The Mackenzie Younger Mountaintop Garden & Wildlife Sanctuary is a remarkable place to observe wildlife, take in sweeping mountain views, and learn about the challenging process of creating an extensive native plant garden—while managing intense deer pressure and coexisting with Timber Rattlesnakes.
Farming Reimagined: Cultivating biodiversity in the Hudson Valley
The New York Flower Farm leases space within the Mackenzie Younger Mountaintop Garden & Wildlife Sanctuaryto grow native trees and perennials—most notably in its Perennial Trial Garden, where sun-loving species are cultivated for landscape design projects and studied for their effectiveness in attracting specific wildlife. The farm also maintains an agroforestry section of the property, where it is experimenting with forest-grown American ginseng and woodland ramps.
Native Plant Trial Garden
Farming Redefined
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The Mackenzie Younger Mountaintop Garden & Wildlife Sanctuary is a 14-acre experimental landscape located 1,750 feet above sea level in the Shawangunk Mountains outside Ellenville, NY. Founded and stewarded by artist and landscape designer Mackenzie Younger, the sanctuary blends ecological restoration with horticultural design to create a biodiverse refuge for plants, pollinators, birds, and rare wildlife.
Once abandoned for over a century, the land is now home to American ginseng, woodland ramps, and curated plantings of native trees and perennials. Over five acres have been thoughtfully cleared to establish a stroll garden designed for private tours and seasonal events. A large portion of the property is fenced to regenerate early-successional habitat, now supporting breeding populations of Indigo Buntings, Scarlet Tanagers, American Woodcocks, Bluebirds, Box Turtles, and the New York State–threatened Timber Rattlesnake.
The sanctuary serves as both the home and testing ground for the New York Flower Farm and is open for guided seasonal tours by appointment.
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