Gardens by Design

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Berries for Birds

Attract songbirds and others to your garden with the native plants they prefer. An Audubon member, who is also a Master Gardener, shows you how to create a bird sanctuary with four seasons of interest.

Organic Vegetable Gardens

Learn how to grow food in your backyard. This session covers the 5 keys to a successful vegetable garden: location, soil preparation, plan, planting choices and good maintenance. No green thumb needed to get started.

The Sensory Garden

How can we enhance our gardens by appealing to all of our senses? By incorporating high impact plants with exceptional fragrances, vivid colors, movements and textures, you can make your garden a desired destination. Be inspired to add the WOW factor to your garden.

Pollinator Gardens

Butterflies, birds and the other pollinators need host plants for nectar, food and lodging. By introducing three seasons of key pollinator plants into your garden, you can create a pollinator-friendly habitat in your front and back yard. Discover the best planting arrangements as well the many colorful and hardy plants attractive to pollinators.

Herb Gardens

Herb gardens are an attractive collection of plants with a purpose beyond their natural beauty. Some herbs have culinary attributes. Others have medicinal properties.Learn how to select plants and site an herb garden, whether assembled in containers or a planted in a garden bed.

Designing Rain Gardens

Do you want a garden that’s easy to install, looks good year-round, requires little maintenance, and helps prevent water pollution? Rain gardens are shallow depressions designed to soak up water and support trees, shrubs, and flowers that tolerate both wet and dry conditions. Learn the basics of designing and installing a rain garden, including how to evaluate and amend your soil, scale the size of your garden, and prepare, plant, and maintain it using native plants.

Rain Garden Plants

Do you want a garden that looks good year-round, requires little maintenance, and helps prevent water pollution? Rain gardens are shallow depressions designed to soak up water and support trees, shrubs, and flowers that tolerate both wet and dry conditions. Learn which plants perform best in a rain garden. Discover two local Long Island funding sources to support your rain garden expenses.

Shade Gardens

Little or no sun for your garden?Hundreds of plants prefer and thrive in shady conditions. Discover how you can bring four seasons of interest to your shaded garden with an array of colors, sizes and plant textures. Attention to foliage and structural features are key.

Gardening by the Sea

If you garden near the sea, you know there are additional matters requiring your attention. Which plants can tolerate salt spray, sand or sandy soil and considerable wind?Discover the many attractive cultivars of plants, including perennials, shrubs and grasses which can successfully withstand the challenges of the coastal environment.

Container Gardens

Fill, spill and thrill. Take these 3 features of container garden wisdom to new heights in the creation of your plant arrangements. Identify traditional, reliable choices for your site and its maintenance. Then experiment with unusual containers and plant selections.

The Hummingbird Garden

Create the proper habitat for these magical creatures by providing them with nectar sources from appropriate flowers and sugar feeders. If you build the right garden for them, they will come! Discover amazing facts about these tiny birds while viewing photographs of them in action.

School Gardens

School gardens provide curriculum connections for math, science, art and language arts. School gardens also offer another platform for addressing nutritional issues. Learn how to establish a school garden at your school. Learn what makes it successful over time, including getting food into the cafeteria, winning grants and engaging the wider community.

Community Gardens, 101 & 102

Community gardens growing a cornucopia of fresh vegetables and fruits are found from the north shore to the south shore of Long Island. What is needed to launch a community garden? What will guide its success in the first year?What will ensure its bounty in years to come?Learn strategies from community gardeners who have experience in starting and maintaining community gardens.

Drought Tolerant Gardens

Do you have a sunny, dry landscape with a limited water supply?The Medford Train Station and adjacent 9-11 Memorial Garden provide excellent examples of what can be planted and maintained giving these challenging growing conditions.Learn from the stories of success and failure in coping with a harsh environment and which plants will thrive in a similar environment.

Gardening for Wildlife

Are you interested in how your yard can also be a haven for wildlife? This presentation will teach you what insects, birds, and more need so your yard is their habitat. Contact Mina Vescera, Extension Educator: Nursery/Landscape Specialist, via email mv365@cornell.edu

Last updated October 31, 2023