East End Organizations Team Up To Celebrate National Public Gardens Day

The East End community is going green in celebration of National Public Gardens Day. On Saturday, May 9th, take a free, 1-hour guided tour at Bridge Gardens, The Madoo Conservancy, or LongHouse Reserve, or join in on an East End gardening session at the Flanders Community Garden at the David Crohan Community Center.

Southampton Town Councilwoman Christine P. Scalera is kicking things off with the annual planting day at the Flanders Community Garden. During the event, which is open to the public, attendees will have the chance to nurture the community garden, which was created as part of Councilwoman Scalera’s “A Greener Southampton” program. The gardening will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will include an assortment of vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

“Along with promoting healthy eating choices, one of my goals with this project was to integrate the community gardens into the town’s parks, youth, and senior services programs, with an eye toward promoting intergenerational interaction, with the garden as a focal point,” said Councilwoman Scalera, about the Flanders Community Garden. The garden is in collaboration with the Family Health and Wellness Program area of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County with funding from the New York State Department of Health.

Take a free, 1-hour guided tour at Bridge Gardens in honor of National Public Gardens Day. (Photo: www.facebook.com)

The tour at LongHouse Reserve (133 Hands Creek Road, East Hampton, 631-604-5330, www.longhouse.org) is first up at 10:30 a.m. LongHouse is also hosting several Saturday activities, starting with Family Day from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Attendees can take a guided tour, partake in a treasure hunt, watch performances by East End students and enjoy other entertaining activities. Stick around for Insider’s Tour: Napa Valley and an afternoon open house from 2 to 5 p.m.

Enjoy stunning landscapes during a scenic walk in the garden at the Madoo Conservancy (618 Sagg Main Street, Sagaponack, 631-537-8200, www.madoo.org), which reopens on Friday, May 8th. Attendees are invited to bring their own lunch for a picnic at Madoo before the walk at 1 p.m.

Bring your lunch for a picnic before the walk at Madoo. (Photo: www.facebook.com)

The final walk takes place at Bridge Gardens at 3 p.m. Bridge Gardens is also hosting Building Soil – From Compost to Fertilizer (36 Mitchell Lane, Bridgehampton, 631-283-3195, www.peconiclandtrust.org). From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., attendees will learn which soil amendments and fertilizers will build healthy soil tailored to their plants, and basic recipes and procedures for making great compost and compost tea.

Reservations are required for the free tours.

For more information about Flanders Community Garden, call 631-287-5745 or visit www.southamptontownny.gov.