Gloves on Gardening

JULIA WEBER
Assistant Editor

When Ellie Nickeson moved to Chautauqua in 2023, she found she didn’t have a place to do gardening — an activity she really enjoyed. As an outlet, she joined the ongoing collaboration between Chautauqua’s Gardens and Landscapes staff and the Bird, Tree & Garden Club to remove invasive species across the grounds.

“It’s been very productive; it’s helped open up some spaces that had become overrun by what we term ‘invasives,’” she said.

The ongoing effort aims to provide Chautauquans with education about invasive plants and engage individuals in the hands-on removal process combined with the resources of the Institution itself.

“The idea is just to give people a little bit of education about invasives … and then give people the opportunity to do the actual hands-on part of it.”

Nickeson said some of the most common invasive plants she encounters include honeysuckle, privet hedge, English ivy and vinca, a plant commonly found in discarded hanging baskets.

For Nickeson, the value of this work comes down to helping support the local ecosystem at all levels. “Having native plants helps our native critters,” Nickeson said. 

She said she views the ongoing gardening initiative as important work for taking care of not just Chautauqua’s landscape, but its entire climate.

“If we don’t introduce things that are bad, we have fewer things to clean up later on. It’s true of the lake water, it’s true of the land, it’s true under the ground, in the air; all of those things are true. For me, it’s not hard to be passionate about it.”

Gloves on Gardening takes place at 8:15 a.m. Wednesdays at three locations throughout the summer: Miller Park, Secret Silo Garden and the ravine across from Norton Hall.