McGolrick Bird Garden

Our new McGolrick Bird Garden has been planted!  


Inspired by the prolific McGolrick Bird Club, Friends of McGolrick was inspired to create a garden dedicated to providing food for our many avian friends. You may have noticed the buzz of activity in the garden beds just south of the Mr. Monitor statue in recent months, as a dedicated group of neighbors has been working tirelessly to prepare the space for planting. 

The neglected space was overrun with Virginia Creeper and the invasive Goldenrod, with no plan in place to develop it strategically.  The Friends’ group stepped in to make a change. Our successful application for a City Gardens Club of New York City grant enabled us to purchase mature plants for the area, which should immediately benefit the area's birds. 

The garden is now brimming with beautiful plants, chosen specifically to nourish both the local and visiting bird populations.  We have the following plants nestled within the garden:

  • Sweetfern Comptonia peregrina 

  • Wintergreen Gaultheria procumbens 

  • Huckleberry Gaylussacia baccata

  • Winterberry Ilex verticillata Southern Gentlemen

  • Winterberry Ilex verticillata Winter Red

  • Spicebush Lindera benzoin

  • Echinacea 

  • Columbine

  • Milkweed Tuberosa

  • Violet

  • Allium

  • Hostas

  • Ferns

  • Liriope

  • Blueberry

The Bird Garden group developed the plant palette in collaboration with Lauren Clark, our McGolrick Park gardener, and Lisa Bloodgood, Horticulturist, from North Brooklyn Parks Alliance.  NBPA also provided some plants from their nursery at Under the K Bridge Park.  

The Friends of McGolrick are currently working on signs that will help educate the community about the plants within the garden and their impact.  The Bird Garden team will monitor the space and perform regular maintenance.  We would all appreciate your help in keeping the garden space free from trash, dogs, and feet, so that the plants can take root and flourish.

We are extremely grateful to the City Gardens Club of New York City and the NYC Parks Department for their support of this impactful project. Thanks also to Lauren, Lisa and their team for their horticultural expertise and help planting in the rain.

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