Narrows Botanical Gardens holds annual spring plant sale

Thanks to the Narrows Botanical Gardens, so much more than trees grow in Brooklyn.

The NBG Annual Spring Plant Sale was held on Saturday, May 11 in the oasis in Shore Road Park, which is located between Bay Ridge Avenue and 72nd Street. The well-attended event featured an array of NBG’s greenhouse specialties and seasonal selections including herbs, flowering plants and native species, just in time for spring planting.

For community leader June Johnson, who serves on the NBG board of directors, it was a day she had looked forward to all year. “I love anything to do with gardening and parks,” Johnson told this paper. “The NBG volunteers had everything displayed and placed on tables beautifully. All the plants looked so inviting and everyone who stopped by either purchased the plants or just enjoyed admiring them.”

NBG founder Jimmy Johnson spent the entire day at the plant sale answering visitors’ questions and offering expert tips for plant care. “Everything’s about the weather, and today we had full sun,” he told this paper.

“We had a great selection of plants from the common to the unusual, and it’s all about making Bay Ridge greener,” he added.

The NGB has been described as “The Jewel of Bay Ridge,” and is one of New York City’s largest and longest-lasting all-volunteer gardening initiatives. The gardens are situated on 4.5 acres of parkland along Shore Road.

Among the many exhibits are the Native Plant Sanctuary, Lily Pond, Zen Garden, the Old and Modern Rose Gardens, and the Native Meadow Flower Hillside. The garden is also home to a menagerie of animals including turtles, bees, chickens and a variety of bird species.

“Narrows Botanical Gardens has an amazing view of the Hudson River and all day I could see the ferries coming and going, cargo ships and cruise ships going out to sea, and all kinds of birds singing and flying all around us,” said June.

“As a wise man said many, many times, ‘just a beautiful day in our neighborhood,” she added.

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