CROWN HEIGHTS— Lincoln Place between New York and Nostrand avenues is a cool, green oasis in the middle of Crown Heights, thanks to a group of dedicated residents who spend the spring and summer planting, weeding and deadheading flowers.
On Tuesday, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden held a press conference there to announce the block as the winner of the 2026 Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest.
This colorful display pays homage to NYC Transit. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle
Lush plantings cascade along Lincoln Place’s staircases, and flowers fill planters and window boxes. But winning the Greenest Block in Brooklyn is about more than planting pretty flowers, said Althea Johnson, co-founder with Perry Edwards of the block’s winning team, P.L.A.N.T., short for Preserving Lincoln’s Abundant Natural Treasures.
Other core team members include Vicki Broadhurst and their newest member, Cheryl, who “works all day, comes home at night, planting the dark,” Johnson said. “Our display represents more than beauty. It reflects hope, resilience and the power of nature to transform our surroundings.”
The “MoMA in Prospect Park” installation. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle
P.L.A.N.T.’s theme this year is “When the Big Apple Goes Green,” and the sidewalk and stoops feature iconic symbols of the city’s history and civic messages. There’s a Seneca Village, “MoMA in Prospect Park,” NYC Transit and a cancer awareness display, among others. The group chose this theme “to remind everyone that climate action starts locally,” Johnson said.
An inviting entrance to a home on Lincoln Place. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle
She invites people to visit the neighborhood to soak in the good vibes — and cooler temperatures. “Just walk up and down the block.”
This is the fourth year this block of Lincoln Place has won the award — previously taking home the prize in 2024, 2022 and 2019 — and P.L.A.N.T. has expanded their mission to mentoring other blocks. “We mentored last year’s first place winner,” Johnson said. (Interested blocks should check out P.L.A.N.T.’s Instagram.)
The “MoMA in Prospect Park” theme continues up the stairs. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle
Second place in the residential category is a tie between Jefferson Avenue between Lewis and Stuyvesant avenues in Bedford-Stuyvesant and Ridge Boulevard between 71st Street and Ovington Avenue in Bay Ridge. East 92nd Street between Church Avenue and Avenue A in Canarsie came in third.
Greening brings neighbors together
“Congratulations to this year’s winners, P.L.A.N.T, and to all of this year’s participants,” Sonal Bhatt, vice president of education at BBG said, lauding the gardeners’ creativity and dedication. BBG has sponsored the popular contest for 30 years as a cornerstone of its “community greening” mission.
This set of plantings highlights the New York Knicks. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle
The organization has been successful at both the greening and the community building, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said.
“Look at the inspiration that came from just a couple of folks looking to improve their block and turning it into what it is today, where almost 150 blocks in Brooklyn are participating,” Reynoso said. “It’s about building community. It’s about the interactions that the folks that participate in doing this every single day have with each other.”
Lincoln Place residents created a cool and shady glade along a Crown Heights sidewalk. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle
Reynoso also pointed to the role that greener blocks play in cooling down neighborhoods. “There are places in Brownsville that are 10 degrees warmer on the same day than there are on this block.” Reynoso said he plans to work with BBG to expand the program to places like Brownsville and Canarsie.
“None of this is possible going solo,” Jibreel Cooper, community program manager at BBG, told the Eagle. “This is about going out and making an effort to say hello to your neighbor, sharing gardening tips, sharing a common passion for plants, and a passion to steward your environment.”
Perry Edwards with her “MoMA in Prospect Park” themed installation. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle
Enthusiasm was high this year, with the most entries since 2019, Cooper said. And he noticed a new trend this season. “A lot of people used different cultivars and varieties of yarrow, a native plant. That was really visually just fun.” Gardeners sprinkled paprika yarrow, a red and yellow variety, throughout their plantings, along with “classic white” and pinkish yarrow as well.
Councilmember Crystal Hudson. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle
Councilmember Crystal Hudson pointed to the diversity of the block. This is “what it really means to bring community together, people from all different backgrounds.” Since she has multiple winning blocks in her Central Brooklyn district, “I might be the greenest councilmember — maybe,” she said.
Jibreel Cooper, community program manager at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle
There are numerous categories of “Greenest” winners, including the window boxes category and commercial efforts. The commercial winners this year included the Montague Street Business Improvement District, which took first place for the Greenest Commercial Block (Montague Street between Henry and Hicks streets).
The Montague Street Business Improvement District took first place as the 2026 Greenest Commercial Block. Shown: Estela Johannesen, owner of James Weir florist, waters a tree on Montague Street. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle
“New York City trees go through a lot,” said Estela Johannesen, owner of James Weir florist and a member of the Montague BID. “Not only with pollution, but the strong winds lately, rats, dog waste, all these things, people have to realize how important the trees are. We are blessed on Montague Street as a commercial block to have a line of beautiful, majestic trees, and our main goal is to protect them and get even more trees.”
Sonal Bhatt, vice president of education at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle
The James Weir team takes responsibility for tree care on the street for the BID. “We are a very small flower shop, but we take a lot of pride in taking care of our street,” she said.
For the full list of winners, visit bbg.org/greenestblock.
Althea Johnson, left, and Perry Edwards, co-founders of the Lincoln Place winning team, P.L.A.N.T. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle
Representatives of many of the participating blocks in the 2026 Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest, with officials. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle
This display features New York City’s favorite giant gorilla. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle