Resourceful Neighbors Get Savvy With Stumps Around Ditmas Park

Something really admirable about our area is how so many neighbors make do with the green space they have–or create green space from nothing. Whether it’s a window box, a street tree bed, or, hey, an overgrown lot by the Church Avenue B/Q station (see the latest info about and drawings of Q Gardens here), Ditmas Park is lucky to have residents and allies with green thumbs and big imaginations.

One of the coolest ways we’ve seen local gardeners and creative types make proverbial lemonade is with tree stumps. Yes, the awful, sad bits let over after the decades-old tree in front of your place is cut down. From planting to painting, here are some good ones around the neighborhood.

This one on Marlborough between Beverley and Albemarle keeps the color palette simple, but the asymmetry is pretty great.

This one on Ocean Avenue between Beverley and Cortelyou looks like it went on You Can’t Do That on Television.

On E 16th between Ditmas and Newkirk, this stump plays pot and plant stand at once.

This stump on Stratford between Slocum and Cortelyou matches the artfully-arranged radiator sculpture just a few yards away.

And the top stump and this one brighten up E 17th between Glenwood and Avenue H.

Of course, the concern about stump beautification efforts is that one day, the city will actually remove a stump. We’d love to hear from the folks behind these stumps, and ask, has eventual stump removal been a problem for anyone? And finally, are there any other good ones we missed?