Proudly Celebrating Our 5th Year! 2021 - 2026

News:

The November Cross Pollination Newsletter, Taking a Temperature Check on Monarch Butterflies. Click here.

The October Cross Pollination Newsletter, Lemonade Out of Lemons. Click here.

The May Cross Pollination Newsletter, No No Mow May. Click here. 

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Upcoming Events 

Nature Center at Greenburgh Fall Webinar Series with Cathy Ludden: Suburban Natives: A Modern Approach to the Design and Maintenance of Suburban Yards, 7 - 8 pm via Zoom. $25 each

Join Cathy Ludden, native plant educator and author of the “Around the Grounds” blog, on Zoom* during this new adult programming.

Session 3 – October 15 : We’ve Been Doing Maintenance All Wrong! Modern research is challenging traditional notions on yard maintenance. Should fallen leaves, sticks, and twigs really be cleared away and bagged? Should trees and shrubs be pruned in the fall to prevent winter damage? Should garden beds be mulched with shredded bark to protect plant roots? Should fertilizer be applied before winter? Should tender shrubs be covered with burlap to prevent winter burn? Should ornamental grasses be cut back to tidy clumps? Should perennials be dead-headed and cut back to prevent messy flopping? The answer to many of these questions is: it depends! Hear about the most recent thinking on these and other maintenance issues in this session.

Session 4 – October 22 : Winter Interest: Beautiful Plants for You and Nature. A barren winter yard, devoid of color and life, is depressing – and unnecessary! Plants with interesting and colorful bark, seeds, and texture create beautiful winter views. By designing and planting with winter in mind, you can add seasonal cheer and life-sustaining habitat. It is delightful to see winter birds and other animals enjoying food and shelter in your well-planted yard. And there is more to the winter landscape than evergreens! 

Register Here

Free Native Plants, Trees and Shrubs! This weekly event is a tremendous opportunity to get free native plants! Saturdays, 10 am to Noon at the Bedford Hills TILI Shed, Parking Lot 8

Each week the list of native plants, shrubs and trees changes. For more information about this weekly event click here > To contact us about the tree species: info@healthyyards.org

Ardsley Arbor Day Tree Planting Event,  Saturday, October 17, 9 am at Bicentennial Park, Ardsley

Come be part of the ceremony, learn about the native tree being planted, and wish our newest resident a good life in Ardsley.

Ardsley Seed Swap Event, Saturday, October 17, 11 am, Ardsley Public Library, 9 American Legion Drive, Ardsley, NY 

 A great opportunity to share seeds from your own yard & collect other varieties from your neighbors.  From coneflower to milkweed to bee balm.  And it's all free! Members of the Ardsley Pollinator Pathway will be there to guide you on selecting the best plants and on how to cold stratify the seeds over the winter.   

Native Seed Event, Sunday, October 25, 10 am - 1 pm, Bedford Hills Community House, 74 Main Street, Bedford Hills

The annual Westchester Pollinators Seed Swap is back! You’ll find an incredible selection of native seeds plus experts available to help select and learn how to start the seeds (cold stratification).  So start harvesting those seeds!!! No requirement to bring seeds to get seeds, but why not join in the fun?  For the list with available seeds click here >    For seed collecting instructions click here

Like to help with the event? We welcome you, no plant knowledge needed. Contact info@healthyyards.org

Webinar: Partnering with Pollinators with Elaine Mills, Wednesday, November 4 at 7 pm. 

Join Extension Master Gardener Elaine Mills to discuss the small animals that perform such an important role in our home landscapes. Learn about the characteristics of our pollinators and the plants native to our region that will attract them and fill their needs, whether your garden space is large or limited to a patio or balcony. Special attention is given to keystone plants, soft landings plantings beneath trees, and the needs of pollen specialist bees.  Register here.

