Eco-friendly Practices Sustain The Greenway all Year Long

This year, the Greenway Con­servancy’s Horticultural team has been hard at work creating and maintaining one of The Gre­enway’s greatest gifts: the lush, vibrant, and healthy parks that inspire visitors to connect with nature, recharge mentally and physically, and enjoy a moment to ground themselves as the city hums around them.

The following is the Greenway Conservancy’s Horticultural team report:

A unique aspect of The Gre­enway is that all horticulture is managed ecologically and organ­ically—no synthetic pesticides or herbicides are used in our gardens. This means our lawns are safe for all to enjoy, and the birds and insects that call The Greenway home thrive without exposure to harmful chemicals. Being close to Boston Harbor, our commitment to organic practices also prevents any dangerous runoff into the water. We maintain our landscape with battery-powered equipment, a sustainable choice that’s health­ier for our team to operate and eliminates exhaust and greenhouse gasses.

In 2024, we focused on increas­ing biodiversity by introducing a “soft landing” beneath tree can­opies, planting native perennials that provide essential food and shelter for caterpillars. We also ensured that our maintenance practices within our gardens ben­efited native insects and pollina­tors. We held off on cutting back large plants where insects may be nesting, and routinely tracked our Pollinator Homes throughout the park.

We also renovated Dewey Square lawn, replacing traditional turf with a grass and microclover blend that requires less mowing, less water, and naturally enriches the soil with nitrogen. In addi­tion, we increased the tree diver­sity in the park by planting new native species which included the pink flowering dogwood and pink flowering Carolina silverbell (an Arnold Arboretum introduction). Over in Mary Soo Hoo Park, a unique Chinese fringe tree with a slender, upright shape and fragrant summer blooms now adds texture and color year-round.

Volunteers provided the neces­sary support to make all of these new projects possible. Monday through Friday, volunteers weed­ed, planted, and maintained our gardens. They also continued to track the migratory patterns of birds, butterflies, and the bloom cycles of our plants. This year, vol­unteers spotted three news species of butterflies that have never been observed in Downtown Boston!

As we continue to add new plantings and organic horticulture to enrich the visitor experience and elevate diversity within our gar­dens, we invite you to join us in supporting The Greenway and our Horticulture program. With your help, we can keep this green oasis thriving in downtown Boston for everyone to enjoy. Support The Greenway today to help us grow and sustain a greener, more con­nected community.