Brooklyn's "Greenest Block" contest plants seeds of community
With spring in full swing, dozens of Brooklyn residents are gearing up to enter the annual "Greenest Block in Brooklyn" contest.
The friendly competition promotes streetscape gardening across the borough.
CBS News New York's Hannah Kliger spoke to last year's champs about how to grow a winning garden.
"It's really rooted in just building connections with those around you"
Yellow tulips bloom and neighbors nurture tree beds on a leafy, brownstone-lined street in Crown Heights. It's no wonder Lincoln Place was crowned Brooklyn's "greenest block" in an annual contest organized by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
"It's really rooted in just building connections with those around you and making Brooklyn a greener, healthier and more vibrant place to live in," said Jibreel Cooper, community program manager at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Sidewalk planters along Lincoln Place, between Nostrand and New York Avenues become floral showcases, part of an annual tradition that has grown from seeds planted decades ago.
"It's from my mom," said resident Perri Edwards of her love of planting. "I have a snake plant from the 1940s that was my grandmother's."
Edwards and her neighbor Althea Joseph formed an ad-hoc group called P.L.A.N.T., which stands for "Preserving Lincoln's Abundant Natural Treasures." An array of awards decorate their fence; since 2019, every time they've participated in the friendly growing contest, they took home first place.
"The secret is I think we like to give a theme," Joseph said.
Last year's theme was "Everything, Everywhere All at Once."
"We didn't actually depict the movie. We just wanted to be able to do tons of upcycling," she said.
2024 winners offer mentorship to this year's contenders
Since P.L.A.N.T. won last year, they cannot participate this year. So instead, they've taken on a mentorship role, sharing their seeds of knowledge with two other blocks hoping to win the gold in 2025.
Valerie Nero-Reid is with a neighboring block association called H.S.V.K. A contender for this year's prize, her gardening group is picking up tricks of the trade from the ladies of Lincoln Place.
"They are special people and, of course, they gifted in the arts and just greening, but they care. They care about the Earth and about people. So that's what you see come through," she said of her neighbors.
Geneva Collins found the block by accident last year while riding her bike. The homegrown beauty and sense of community was enough to inspire her to form her own group, called "MULCH" in Ocean Hill. Now they're entering the contest for the first time.
"Just being on the block, the energy and seeing how inviting the two ladies were. And they just took me in like a baby," she said, adding the new passion makes her feel connected to her grandmother.
Applications for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's competition are open until June 1, and the winners are announced in August. For more information, visit bbg.org.
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