Proudly Celebrating Our 5th Year! 2021 - 2026

Welcome to our new season of workshops, events and newsletter!

The October Cross Pollination Newsletter, Lazy Ways to Help the Climate can be accessed here

The September Cross Pollination Newsletter, Drought! can be accessed here

Why a Pollinator Pathway?

Thanks to Chet Kerr for passing along this wonderful video from the Nyack Pollinator Pathway that so poignantly explains why pollinator pathways are so important and why our backyards and public spaces are vital to saving pollinators.  Click here.  

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Upcoming Events 

Native Seed Event, Sunday, October 26, 10 am to noon at the Bedford Hills Community House (74 Main Street, Bedford Hills). Come enjoy this fall tradition and get free native seeds to cold stratify this winter. Bring native seeds to swap if you have them.  Free event. 

Native Plants for Dry Conditions with Elaine Mills, Wednesday, November 12, 7:00 pm via Zoom.  

Elaine Mills returns to walk us through choosing native plants that survive in drought - very handy after two autumns of severe drought!  Register here.

Invasive Vine Taming Event at Macy Park, Ardsley, Saturday, November 22, 10 am to noon.  

Help save trees and shrubs by cutting invasive vines at Macy Park. In addition to vine cutting we will also be picking up garbage to keep Macy Park beautiful. Learn how to identify invasive vines, how to manage them, and then actually make a difference! Kids under 14 must be with an adult.  Registration is mandatory.  Meet in the Macy Park parking lot. Register here.  

Pruning Trees and Shrubs with Angela McNamara and Molly Newling, Wednesday, December 10, 7:30 pm via Zoom.  

Winter is an excellent time to prune many trees and shrubs. Learn why and how to prune to remove crossing and rubbing branches, suckers, water sprouts, and damaged wood. Discover the best practices for reducing shrub size, trimming hedges, and carefully removing larger limbs. The results will be trees and shrubs with healthier and fuller growth, better flowers and fruit, and a more attractive home landscape. Speakers: Extension Master Gardener Molly Newling and Angela McNamara. Register Here.

Native Groundcovers for Sun and Shade with Elaine Mills, Wednesday, January 14, 7:00 pm via Zoom.  

Elaine Mills returns to walk us through native groundcovers we can use as green mulch. So easy! No more expense and efforts lugging bags of mulch home. Let nature do the work so you can enjoy.  Register here. Free. 

Creating Your New or Expanded Pollinator Garden Hand's On Workshops return 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 18, February 14, and March 14) 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 2026. 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.  This workshop series is a partnership between the Greenburgh Public Library, The Ardsley Pollinator Pathway, and the Tarrytown TEAC Pollinator Pathway.  There is limited space so register early. Free.

Module 1: Designing your New or Expanded Garden, Sunday, January 18, 1 pm - 3:30 at the Greenburgh Public Library. Register here.

Module 2:  Selecting and Purchasing Your Plants, Saturday, February 14, 1 pm to 3:30 pm at the Greenburgh Public Library. Register here. 

Module 3: Preparation for Planting and Maintaining the Garden, Saturday, March 14, 1 pm to 3:30 pm at the Greenburgh Public Library. Register here. 

  News:

• 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.

• Ardsley again achieves Leadership Circle Achievement from National Wildlife Federations (NWF) Mayors' Monarch Pledge  

Ardsley is one of a few municipalities in North America in 2024, 2023 and 2022 that earned the Leadership Circle Achievement for the National Wildlife Federation's Mayors Monarch Pledge.  Cities and municipalities in the program commit each year to support endangered monarch butterflies by creating habitat and educating residents on how to make a difference at home or in their community. 

Ardsley is proud to support our beloved monarch butterflies and to have again earned the Leadership Circle honor. Ardsley is now part of an expanding North American network of cities working to create habitat in public parks, public landscaping, vacant lots, roadsides, medians, green roofs, backyard gardens and open spaces throughout the entire community.

For easy steps you can take to help monarch butterflies in your yard see the November Cross Pollination News - The Monarch Edition.

• 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.