鈥淭hose vibrant flowers have been a wonderful addition to the Laboratory’s landscape,鈥� says RK Narayanan, Senior Director at CSHL鈥檚 Office of Business Development & Technology Transfer. 鈥淚鈥檝e always found that area to be particularly peaceful. And the flowers have enhanced its inherent beauty.鈥�
CSHL completed restoration work on its 174-year-old seawall in 2022. Once the construction crews were gone, it was time to spruce the place back up. Prior to the renovation, the area had been nothing but green. CSHL鈥檚 on-staff horticulturalists saw an opportunity to add a little more color.
鈥淭hese flowers are all Northeast natives,鈥� CSHL Horticulturalist Agnes P. Cwalina says. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e attracting native species of bees. Birds are stopping by on migration to eat the seeds. If plants aren鈥檛 being eaten by birds, bugs, or bees, there’s something wrong. That means the plant isn鈥檛 good for what lives around us. The beautiful thing also is that these are perennials. They鈥檒l be coming back year after year.鈥�
Since 1890, CSHL and its predecessors have been stewards of the local environment. This responsibility goes beyond mere preservation work. CSHL鈥檚 dedicated grounds crew and horticulturalists labor year-round to ensure the area鈥檚 health and beauty lasts beyond the current season.
鈥淩ight plant, right place is the biggest thing,鈥� CSHL Horticulturalist Riley McKenna says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easier to work with nature than against nature. Native species, like the flowers by the seawall, are just better. They鈥檙e more drought tolerant. They鈥檝e adapted to the area. Cold Spring Habor has a maritime climate. There鈥檚 a lot of moisture and salt. But because we have the water, there鈥檚 also so much biodiversity. We鈥檙e very lucky to see all this every day.鈥�
