From Martha to Meat Pies

Darwin’s Garden: An Evolutionary Adventure is in full swing at the Garden and the Henry Moore sculpture are being placed for the May 24 opening of Moore in America: Monumental Sculpture at The New York Botanical Garden. So, as you can imagine, things are super busy at the Garden, and it looks like more than a couple of news outlets have taken notice.

The Washington Post prominently featured the Darwin exhibit on the front page of its style section (right). Check out the link to read about the exhibit and even view a nice photo slide show.

The New York Times ran an interesting article on great places to eat nearby the Garden. From savory Albanian meat pies, the Dominican stew known as sancocho, and, of course, great authentic Italian food, who knew the Bronx was so eclectic?

Martha Stewart went wild at the annual Antique Garden Show and Furniture Sale, held last weekend at the Garden. Martha wrote a lengthy blog entry and included 26 images about her time at the sale.

The latest edition of Sonia’s Garden, all about daffodils, has been picked up by numerous news outlets across the country. Learn the difference between trumpet and large-cupped daffodils!

Amazing Azaleas
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden.

One of my favorite springtime plants is the native azalea. It is a versatile shrub that is often overlooked by homeowners. Azaleas have spectacular blooms in spring, some are incredibly fragrant (nice and spicy), and many have outrageous fall color.

Most native azaleas grow from 5 to 8 feet tall and rarely need any pruning. Like all members of the heath family (Ericaceae), they prefer acidic soil and like their feet kept cool because of their shallow roots (apply good leaf litter or mulch at their base).

These shrubs thrive in partial sunlight. Native azaleas flower from late April into July in this part of the world. Try the Pinxterbloom Azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides) and the Pinkshell Azalea (Rhododendron vaseyi) for early season bloom and end with the Cumberland Azalea (Rhododendron bakeri) or the evergreen Plum-leaf Azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium). They make fairly easy-going companions for your garden.