Flatbush Brings Home The Gold For Greenest Block In Brooklyn
Congratulations to the many gardeners on East 25th Street between Clarendon Road and Avenue D, first place winner of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden’s annual Greenest Block in Brooklyn award.
One visit to the lush block and it’s clear why it emerged miles ahead of the competition. The street’s edges are lined with oak, pine and linden trees. A diverse collection of flowers spill from the patios, steps, and windows of each three-story townhouse — black-eyed susans, hydrangeas, echinaceas, marigolds, begonias, ferns and petunias, just to name a few. Some homes even maintain manicured lawns and shrubbery, and the air is scented with fresh herbs.
The Flatbush block outstripped 150 other blocks in 25 neighborhoods, based on factors like plant variety, horticulture practices, street tree care, maintenance, use of color and neighborhood participation.
“When you look on this block, you can see that it is well loved by some wonderful people,” Grace Henry, president of the 300 East 25th Street Block Association, told the NY Daily News.
Henry and the block association even got their moment in the sun in The New York Times yesterday; the paper honored the sights, smells, and hard work that went into maintaining the award winning block.
The Greenest Block in Brooklyn is an annual contest that promotes streetscape, gardening, tree stewardship, and community development throughout the borough. Awards are given for greenest residential and commercial blocks, best window box, greenest storefront, best street tree beds, best community garden streetscape, and sustainable practices. The project is supported by GreenBridge, the community environmental horticulture program of Brooklyn Botanic Garden, as well as Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
Last year, the Cortelyou Road Merchants Association won third place in the commercial block category for the gorgeous greenery sprouting on Cortelyou, between Argyle and Westminster.
This year’s neighboring honorees include the Lincoln Road R&B Block Association, taking home the Residential Block bronze for its greenery on Lincoln Road between Bedford and Rogers Avenues; and Lefferts Alliance Community Togetherness Block Association and East 48 Street J & K Block Association for honorable mentions in Prospect Lefferts Gardens and East Flatbush.
Other blocks in Park Slope, Fort Greene, Boerum Hill, and Bedford-Stuyvesant took away numerous awards for the community’s beautiful landscaping. Check out all of the award winning blocks here.
Looking to spruce up your block for next year’s contest? Check out GreenBridge’s free street gardening clinics for your block association here. To register, email Greenbridge@bbg.org or call 718-623-7250.
