Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Gardening Tips on June 10 2008, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Cutting Back on Work
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden.
Have you ever noticed how some plants look just great in the fall? They are nice, neat and full. Generally, that is not the natural growth habit. A little care has to be taken earlier in the season to ensure their fullness, and now is the time.
You can pinch your mums starting in mid to late May to give them a nice full shape. An easier option is to wait until mid-June and just sheer them back by about half. I take a good pair of hedge sheers and cut them so they look like nice, rounded domes. They will keep the shape as they grow throughout the summer.
If you don’t have sheers, just take your bypass pruners to make your cuts. Remember, gardening is not an exact science, so just shape them so they look nice. What you are doing with the cuts (heading cuts) is encouraging lateral shoots (side shoots) to branch out and create a more compact, full shape.
With our tall Korean mums, which are the envy of every visitor in late October through early September, we cut them back twice. The initial cut is in mid-June and the second cut happens three weeks later, around July 4. The holiday is a helpful reminder of the cut-off date. If you continue sheering these late season bloomers throughout the summer, they will flower too late in the season and get knocked back by the frost.
Asters also get cut back in this fashion. Often we further support our asters by placing a peony hoop over them early in the season. These hoops are raised as the plant grows to give added support.
You don’t have to limit yourself to these two classics. Beebalm (Monarda) responds well to this treatment, as does Joe Pye weed (Eupatorium), Helen’s flower (Helenium), and a whole host of perennials.
Posted in Programs and Events on June 6 2008, by Plant Talk
It’s not just Citizen Kane’s beloved childhood sled, because you can’t find a spot in the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden at The New York Botanical Garden that is “Rosebud” free. Summer’s golden warmth has washed over New York and the roses are loving it.
This weekend’s programming features these lovely flowers with a guided tour, a raffle to win your own roses, and even a mid-day concert in one of the loveliest setting imaginable. But that’s far from all. There’s behind-the-scenes tours, bird walks, kids programming focusing on Charles Darwin and Henry Moore, and even delicious strawberries!
Check out Saturday’s programming
Check out Sunday’s programming
Posted in Exhibitions, Moore in America, Programs and Events on June 5 2008, by Plant Talk
Be a part of Moore in America. Henry Moore wanted his audience to interact with his sculpture, to get up close and experience the works in a variety of light, weather, and seasons. In partnership with the International Center of Photography, The New York Botanical Garden is pleased to host a photography contest in celebration of our landmark exhibition Moore in America: Monumental Sculpture at The New York Botanical Garden.
Help us to capture the magic of Moore’s massive works against the splendid backdrop of the Garden. Submit your photographs of Moore in America and enter our contest for a chance to win a prize. From June 4 to September 30, participants may enter one photo for each of the four separate jury selections (July 1, August 1, September 1, and October 1). First-, second-, and third-place prizes will be awarded each month. At the end of the contest, one of the four first-place winners will be awarded the grand prize—the opportunity for their photograph to appear in an advertisement.
Enter To Win
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Posted in Gardening Tips on June 3 2008, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Weed-Free Heaven
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden.
Gardening is much like housekeeping—as long as you keep on top of things nothing will get the best of you. Following a few simple rules and some good horticultural practices will ensure that you don’t end up being swamped with one big green mess.
Here are a few tips to keep weeds at bay:
Keep your garden a reasonable size, stagger your spring planting (remember freshly cultivated soil is an invitation for weeds), choose low maintenance plants, weed often (spend ½ hour a few times a week to keep your garden weed-free), attack flowering weeds first (don’t let them go to seed), hoe when the ground is dry, and hand pull when the ground is wet.
Posted in Exhibitions, Moore in America, Programs and Events on May 29 2008, by Plant Talk
Henry Moore is standing tall across the Garden and the Darwin exhibit is still going strong. Both of these wonderful exhibits have a slew of complementary programs. Want to take a guided tour highlighting the Moore sculpture, see the newly budding roses, go on a bird walk, learn the science of Charles Darwin, or find something to keep the kids occupied? This Friday through Sunday is jam packed with all of that and more.
Check out the full list after the jump.
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Posted in Exhibitions, Exhibitions, Moore in America, Video on May 29 2008, by Plant Talk
It wasn’t easy, but the iconic works of Henry Moore have landed on the sprawling grounds of The New York Botanical Garden. It took a lot of time, manpower, and heavy machinery, but some of his largest and most majestic works are here to visit through November 2, 2008. While many people will see this amazing sculpture, few got a chance to see how it was installed. So here you are with the installation of Large Reclining Figure:
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Posted in Gardening Tips on May 27 2008, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Annual Affairs
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden.
For nonstop color in the garden, you really can’t beat annuals. For those of you who are not blessed with bright sunshine, last year we featured quite a few begonias in the Garden and I have a deepening respect for the plants.
We planted a number of Rex Begonias as an ornamental ground cover. During the latter half of the summer I would make flashy floral centerpieces by combining the begonia’s bright foliage with the silver-pink swirls of roses and hydrangeas. When I lived in Massachusetts, I used to keep my dappled borders bright with the nonstop begonias (tuberous begonias). The apricot and pinks were so beautiful that I would add them to shady containers to complement my coleus and fuchsias.
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Posted in NYBG in the News on May 26 2008, by Plant Talk
Henry Moore is here! Moore in America: Monumental Sculpture at The New York Botanical Garden opened to the public on Saturday, and the weather couldn’t have been nicer. Plenty of Memorial Day revelers took in the sun and the sights of Henry Moore’s sculpture across the Garden. Plenty of people are taking notice, with many naming Moore in America one of summer’s hottest tickets, like:
Time Out New York, which listed Moore in America as the “best by day” for Saturday. In their write-up reviewer Dan Avery says, “How fortunate, then, that these works of art are in an environment that is itself a work of art.” Thanks, Dan!
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Posted in Exhibitions, Moore in America, Programs and Events on May 23 2008, by Plant Talk
The Garden’s newest exhibition, Moore in America, opens to the public this Memorial Day weekend. The weather is slated to be amazing, so there are no excuses not to enjoy the sunshine and the majestic works of Henry Moore. And don’t forget about Darwin’s Garden, either. From his garden re-created in our own Enid A. Haupt Conservatory to a selection of original texts and artwork in our library, experience Darwin as never before. This weekend offers guests an extra day to get in on the fun as Monday is a holiday. From films to children’s programming to a slew of guided tours, this weekend looks to be the busiest yet. Check out the full list after the jump.
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Posted in People on May 21 2008, by Plant Talk
Every few weeks an employee or friend of the Garden takes a quick stroll around the lush 250-acre grounds and writes down his or her thoughts. This week, Annie Novak, coordinator of the Children’s Gardening Program at The New York Botanical Garden, took time to discuss one of her ickier interests: worms! 
Young gardeners visiting the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden during the first warm weeks of spring are often delighted by the return of the red-breasted American robin. Watching the birds hop from plot to plot early this morning, I was reminded of another, more secretive, Garden inhabitant, whom we only see when we turn the earth with our trowels. If an acre of land is said to contain about a million worms, we can hardly start our gardening season without acknowledging the invaluable work red wrigglers and earthworms contribute to our healthy beds. Thanks to their digging and digesting, the soil turns loose and dark in our hands as we put seeds into the earth. Without worms to help us break down our lunch scraps, we wouldn’t have the rich dirt in which to grow more lunch!
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