Webinar: The Hospitable Gardener: Welcoming Fireflies and Other Creatures to your Yard with Alyssa Ford Morel. Wednesday, December 2 at 7:30

Are you charmed on summer evenings by the tiny bobbing lights of amorous fireflies? Many non-human creatures share the property we call our own, and we can improve the quality of their lives and support the environment by the way we garden. This talk by Extension Master Gardener and Master Naturalist Alyssa Ford Morel looks at fireflies, hummingbirds, lady bugs, and other creatures with whom we share our yards, and suggests practices to welcome and support them. You will learn ways to start addressing the biodiversity crisis at home. Click here to register.

IInvasive Vine Cutting at Macy Park, Saturday, December 5 at 10:00 - noon

Give an early holiday present to our trees! Spend two hours saving trees and shrubs in Macy Park from invasive vines. We’ll also be picking up garbage. The trees need your help! All vine cutting materials and OFF spray to thwart ticks will be provided. Bring work gloves (we will have extras in case you forget), water, and sturdy shoes.   Registration coming soon!

Webinar, The Art of the Garden Journal with Mary Jennings. Wednesday, January 27 at 7:30 pm. 

Join Mary Jennings, professional artist, instructor, and, certified Extension Master Gardener and Master Naturalist, to learn about the value behind creating a Garden Journal filled with citizen science, data, field notes and yes, notable artwork created with your own unique mark making skills. In this presentation, you will understand the basics of color theory and how to compose your journal to serve you best. Your work might even result in the right plant in the right place! Click here to register.

Creating Your New or Expanded Pollinator Garden Hands On Workshops returns this winter!  

Have you wanted to create a pollinator garden but feel overwhelmed without a clue how to start?  Would you like help expanding a current pollinator garden? Then this workshop series is for you!  Join us for three workshops (January 16, February 13, and March 13) from 10 am to 1 pm) to help you start or expand a garden that attracts and supports pollinators and birds. We work with you to help you assess the site, design the garden, choose and purchase the plants, and provide easy steps to install and maintain the garden - all in time to start planting in April or May of 2027. Not only will this workshop series get you going, but it will also connect you to a wonderful community of like-minded gardeners who are trying to support our ecosystem...and each other. Registration opening shortly.

  Previous webinars:

• May 2026 Webinar: Yes, in my backyard! Miyawaki-style mini-forests at scale with Meghan Noe Fellows.  To access the recording, click here. Mini forest video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNSI0XhzDZg; Guide to Mini-Forests:

  • https://www.plantnovatrees.org/create-a-mini-forest

  • https://website-media.com/inland-bays/inland-bays-2025/2024/07/22105147/Guide-for-Applied-Nucleation.pdf

• April 2026 webinar, Controlling Mosquitoes and Ticks in Your Yard Without Harming Pollinators with Joan McIntyre. Click here for the recording,

• March 2026 webinar, Exciting (and free) Native Plants, Trees and Shrubs for Your Yard   

Click here for the recording, click here for the presentation. Other references: Keystone Native Plants for Eastern Temperate Forests – Ecoregion 8; Northeast Native Trees for Pollinators (Doug Tallamy’s Keystone Plants); Container Gardening with Keystone Native Plants

• March 2026 webinar,  Container Gardening with Native Plants with Elaine Mills.   Click here for the recording of the webinar and Click here for Elaine's handout on container gardening plants.

• January 2026 webinar,  Native Groundcovers for Sun and Shade with Elaine Mills.   The link to the webinar can be accessed here;  Elaine's handout on native groundcovers can be accessed here;   Master Gardeners of North Virginia website - an incredible resource: Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia; This is a blogpost by Shannon Currey of Izel Native Plants which includes a chart of "soft landings" plants. Here is the link: https://www.izelplants.com/blog/soft-landings/; Here's a link to Elaine Mills’ website article on EDRR invasive plants, including Chameleon Plant (Houttuynia cordata).

