Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor) in the Silver Towers Oak Grove, 100 Bleecker Street.

NYU Garden Shop Plant of the Week--September 8, 2011
Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor) in the Silver Towers Oak Grove, 100 Bleecker Street.

NYU Garden Shop Plant of the Week
Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor) in the Silver Towers Oak Grove, 100 Bleecker Street.
Thursday September 8, 2011

Yesterday we installed this tree in the Oak grove at Silver Towers on Bleecker Street. Soon it will be dedicated as a memorial to those lost in our community on September 11. This tree, a Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor), is the same species planted downtown in the National September 11 Memorial, where four hundred Swamp White Oaks have been planted. The designers of the national memorial chose this native species for its toughness and autumn foliage color which can range from amber to golden brown, and sometimes pink. Here in the city, we can expect this tree in the coming decades to reach a mature height of about 60 feet and perhaps more because it has plenty of room to spread its roots in the Silver Towers Oak grove. It's worth noting also that this tree is not just native to our region, but also native to Manhattan, meaning that it's likely to have been present on the island before European settlement. Planting trees is always an act of hope as we know that the people who will enjoy the tree the most are now very young or not even born. So this tree is a link to our past and a living symbol of hope for the future, a fitting tribute to the victims and heroes of 9/11.

Previous Plants of the Week:


Eastern Hemlock

August 23, 2011
Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) in front of the NYU Bobst Library, 70 Washington Square South.

Coral Bells 'Caramel'

August 16, 2011
Coral Bells 'Caramel' (Heuchera villosa) alongside Bleecker street sidewalk of #3 Washington Square Village.

Purslane

August 9, 2011
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) can be found in various garden areas and containers around NYU.

Feather Reedgrass

August 2, 2011
Feather Reedgrass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster') in the triangle at the corner of Mercer Street and Bleecker Street.

Panicle Hydrangea

July 26, 2011
Panicle Hydrangea 'Limelight' (Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight') on the Bleecker Street side of Coles Sports Center, 181 Mercer Street.

Cutleaf Coneflower

July 19, 2011
Cutleaf Coneflower (Rudbeckia lacinata) north of the entrance to the Coles Sports Center, 181 Mercer Street.

Rose Mallow

July 12, 2011
Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) on the Bleecker Street side of Coles Sports Center, 181 Mercer Street.

Dense Blazing Star

July 5, 2011
Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata) in Mercer Plaza, 251 Mercer Street.

Wild Bergamot

June 28, 2011
Wild Bergamot (Monarda spp.) on the west side of Coles Sports Center, 181 Mercer Street.

Hearts of Gold Redbud

June 21, 2011
Hearts of Gold Redbud (Cercis canadensis 'Hearts of Gold') in the west section of the Bleecker Street sidewalk at #3 Washington Square Village.

Russian Sage

June 15, 2011
Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) in the middle section of the Bleecker Street sidewalk between #3 and #4 Washington Square Village.

Oakleaf Hydrangea

June 8, 2011
Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) in the lobby garden at #3 Washington Square Village.

Wild Indigo

May 31, 2011
Wild Indigo (Baptisia Australis) in Mercer Plaza, 251 Mercer Street.

Arkansas Blue Star

May 24, 2011
Arkansas Blue Star (Amsonia hubrichtii) on the west side of Coles Sports Center, 181 Mercer St.

Sunny Knock Out Rose

May 17, 2011
Sunny Knock Out Rose (Rosa 'Radsunny') at 251 Mercer St.

Red Ruby Swiss Chard

May 10, 2011
Red Ruby Swiss Chard (Beta vulgaris 'Ruby Chard') sidewalk planters on Greene Street between W 4th Street and Washington Place.

Wild Columbine

May 3, 2011
Wild Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) at Founders Hall, 120 East 12th St.

Japanese Flowering Cherry

April 25, 2011
Japanese Flowering Cherry (Prunus serrulata), or 'Kwanzan,' on the Bleecker Street side of Cole Sports Center, 181 Mercer Street.

Saucer Magnolia

April 19, 2011
Saucer Magnolia (Magnolia x soulangiana)

Daffodil

April 12, 2011
Daffodil (Narcissus spp.) in the sidewalk median at 100 Bleecker Street.

Lenten Rose

April 5, 2011
Lenten Rose (Helleborus x hybridus) in the sidewalk median at 100 Bleecker Street.

Camellia

March 29, 2011
Camellia 'April Remembered' (Camellia japonica 'April Remembered') at Coles Sports Center, 181 Mercer Street.

Japanese Maple

Mar 22, 2011
Coral Bark Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku') at Glucksman Ireland House

Hamamelis

Mar 18, 2011
NYU Garden Shop Plant of the Week---Witch-hazel (Hamamelis x intermedia) at #2 Washington Square Village Lobby Garden. (interior of Washington Square Village, W 3rd Street just west of Mercer)

Crocus Species

Mar 8, 2011
Crocus species mix on Bleecker Street side of NYU Coles Sports Center

Press Contact