14 Rye Eco Friendly Gardens on Display Sunday Afternoon

Almost 100 properties will be open to the public on Sunday, June 13th as part of the Healthy Yards/Bedford 2030 Healthy Garden Tour including 14 properties in Rye.

Private gardens, land trust properties, nature sanctuaries and county preserves will showcase landscaping techniques that utilize earth-friendly practices, such as no pesticides, no gas leaf blowers, use of native plants, composting, rewilding, meadowscapes and any number of landscaping practices that are gaining popularity as homeowners respond to environmentalists’ alerts that home gardens may be “nature’s best hope.”

Environmental organizations estimate that the United States has lost more than 60% of its insect population and 30% of its birds since 1970, mostly as a result of habitat loss. The phrase Nature’s Best Hope is the title of a book by entomologist Doug Tallamy, who has been instrumental in drawing attention to the growing problem of habitat loss.

The private properties in Rye will be open from 1pm to 4pm Sunday to accommodate the Rye High School parade in the morning. See a map of Rye properties. Here is a list:

Greenhaven Biodiversity Hot Spot
10 Sound Road, Rye, NY
Open 1pm-4pm. Organic-only garden, with fenced vegetable garden, seed starter greenhouse, fairy walk and meditation space. Some surprising edible moments and you can sign up for Rye’s Food Scrap Recycling program.

Secret Garden of Celestial Happiness
330 Park Avenue, Rye, NY
Open 1pm-4pm. A complete landscape renovation: the entire backyard lawn was removed for this landscape designer’s own ever-evolving project! Based on ecological principles, the design is a model of biodiversity, resource conservation and pollinator paradise. Features include a native plant woodland garden, rain gardens, pollinator gardens, a constructed fishpond, waterfall and stream, and a unique wetland boardwalk tour.

Mother-Daughter Birding Paradise
75 Island Drive, Rye, NY
Open 1-4pm. Despite a pool and children’s play equipment, a mother-daughter team still found room for a truly outstanding collection of native plants and trees. The daughter also birds, thanks to the wildlife attracted to this paradise by the Sound.

Marsh Life
80 Stuyvesant Avenue, Rye, NY
Open 1-4pm. (Walk to rear from right side of house.) A vibrant wetland/waterfront property on Peningo Neck.

An English Cottage Garden
33 Orchard Drive, Rye, NY
Open 1-4pm. A beach cottage between Rye Marina and Rye Beach. Situated on a private road off Milton Road (street parking at both ends of block). The owners can be found by the treehouse nestled in the Japanese Maple In the front garden. Their native-rich garden includes a water barrel and recycled fencing, and the owners compost.

Angel Memorial Garden
24A Peck Avenue, Rye, NY (Rye Colony Cooperative Apartments)
Open 1-4pm. Created by a garden apartment owner in memory of family members, this garden and its nearby container garden in a flagstone area demonstrate that small spaces can make a big difference for wildlife. A 10-feet-tall butterfly bush by a window has afforded views of the rare hummingbird moth. (Park on Peck Avenue frontage road; see map at entrance.)

Eco-Friendly Pollinator Paradise
8 Osborne Place, Rye Brook, NY
Open 10 am-1 pm. A certified wildlife property, this small piece of land in a busy part of Rye Brook boasts native pollinator gardens and an organic vegetable garden. There are bat boxes, water sources and other wildlife assets. The property composts, collects rain water, and uses solar to keep it environmentally friendly.

Rye Nature Center Native Garden –
873 Boston Post Road, Rye, NY
Open 10am-4pm (docent 1pm-4pm). Maintained by Rye’s Little Garden Club and located near the main building, this beautifully designed garden contains numerous native pollinator plants.

Jay Heritage Center Larry Weaner Pollinator Meadow –
210 Boston Post Road, Rye, NY
Open 10am-4pm (self-guided with signage). Designed by Larry Weaner Landscape Associates, this two-acre native meadow honors its long history as an open landscape for prehistoric through modern people, and also models a sustainable alternative to turf. Fine textured native grasses and wildflowers evoke pastoral meadows with habitat for birds, butterflies, and other pollinators.

Rye Free Reading Room – Milkweed Children’s Garden –
1061 Boston Post Road, Rye, NY
Open 10am-4pm (self-guided). Planted by library staff and children, this monoculture garden was strategically placed with window views that provide hours of butterfly delight for small visitors and caretakers.

Rye Country Day School
3 Cedar Street, Rye, NY
Open 1-4. This independent school is fully committed to sustainability in its facilities and programs. Pollinators service vegetable gardens and provide teaching materials. An experienced teacher/gardener will guide.

Rye Community Monarch Waystation,
Boston Post Road at Central Avenue, Rye, NY
Open 10-4 (self-guided). This Monarch butterfly habitat in a very public space was created by replacing two sections of lawn with beds of three milkweed native species, a monarch food source. Wildflowers will further support all pollinators throughout the growing season. This project inspires others to convert sections of their own lawns into healthy pollinator habitats.

Edith Read Natural Park & Wildlife Sanctuary Native Plant Garden
1 Playland Parkway, Rye, NY
Open 10-4 (self-guided with signage; Rye Playland booth attendant will direct you.) A lovingly tended native plants garden used for education and enjoyment.