On Veteran’s Day, November 11th, 2024, a flood of fifty volunteers answered the call to help weed out the native wildflower garden at Meadow Croft aka “The Roosevelt Estate.”

We set about to weed out a native wildflower garden we’d planted over the last two years:

Plant List: Native Wildflower Garden

Here is what we planted last year in the native wildflower garden. We needed plants that were ‘ecotypes,’ that is truly native to the area. They also needed to be deer resistant. They also needed to be “upland” plants; Plants that required wetter grounds would not thrive here. Given the prevalence of deer, we fenced in the garden, since even as we were planting, they seemed to be gazing hungrily in our direction.

Our volunteers made short work of weeding out the wildflower garden. We outnumbered them!

Our next task at “The Roosevelt Estate” was to weed out around our nascent American Chestnut orchard.

We cleared out an enormous amount of Mugwort, an awful invasive plant that is now about everywhere. The plant spreads through both its rhizomes and it’s seeds. It’s roots are shallow though, like so many fast growing invasive plants, so pulling it was easy. It’s crucial though that once it is pulled one has a plan to plant natives to battle it’s return.

Meadow Croft awaits a more ambitious effort at invasive removal. We see on the property many of “The Dirty Dozen.”

Invasive Plants at “The Roosevelt Estate”

There is a lot of Oriental Bittersweet, Wisteria, Multiflora Rose, acre upon acre of Phragmites, Japanese Knotweed, maybe the worst of the worst, English Ivy, Porcelain Berry. Brown’s River attracts a lot of birds, birds that eat the seeds of invasive plants, and so our woods, swamps and meadows are being overrun.

In addition to working with the volunteers to weed around the garden and the American Chestnut Orchard, we also discussed at length importance of planting native. Our local species depends on having native habitat. Also covered was the spotted lanternfly invasion. What can be done? Short answer: Remove The Tree of Heaven, it’s preferred host plant. Our vineyards are in grave peril. Local municipalities, indeed New York State needs to step up!

We also discussed our continuing efforts at restoring The American Chestnut. We’ve planted over 1000 saplings, and await a pollen that will confer resistance to the blight. We are but one plant generation away from this species’ return.

An overview of all that was discussed, offering best practices, was drafted for our volunteers: Invasive Species and Our Natives: Essential Knowledge.

“The Roosevelt Estate”: A Little History

Meadow Croft, known by the locals as The Roosevelt Estate, is now a Suffolk County Park. It was originally an estate built by John Roosevelt, Theodore’s first cousin. It was one of three Roosevelt estates in the area, and the only surviving one. Theodore used to ride on horseback from his home in Oyster Bay to visit his relatives on The South Shore, from Sagamore Hill to the other “Roosevelt Estate.”

Today, there is an interactive tour running along the trails the family traveled around the estate, in part to visit the other two Roosevelt estates, which sat on Lotus Lake to the north.

It took a lot of effort by the county and The Bayport-Blue Point Heritage Association to save this grand estate from the wrecking ball. The restoration is ongoing, both within the building, and on its grounds.