Queensview’s Grounds are Growing Lusher

Toni Ceaser (August 2014)

Since 2013, the Aesthetics and Gardening Committee has been using its own donations as well as generous contributions from individual cooperators to add plants and flowers around specific buildings as well as to the common areas of our co-op.  For the moment, buildings 1, 3 and 14 lead in total donations.  Cooperators are contributing mainly money, which they may earmark for their own building or for Queensview gardens in general.  Other people, including Committee members and some on the staff of Queensview, are donating actual plants and/or bulbs after consulting with the Committee to make sure they’re suited to the location.

The Committee is extremely grateful for all such donations and extends deepest thanks to all contributors.  Donors' names are listed on the Cast and Crew page.

As a result of these efforts, and with the help of Queensview staff (they’re the only ones authorized to do the actual planting), the following new plants are helping to beautify our co-op:

- Broad-leaved hostas, some with colorful variations in their foliage, now adorn the front or side of buildings 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14, and the central commons area. Newly-purchased hostas were planted at the side entrance to building 3, and on the walkway from the parking lots of building 13 and 14 to the flagpole. The hostas along the pathway to the flagpole from the building 13 parking lot were donated by Queensview Superintendent Vasile Ungureanu.  Many of the other hostas distributed around Queensview were “babies” split off from our existing hostas which had grown so big that they could be divided into two or even three plants. We have also introduced three giant “Empress Wu” hostas which will add more WOW factor to our landscape as they reach maturity.  At maturity, each leaf can reach a diameter of three feet.  These too can be divided and spread around every two or three years.

- Coral bells (Heuchera) have been planted around buildings 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14. Again, some of these are offspring of our existing plants, which bloom in subtle white sprays in summer.  Others are babies with leaves of red, light green or deep purple.  Newer Heuchera varieties are coming onto the market with even more colorful leaves and flowers; these will be added as our budget permits.

- Hydrangeas or dwarf butterfly bushes (Buddleia) have been added around buildings 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13 and 14. They will bloom in colors of white, pink and/or blue.

- Daylilies, which had been planted around building 14’s parking lot long ago, have multiplied and been divided and placed around many buildings and common areas.  The multiplying of these perennial bulbs will continue and allow them to be added to every building where they will thrive.  This will bring beautiful multiple colors of Daylilies to even more locations.  In early November 2013, six gold-color Stella de Oro daylilies, which bloom their little heads off, were planted on the south side of building 9.  They were purchased and planted bare-rooted - a technique whereby a plant is removed from soil in a dormant state, so that it can more rapidly acclimate to the new soil conditions where it will be planted. This past spring they sprang out of the soil and were absolutely stunning.  I suspect that they will multiply and be even more glorious next spring.

- Red coneflowers (Echinacea) were planted by building 3, as donors had requested bright red to be added to their floral color pallette.

- Red-flowering Astilbe bulbs have now been planted by building 3 as well as other areas.

- Pink and white Astilbe have been planted around the flagpole.

- Meanwhile, building 6 & 8 porter Miroslaw Karczewicz has been tending canna and a few other subtropical plants on the side of building 6, where they bask in the sun. He’s hoping to divide and transplant some of these to other sunny Queensview locations.

- Thousands of free daffodils, courtesy of the New Yorkers for Parks' 2013 Daffodil Project, were planted around all the buildings and other common areas, complemented where possible by tulips, hyacinths and other spring-flowering bulbs.

- Also, free from New York Restoration Project and MillionTreesNYC were new trees which have been planted facing 21st Street between 33rd Road and 34th Avenue, where we’re hoping they’ll ultimately serve as a noise barrier. Other saplings have been planted elsewhere around buildings and in the Queensview commons.

(Please see Maureen Rosen’s article elsewhere in Greensview for some fascinating details on how and by whom Queensview actually got hold of the daffs and the saplings.)

A very special thank you to Groundsman Roman Rzeszotko for his ongoing labors of love and dedication to beautifying our co-op.   Thanks to all for your cooperative spirit and taking part in enhancing our beautiful landscape!  It’s so very rewarding and joyful to have so many people to join in this labor of love.  As we add more plants to the Queensview grounds, we’ll let you know through our new Greensview website.