garden

capped and their methane gas harvested to
fuel 25,000 homes. Also integral to the new
park is the natural water system, including
the salt marsh once polluted with 150
million tons of waste. Now cleaned and
readied for kayaking and canoeing, the salt
marsh and the winding network of creeks
stand out against the wide horizon views of
the huge, hill-like capped mounds of trash,
taking on a stark, captivating beauty of what
seems like an otherworldly moonscape.
Today, the site is dominated primarily
by two plant species — Iva frutescens, a
multi-stemmed shrub found in marshes,
and Phragmites australis, common reed, a
6- to 12-foot-tall grass that has taken over
wetlands. To address the problem, small
communities of native flora will be planted
that will steal enough sunlight to naturally
eradicate the invasive species, becoming
one of the many ways Field Operations
will engage and direct natural processes.
Plugs, whips and trees also will be planted
to enrich the seed bank.
With no perfect moment planned in
its evolution, the park will become everchanging
as meadows, grasslands, woodlands,
designed landscapes and creeks
become interspersed with event spaces
— docks, ball parks, bike paths, bird towers
and horse trails. Sanitation buildings
Above: A modular pathway system of tapered
concrete planks allows plants to push up at the
edges, blurring the boundaries between hard,
paved and soft, planted surfaces.
will be rejigged into performance theaters.
Barges that once brought in garbage will be
transformed into floating gardens. And an
earthwork, built from World Trade Center
towers debris, will be formed into the shape
of the towers resting on their sides in a wildflower
field. The whole will offer a huge
open space found nowhere else in New York
City. Look for it soon: North Park, the first
of five phases, is projected to open in just
a year and half. Who knows, though, what
will follow on the heels of the current fiscal
crisis? Already some parts of the original
plans have been scrapped due to complexity
and cost.
For all the unavoidable discourse
and wow power that promises to emanate
from the High Line and Fresh Kills,
Corner is not particularly interested in putting
forth yet another design aesthetic for the ages.
Rather, his eagle eye stays focused on developing
new methods and strategies to enhance
dynamic relationships between the historical
past, the ecological future and us — out of
which will grow the green and smart landscapes
of the post-industrial age. r
THE GARDEN CONSERVANCY'S
OPEN DAYS
&
W. Atlee Burpee & Co.
PRESENT
Open Days
Awakening of the Garden Celebration
Friday & Saturday, April 3 & 4
A tour of Fordhook Farm's exquisite
gardens in early spring. Participate in
a seed sowing workshop, plant sale,
guided tours, and talks by
Simon Crawford and George Ball.
Root Camp
Friday & Saturday, May 8 & 9
Workshops, lectures, and seed sales
during the event will assist gardeners in
constructing their own ornamental and
edible gardens at home. Graham Rice
and Rosalind Creasy featured.
Midsummer Garden Party
Friday & Saturday, July 10 & 11
Hydrangeas will be the focus of the
event during guided garden tours and
a lecture by internationally acclaimed
plant researcher Dr. Mike Dirr.
Burpee's Harvest Festival
Friday & Saturday, August 21 & 22
A tomato tasting, lecture, guided
tours, and a sneak peek at 2010 Burpee
varieties. Gardener and cookbook
author Laura Schcnone is featured.
Autumn Garden Tour
Friday & Saturday, Sept. 25 & 26
Enjoy "summer's second number" with
guided tours, a fall bulb/plant sale, a
garden workshop, and lectures. The
featured speakers for this event are
Rill Miller and Jerry Fritz.
All events are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Fordhook Farm
105 New Britain Road
Doylestown, PA
www.heronswood.com
www.opendaysprogram.org