Pollinator Action Case Studies

The Kingston Case Study

Landscapes Designed and Installed

Additional Landscape Designs

The YWCA viewed from the front entrance. Future garden beds are marked with orange flags. Photo: Adam T. Deen

The Kingston pilot site is the grounds of the Young Women’s Christian Association of Ulster County, an 0.6-acre urban property in the heart of historic uptown Kingston. The YWCA was founded in 1923 in response to the growing needs of women moving into the City of Kingston from surrounding rural communities. The YWCA offers a range of social and educational services to women and families.

The YWCA structure comprises two connected buildings with an exterior that offers limited greenspace, nearly half the site’s lot being covered by a parking lot. At this project’s outset there were a few established garden beds around the YWCA building containing limited, mostly weedy and non-native vegetation, including non-native yew (Taxus) and invasive burning bush (Euonymus alatus) shrubs. The parking lot was thickly bordered by invasive tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima), mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) and other invasive plants. 

YWCA leadership wanted to take advantage of the property’s sidewalk-facing areas to create a more publicly welcoming environment, and to offer a safer and more enjoyable space for outdoor learning, including seating for children and staff. Thirteen total micro-designs were created for the YWCA, of which three were installed during pilot year 2023.

  1. Kingston Plantings: Urban Garden Beds

Site area: Three small garden beds ranging from 80-400 square feet 

Soil: Rocky, compacted urban clay soil with 4-6” of commercial topsoil-compost mixture on top

Sun exposure: Varies - full sun to part shade

Site history: Urban site adjacent to two busy roads.

Existing vegetation: Some of the proposed garden areas were existing garden beds with non-native ornamental plants present; other designs were created for areas covered by concrete.

Site Preparation: In the two existing garden beds, existing vegetation was dug out and discarded. A landscape company removed concrete to create the new triangular bed. Several invasive mature Ailanthus altissima (tree-of-heaven) trees were also removed from around the parking lot by flush-cutting and injecting stumps with glyphosate herbicide to prevent regrowth

Planting Method: Digging was by hand using shovels and hand trowels. 

Project Labor: Three YWCA volunteers completed the planting in four hours, including layout.

Budget: Unavailable

Timeline

February-April May-July August-September October
Ailanthus altissima removal Project planning Plant sourcing Plants delivered 10/7, planted 10/8

Design modifications: Several plant substitutions were needed due to sourcing availability.

Planting Garden Bed #1

  • Bed #1 in early spring. The paved area where the white table is located will be excavated for planting. Photo: PCA

  • Bed #1 on June 21st. After removing concrete and adding soil to the newly excavated bed, YWCA staff planted annuals to brighten the space until the native planting in the fall. The dog shown is an emotional support animal who works at the Y! Photo: PCA

  • Planting Bed #1 on October 8. Photo: Adam T. Deen

  • Bed #1 after planting. Photo: Adam T. Deen

Planting Garden Bed #2

  • Bed #2 in early spring, after removing existing nonnative shrubbery. Photo: PCA

  • Bed #2 on June 21, showing weed growth on bare soil. These small weeds were hand-pulled prior to planting. Photo: PCA

  • Watering Bed #2 after planting on October 8. Photo: Adam T. Deen

Planting Garden Bed #3

  • Bed #3 prior to planting, showing nonnative plants such as hostas (left) and weeds. Photo: PCA

  • Planting Bed #3. Lowbush blueberries and purple lovegrass were installed around existing plants for a hybrid native and ornamental bed. Photo: Adam T. Deen

  • The small but mighty crew of volunteers who installed the YWCA plantings.

Site Managers’ Top Takeaways 

Site Preparation: Some of the roots of plants in existing beds weren’t fully removed during preparation, which made planting a challenge. In future projects we’ll ensure complete removal. Also, the topsoil used to fill the newly excavated bed was very rich (compost-heavy); in future projects we’d specify a less rich soil as the best choice for native plants.

Plant Sourcing: Few wholesale options that also offered delivery were available. We went with a nursery that’s not focused on native plants, so we ended up with a few more substitutions (including cultivars) than we might have otherwise - but it was worth it for the ease of working with a single company, especially one that delivered the plants.

Planting: We had originally planned to work with a local volunteer group, but our planned planting date was rained out and the volunteers couldn’t reschedule. Nevertheless, the planting went quickly with just two or three people. More volunteers might actually make it more difficult to plant efficiently in small urban spaces like our gardens.