Tree watering bag installed on Farragut Rd. SMP installed 12 watering bags around selected young trees planted by NYC Parks within the past 2 years. These trees will also be receiving wooden tree guards constructed by volunteers to help protect them during their early years, which is crucial to their survival. These efforts are being done with funding SMP received from a grant from the NYC Green Fund operated by the City Parks Foundation. A mature street tree needs about 8-10

Volunteers Natasha, Stephanie and Anne planting and watering tree bed. Photo by Lisa Ising. Despite our first working day of hot weather, our June Green Team got it done! The team met on June 6th to focus on planting, watering and clean-up of tree beds for a couple blocks on Foster Avenue. This work was done by 11 volunteers who donated 22 hours of their time to accomplish the following: Plant 32 donated blooming sweet alyssum plants in four tree beds Water all the tree beds

A Tree of Heaven (Alianthus) with two rows of insect shield tape. The black dots on the white tape are all Spotted Lanternfly nymphs. Gaudy Spotted Lanternflies go through several life stages (or instars) before becoming the flying pests we know so well. June and July is the perfect time to use special insect shield tape to capture and kill them in their nymph stage, before they can become voracious adults. The first three stages (or instars) of the life cycle of Spotted La

Sign recognizing the Pollinators for six years of stewardship to South Midwood. On May 4, fifteen Pollinators converged on the Flatbush Malls for an intense two-hour Green Team Saturday that was highlighted by hanging new signs that recognize the South Midwood Pollinators care of the Glenwood Road malls. Installed on the West Mall at E. 21st Street and the East Mall at E. 23rd Street, the signs were designed by John Stislow, owner of Stislow Desgn, a South Midwood resident an

Save-the-date and plant up your extras for the annual South Midwood Pollinators Plant Share, May 16th, 10a.m. – 12 p.m., at 2104 Glenwood Road (@ 21st Street, driveway in backyard). Please label your plant and provide the prospective owner directions about water, light, and care needs. Please note: There are honey bees near the event! They're mostly gentle ladies, but in case you might need to know.

The South Midwood Pollinators first ever Game Night Fundraiser!

The South Midwood Pollinators' first Green Team First Saturdays was a smashing success!

Gardens are not one and done. Our new Green Team First Saturdays are a chance to meet up with neighbors and continue the flowering of South Midwood. We will kick off on March 7 by brightening up our Foster Avenue Greenway. Working on Foster from 9 to 11, we will reward ourselves afterwards with coffee and croissants. It’s an opportunity for you to get a jump on spring AND talk gardens with your Brooklyn peeps. What will we be doing? Depending on the weather, we may be reins

Cheap, easy and all outdoors - Milk Jug Seed Starting works for novice and experienced gardeners alike in Brooklyn. Here are the step by step instructions for growing sturdy, hard to find native seedlings. What you need: Clean gallon milk or water jugs Scissors and/or mat knife Drill OR hammer and nail for making holes Sharpie Duct tape Inexpensive Potting Soil - not Seed Starting Mix Seeds and plant labels Step 1 - Cut open the Milk Jug Mark the start and end poin

We’re thrilled to share that the South Midwood Pollinators have received a $2,500 grant from the City Parks Foundation to support the construction of tree guards to protect new street trees throughout our neighborhood! Foster Avenue tree guard, installed 11/1/25. This funding will help us launch a program to protect vulnerable street trees—many of which suffer from soil compaction, damage from vehicles, dog waste, and loss of healthy growing space. The new guards will safe

Phase 2 of the five-year Foster Avenue Greenway Project was completed on Saturday, Nov. 1. And Foster Avenue is looking pretty spiffy!! In the days preceding the Phase 2 work day, significant prep was required. For example, concrete in some of the tree pits had to be broken up and removed. Hard-as-a-rock soil was softened and loosened. The prep work paid off: Nine tree guards were added; two to the Phase 1 block between Ocean and E21, and seven to the Phase 2 block. More tha

South Midwood Pollinators founder and board president Virginia Levie was honored by Community Board 14 at the annual CB14 Service Award Ceremony on Thursday, October 30. The event annually recognizes volunteers and individuals for their hard work and dedication to our community. CB14 District Manager Shawn Campbell, CB14 Chair Karl-Henry Cesar, and SMP founder Virginia Levie at annual CB14 Awards Reception Shawn Alyse Campbell, District Manager, introduced Virginia with a rem

Daffodils bloom in the spring protected by a new tree guard, built by South Midwood volunteers. The South Midwood Pollinators believe...

In December, 2024, Pollinator President Virginia Levie trialed a native seed starting workshop at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The goal...

On a lovely Saturday in June, Pollinators took a midday break to chit chat about gardening successes and quandaries and geek out on all...

Pollinator work wagon, on the job! With rain on the way, Natasha, Alenya, Zach, Andi, Anne, John, Marj, Virginia, Mario, and Stephanie...

After lower numbers in 2024, Spotted Lantern Flies have come roaring back. The SMPollinators have two strategies for diminishing their...

Collage of photos from Ernest Skinner's garden. Pollinator and South Midwood neighbor Alexandra Baltarzuk put together a record-setting...

It's spring, and many a person's thoughts turn to buying plants! If the rising temperatures and sunshine have you thinking about...

Yikes, there’s a new plant disease in South Midwood! Fortunately the fix is pretty easy in this case. Aster Yellows is a plant disease...