Gardens at Flat Rock Brook

FRB Gardeners

Butterfly

Everyone is welcome regardless of experience. Volunteer! Help garden in Flat Rock's native plant gardens, attend gardening workshops and take off-site field trips. You will learn interesting things and new techniques and share your knowledge with other local gardeners.

The Gardeners meet every Thursday from April through October and concentrate their efforts on garden care through the different seasons. They work to maintain and care for the native plant gardens at the Nature Center, using integrated pest management gardening techniques and native plants to attract beneficial insects and other wildlife.The Gardeners Group sponsors workshops on diverse topics as well as field trips to unique gardens in our area.

If you would like to become a Flat Rock Brook Gardener, send us a volunteer form or call 201-567-1265 for more information and how to get involved. Gardener Co-chairs are Kathy Silberstein and Cynthia Sumner. You may e-mail any questions to Kathy Silberstein.

Hours and Rules

Building Hours
Monday - Friday
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Weekends
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The park is open for hiking every day from dawn to dusk.

Do not disturb or remove any plants wildlife or natural materials.

Stay on the trails at all times. Do not enter the ponds or stream.

Dogs, bicycles, and alcoholic beverages are prohibited.

Picnic only in the designated picnic area. A group use permit is required for groups of 10 or more visiting the Nature Center. For more information go to Group Use.

Backyard Habitat Gardens at Flat Rock Brook

Flat Rock Brook showcases a variety of informal small gardens designed to create habitats of diverse native plants selected specifically to attract wildlife. The use of native plants provide an identity of place that is in harmony with the natural local ecosystem and suggest to local gardeners how native plants can add beauty and variety to a garden and create a hospitable environment for wildlife. The different gardens provide food such as berries, seeds and nectar, as well as shelter, nesting sites and water for birds and other animals.

The Backyard Habitat for Wildlife
A demonstration garden of native plants selected to provide food and useful to wildlife and to be ornamental as well. The Habitat is divided into two sections, the Gazebo Garden to illustrate a particular design for a backyard area (located behind the Gazebo) and the Quarry meadow to display a wide variety of plants available for habitat use (encompassed by the boardwalk trail).

The Backyard Habitat for Wildlife has been documented and included in the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Gardens as part of the Garden Club of America Collection. The archives offer landscape designers historians and researchers access to thousands of photographs and documents about America's historic and contemporary gardens. Flat Rock Brook's Backyard Habitat was originally funded by the Garden Club of America's Founder's Fund award in 1992 and the garden was designed and planted with the help of the Englewood Garden Club.

Butterfly Gardens There are two butterfly gardens at Flat Rock, one in front of the building and the other along the east side of the parking lot by the rock outcrop. Plantings in these areas are mostly native species that provide shelter, food for butterfly larvae, and nectar for adult butterflies.

Children's Garden From seed to harvest children discover the wonders of gardening by learning about seeds, planting and germination. Each year the children's garden has a different theme.

Other Gardens Along the Children’s Garden fence, the sensory herb garden contains aromatic and culinary herbs. The ground cover garden along the back wall of the building contains different ground cover plants that homeowners can plant as an alternative to grass. These plants carpet the ground, are low maintenance needing little watering and almost no fertilizer, and are environmentally friendly. Demonstration compost piles can be found off the boardwalk and there is a worm-composting bin in our building.

All of the garden areas are low maintenance, require little water or fertilizer, can thrive in poor soil and are composed of plants that are not invasive as exotic species can be. They are well suited to integrated pest management techniques that have the least toxic impact on the environment.

We hope that as you experience our gardens you will understand the interdependence of all life and be inspired to create backyard habitats of your own to help reestablish the richness of nature in our highly developed communities.The area need not be large; native trees, shrubs and perennials planted along a property line will provide food and shelter for bird and butterflies; a birdbath will supply water. The creation of a refuge for wildlife will add beauty and variety to your garden. It will also bring the satisfaction of providing a sanctuary for our native plant and wildlife species. For more information, go to the gardening resources listed on our Reference page.