the most experienced ones,” says Will Axelrod, head gardener at Brooklyn Grange rooftop farm, “so the best possible thing you can do is just start.” Home-grown herbs and vegetables NATURAL SELECTION While the surging popularity of vegetable and herb gardens stems from homeowners’ physical needs, the increased interest in natural or habitat gardens is largely rooted in human emotions. The prospect of planting a garden that bolsters the natural world appeals to many home gardeners—and the bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds those gardens attract make the gardens more enjoyable. Brooklyn Grange has planted numerous native gardens on rooftops and terraces for clients throughout New York City. “Environmentalism is one of our core values, and it really sells,” Axelrod says. “When we give people the option [to plant native species that bolster the local ecosystem], they definitely want to. They just didn’t know how to do it, or they didn’t know that they could.” While habitat gardens are sometimes referred to as “sustainable gardens” or “wild gardens,” the moniker is a bit misleading. Far from unkempt, these gardens are neatly manicured—or should be. They also require more work in the initial planning stages than a typical flower garden. “But in the long run,” Healey assures, “they’ll be self-sustaining.” Gardens attracting local wildlife “The movement toward gardens as habitat requires more selectivity,” Vanderhoff explains. “The plants you choose have to bloom at various times of the year, they have to provide nectar and pollen, and they have to have an association with the animals, insects, and birds in that region. It requires more knowledge and more preparation and a little more strategy than just having a flower garden.” Vegetable and natural habitat gardens are at the forefront of the green thumb craze. Don’t let that deter you, though. Many nurseries and garden centers are increasing their native plant inventories and can educate prospective gardeners about what to plant and how to plant it. Landscaping by David Salkowits Beyond its ecological appeal, habitat gardens offer practical benefits. “When you incorporate native species and have biodiversity, your garden is going to be much healthier,” more robust, and better acclimated for survival, notes Axelrod. And then there’s the beauty factor. “In a native perennial garden, there will be more changes in the color, it will be much more vibrant, and you’ll see more life,” he adds. “It’ll be more interesting to you and to guests.” Find your next home to plant a garden in today.