• December 2025 webinar, Pruning Trees and Shrubs with Angela McNamara and Molly Newling.  The webinar recording can be accessed here, the handout on pruning resources can be accessed here and the flyer on pruning hydrangeas can be accessed here. 

• November 2025 webinar, Native Plants for Dry Conditions with Elaine Mills. The recording can be accessed by clicking here. Elaine's reference sheet can be accessed by clicking here. The incredible Master Gardeners of  Northern Virginia website can be accessed by   Clicking here.   

• October 2025 webinar, Lessons from a Garden with Cathy Ludden. To access the recording click here

• April's webinar, Strategies for Dealing with Deer: To access the recording and reference information click here.

• March's webinar, Exciting (free) native trees shrubs and plants for your yard: To access the slides with       information about the plants, trees and shrubs, click here.  To access the recording, click here. 

• The recording and materials for February's Native Plant Species and Cultivars with Elaine Mills,  can be accessed by clicking here 

• The recording for January's  webinar, Landscaping with native plants and shrubs: easy and beautiful combinations for your yard, can be accessed by clicking here 

• The recording and reference material for December's webinar, Beauty for the Bees, can be accessed by clicking here 

• The recording of November's webinar, Lessons Learned from 100 Garden Consultations, can be accessed by clicking here 

• The recording of our recent presentation, "Selecting and Caring for Native Tree and Shrub Saplings," is now available. Whether you missed the live session or wish to revisit the valuable insights shared by our experts, you can access the recording at https://vimeo.com/channels/greenburghlibrary/941297555. 

• Keystone Species of Native Plants. Thanks to everyone who attended the webinar on April 10. The presentation and other documents can be accessed here.

• Ardsley Spring Gardening Festival Presentations and Other Documents. Thanks to everyone who attended the Spring Gardening Festival on March 10. The presentations can be accessed below for your reference. Click  here   to enter the folder of presentations.

• Going Wild With Hedgerows, Meadows and Plants with Kathy Evers. The video recording can be found here. The audio recording can be found here. Kathy's reference sheet of the plants she used in her various beds can be accessed here.

• Pollinate Now! Bioregional Strategy for Habitat Restoration in the Hudson River Estuary Watershed with Evan Abramson, Principal of Landscape Interactions.  The recording of the presentation can be accessed here. The audio of the presentation can be accessed here. Evan has kindly offered the online version of his book, Pollinate Now! on his website and it can be downloaded here.  

• Sustaining Wildlife in Fall and Winter with Deb Ellis.  The video recording can be accessed here; The audio recording can be accessed here; The chat can be accessed here. Deb's slides can be accessed here, and her list of favorite fall plants can be found here.. 

• Garden Visit: Kathy Ever's Rewilded Yard. Click here to see Kathy's diagrams and plant lists for her garden beds.

• The recording for Mushrooms in Your Yard with Taro Ietaka can be accessed here.

• This documentary is a feast for the eyes and soul. Check out A Ghost in the Making: Searching for the Rusty-Patched Bumblebee. This award winning short documentary inspires us to protect and provide habitat for all creatures and to prevent the extinction of the most vulnerable. Plant away!! We make the difference.

Introducing Our New Mailbox Gardens How-To Guides

You asked for it and we created it - a step- by- step guide to create a pollinator garden. We give you the design, the materials and quantities you'll need, and the list of plants. Four different garden sizes in each guide. You buy the plants, dig them in, and watch them grow. Check them out - it's easy!

Full-Part Sun Pollinator Wildflower Mailbox Gardens

Full to Part Sun Pollinator Grass and Sedge Mailbox Gardens

Part Shade Pollinator Mailbox Gardens

Full to Part Sun Monarch Butterfly Mailbox Garden 

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Resources:

• Previous Get Together Presentations and Reference materials available here.

• View the new DEC documentary on invasive plants, Uninvited: The Spread of Invasive Species

• Join the Ardsley Pollinator Pathway

We're making substantial change, one yard at a time. Join our distribution list.