[title]
On a block in Brooklyn, sunflowers peek over neatly trimmed hedges, summer flowers bloom in large pots along the sidewalk and trees provide shade from the sun. For its planting prowess, this block—East 25th Street between Avenue D and Clarendon Road in Flatbush—has been named the greenest block in the borough in Brooklyn Botanic Garden's annual contest.
The block is a sight to behold and worth stopping for a peek next time you’re walking through the neighborhood (especially after dining at the best Caribbean spots in Flatbush).
RECOMMENDED: A new exhibit at Brooklyn Botanic Garden showcases the power of trees
More than 119 blocks representing every part of Brooklyn competed in this year's contest to be judged by an expert panel including Brooklyn Botanic Garden staff and local horticulture professionals.
The winning team marked nearly every tree on the block with the name of the local child who helps care for it. Neighbors also used QR codes that passersby can scan to learn more about the street’s trees. Beautiful plantings adorn each yard on the block and gardeners paid close attention to pollinator plants and trees.
Trees were of extra importance in this year’s contest with Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s 2023 theme “Power of Trees.” Contest organizers asked gardeners to carefully consider street trees and their place in urban ecosystems when greening their blocks.
“This greening is important to us on East 25th Street not only for aesthetic benefits and practical reasons, but because it is a driving force as a community builder,” Carol Reneau, cochair of the garden club of the 300 East 25th Street Block Association, said in a press release. “The simple act of greening has allowed us to share plants with strangers, mentor neighboring blocks, repurpose spaces, and make requests of our elected officials to improve the environment, and has even worked as a conduit transforming neighbors into life-long friends.”
In addition to showcasing what neighbors can create when they work together, the plantings make an important impact on the local ecosystem.
"After record-high temperatures in June and July, trees are not just a nice adornment to city streets; they are essential to cooling urban heat islands and fighting climate change," Adrian Benepe, president of Brooklyn Botanic Garden, said in a press release. "City trees do a lot for us, but they don’t have it easy. The residents of the winning block and many others that participated in this year’s contest are important stewards of their neighborhood’s trees."
The Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest has been a tradition for nearly 30 years, promoting community greening initiatives, ecological stewardship and neighborly connectivity.
Here's the full list of first-place finishers
Residential Category
300 East 25th Street Block Association
East 25th Street between Avenue D & Clarendon Road, Flatbush
National Grid Leadership in Sustainable Practices Award
The New East 26th Street Block Association
East 26th Street between Avenue D & Clarendon Road, Flatbush
Commercial Category
Rockaway Parkway Merchant Association
Rockaway Parkway between Conklin & Flatlands Avenues, Canarsie
Greenest Storefront
Mama Fox
327 Stuyvesant Avenue, Bed-Stuy
Entered by Macon MacDonough Stuyvesant Lewis Block Association
Best Street Tree Beds
Hampton, Sterling, Virginia Place & Kingston Avenue Block Association, Inc.
Hampton Place between Park Place & Sterling Place, Crown Heights
Best Community Garden Streetscape
Serenity Community Garden
Avenue L between East 45th Street & Troy Avenue, Flatlands
Best Window Box
Hazel Carter
3103 Snyder Avenue, East Flatbush
Entered by the Tilder Block Association