Brooklyn’s Perrie Edwards inherited her talent for gardening from her mother, who in turn inherited it from her.
“I still have plants that my grandmother had in the 1940s,” the 65-year-old Crown Heights resident told The Washington Post, adding, “I have plants that are as old as I am.”
Her Lincoln Place neighborhood, between New York and Nostrand Avenues, is so filled with greenery and flowers that it won first place in a Brooklyn Greenest Neighborhood competition run by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Home to the horticultural society PLANT, the tree-lined avenue is a green oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle.
“It’s like a museum here,” resident Althea Joseph, 64, told The Post about her beautified subdivision.
On their block, more than 60 doorsteps are filled with a variety of plants and flowers born from repurposed household items like Quaker Oats tins, tea containers and recycled furniture, and the sidewalks are lined with brightly painted planters. Cardboard cutouts of animals are also on display, along with numerous informational signs about pollinator plants.
The winning block in the contest, which had 112 participants this year, will receive a $300 prize, which they plan to use to purchase soil and other materials to maintain the green space, which has become a pedestrian hub, especially during the pandemic.
“You can really tell this group enjoys working together and being in community with each other.” Jibril Cooper, community programs manager at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, told the Post.
Judges evaluated the blocks on criteria such as horticultural soundness and community orientation, which was part of Lincoln Place’s appeal during the competition.
During New York City summers, Edwards and Joseph have to beat the heat by getting up as early as 5 a.m. to water their plants, sometimes multiple times a day, and even watering for their neighbors.
“People who are too busy to look after them definitely pitch in financially,” Joseph explained, adding, “There are a lot of out-of-pocket expenses.” “A lot of our neighbors have contributed financially, physically and emotionally.”
Joseph, who remembers his mother tending to the plants every morning before feeding her children, said mastering the art of greening took a lot of “trial and error”.
Now, Edwards and Joseph teach their neighbors, “even though they’re our competitors,” Edwards joked.
“We learned from BBG, we learned from each other, we learned from other people who had done it before, and we started teaching our neighbors,” Joseph said.
In the residential category, Crown Heights Keepers, located on Eastern Parkway between Franklin and Bedford avenues, took second place and also won the Media Darling award, while Bay Ridge Blooms, on Ridge Boulevard between 71st and Ovington avenues, came in third.
The competition will award best newcomer, as well as best streetscape, window sill, flower bed and storefront.
The contest encourages friendly competition and cash prizes among neighborhood residents, but the ultimate goal, at least from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s perspective, is sustainability, education and beautifying the neighborhood.
“It’s a community-building tool, an education program disguised as a contest. The overall mission is to get people working with their neighbors, getting involved in the community, really getting out and talking to each other,” Cooper said. Said.
“The result is safer, healthier and more vibrant communities.”
