If you participated in ReWild Long Island’s spring North Fork Sustainable Garden Tour but were unable to make it to the gardens in Riverhead, take heart! Two fascinating Riverhead gardens will be open to the public again this Saturday, Aug. 8, from 9 a.m. to Noon.
The gardens include Calverton Meadows, a wild place on the edge of a forest, and Dome Gardens on the grounds surrounding Kevin Shea and Versha Gupta’s geodesic dome in Riverhead.
Guests will be introduced to the gardens’ unique design elements, the importance of pollinators, sustainable gardening practices, and the owners whose visions have transformed their landscapes,” according to ReWild Long Island’s North Fork chapter, which is sponsoring this tour.
“On the recent North Fork Sustainable Garden tour, visitors to the three Southold gardens did not drive to the two Riverhead gardens and vice versa. These extraordinary gardens are not to be missed, both for the dedication the four gardeners have to steward the land and their creativity in their approaches,” according to ReWild.
“You will discover the Dome gardens surrounding the extraordinary geodesic dome in Riverhead built by NYC firefighters after 9/11; the circular gardens, orchards, greenhouse, and herb gardens around the geodesic home that master gardeners and Cornell gardeners live in,” according to the announcement. “Then we walk or drive five minutes away to a surprising site where two sisters, also master gardeners and Cornell gardeners, banded together with some neighbors to remove invasives from an overgrown space they call the ‘edge of the wild.’ It’s now a vibrant, healthy, mostly native plant community garden.”
“The gardens are a place where people can experience the beauty of nature while learning how small actions can make a meaningful difference for our environment. We hope every visitor leaves inspired to create their own welcoming spaces for pollinators,” said Kevin and Versha of the garden surrounding the dome.
“Let the landscape speak to you. Cut away the invasives to expose the existing natives and some of their naturally occurring understory plants,” say Calverton Meadows gardeners Sara and Peggy McLoughlin. “Edit and encourage. We happen to live on the edge of a forest. We’d follow the same principle if we lived on the beach.”
“Start small — one native plant, one corner of your yard — and you’ll be amazed how much it matters. Pollinators have lost so much ground to habitat loss and pesticides, but every native we plant gives something back,” said Nancy DePas Reinertsen, North Fork Chapter Chair. “That’s what these gardens show: restoration doesn’t need to be big to be real. But…if you have the time, the space, the creativity, and the inclination, then go right ahead and make a huge splash in the pollinator pond.”
Admission is free, though donations to ReWild Long Island are appreciated. There’s parking onsite at the Dome Gardens, and on the street at Calverton Meadows. Addresses will be given upon registration online here.
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