Rebecca McMackin Ecological Landscaping - A Way to Garden with Margaret Roach - April 26, 2021

I watched a Zoom lecture the other day that really put into words a lot of the ways my own deepening understanding of ecology is shaking up the way I practice horticulture—from spring cleanup, right on to the last chore of the active year. 

The speaker was today’s guest, Rebecca McMackin, director of horticulture for Brooklyn Bridge Park, where she leads the team that manages 85 acres of diverse parkland with a central focus on habitat creation of woodlands, wetlands, and meadows to build soils and support birds, butterflies, and other organisms. We talked about the dynamic tactics they use and when and why. Rebecca has worked at Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City for over a decade. She has two master’s degrees, in landscape design and in biology, and has served on the board of the Ecological Landscape Alliance. She’s currently vice president of Metro Hort Group, a professional organization in the city.