ABOUT OUR NURSERY
The Native Nursery at Under the K Bridge Park was launched in the winter of 2023 to meet a practical need: we care for several public parks in our district and require a large number of plants to support their health and ecological restoration. But the Nursery quickly became something much bigger and more important. It proves that even heavily industrial spaces can be transformed into places for growing plants, supporting pollinators, and bringing people together.
Our nursery focuses on cultivating native plant species from seeds donated by the NYC Parks Plant Ecology Center and Nursery (PECAN). High quality native plants—especially ones that are native to our specific ecoregion—are extremely hard to find in the nursery trade, especially in large quantities. An ecoregion is a distinct natural area defined by its specific characteristics, its climate, soils, and ecosystems. Migratory birds and pollinators (like bees) depend on specific plants to survive. Sustaining biodiversity means ensuring that plants native to our ecoregion are included in the local habitat.
Many people in NYC care about biodiversity and want to create green spaces, but don’t have access to the plants or knowledge to do so. Our nursery is designed to increase both access and knowledge. We grow resilient, locally appropriate plants that we provide to neighbors, schools, community gardens, and other nonprofit organizations across the city. Our community programming, which includes both seasonal fellowships and monthly open volunteer events in the nursery, is designed to provide meaningful hands-on engagement and learning.
This work is really about collaboration — between people, plants, and places. Learn more below!
Our native plant “library.” Our nursery team grows thousands of native plants from seed, representing more than a hundred different species.
credit: Mark Davis
Open Nursery Plant Giveaway. We open the nursery to the public every autumn and provide free plants to neighbors, community groups, schools, and nonprofits.
credit: Mark Davis
Horticulture Fellowship Program. Our fellowship provides a ten-week immersive experience in our nursery operations and seed exchange program with PECAN.
credit: Mark Davis
Garden Club at Under the K. We host monthly volunteer days in the nursery where neighbors help us sow seeds, pull weeds, and repot plants.
credit: Karrie Witkin
A plant resource for our parks. Some of the plants that we cultivate in our nursery ultimately get planted in the pollinator garden beds at Bushwick Inlet Park and other spaces that we steward.