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, Debbie Becker, who leads bird walks at The New York Botanical Garden, took time to discuss her passion: bird watching. Debbie leads a free bird walk every Saturday at the Garden from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Birding is a contagious passion for many. Once bitten by the birding bug, it is hard to find a cure.

Different seasons bring different birds, but birders always remain the same. I can tell when I start my walk who is there for the glory, who is there for the guts, and who is looking for their life bird. Birders who bird for their life list are an anxious bunch—you can see it in their eyes, their unfamiliarity with the Garden’s grounds, all they really want is their life bird. They know I know and yet the simple formality of introduction is often prolonged as I can see their eyes growing larger as I mention the birds we may see on the walk today. When I get to their bird of prey (so to speak), it is as if a light ignites in their brains and washes their entire being in glory. I know the feeling.

Great-horned owls are a treat for even those who have been coerced into birding that day. GHOs are large—no binoculars needed—and provoke the spookiness in us all. The owls are always the first request on any bird walk. This year we had nesting GHOs that produced two chicks. You would think there was a religious happening in the woods as people came from far and near to pay their respect, gasp, and smile at the sight of the female GHO on her nest. (The male, who is usually quite social, has not made much of an appearance this time around—camera shy, I suppose.) The pilgrimage to the owls is a short walk, but for those who are anxious, they will run ahead of me, looking back to make sure I am coming. Again, they know I know. We are, after all, birders. It runs through our blood the quest for the life bird, the good bird, and the really good bird. We are the Peeping Toms of the forest, meadow, and shore, always hoping for a really good look.

Tomato Time
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden
I love growing tomatoes; they are easy, tasty, and fun. One year I had a friend who started heirloom varieties from seed. She gave her leftover seedlings to any willing recipient—and I was one of them. I had a small community plot at that time, and I waited with anticipation for the large heirlooms to ripen. The day before I was planning on picking a prized tomato, a woodchuck paid a visit to the garden and took just one big bite out of the tomato.

Heirlooms are wonderful—they are some of the tastiest tomatoes available. However, some of the modern hybrids tend to be more disease resistant and more prolific, so I try and make a habit of including some of each in my garden.

Last year, not by choice, I experimented with growing tomatoes in an area that didn’t receive enough sunlight. The result was a beautiful crop of green beefsteak tomatoes that I dipped in an egg and breadcrumb batter. The fried green tomatoes were so good that I am tempted to grow them in the same spot this year!

This year I plan on experimenting with Earthboxes and other self-watering containers. A few rules with tomatoes: plant them deep (place part of the stem underground and it will produce a beautiful, strong root system), give them sun (the more you can give them, the happier they will be), and keep them well-watered (consistency is the key).

Millions and Billions of Trees. . .

The Associated Press covered the Garden’s TreeBOL project to collect DNA samples of every tree on the planet. The article featured a photo of Dr. James Miller, Dean and Vice President for Science at The New York Botanical Garden, and quotes by Garden scientist Dr. Damon Little and Board Member Thomas Lovejoy.

The New York Times’  City Room Blog referenced Jessica Arcate, the Garden’s Curator of Woody Plants, in a discussion about the Million TreesNYC program that the Garden is participating in. Last month, the Garden, with help from 250 volunteers from St. John’s University, planted 500 trees as part of the program, designed to create the first environmentally sustainable, 21st-century city on Earth.

Antiques and Arts Weekly is getting excited about the next major exhibition at the Garden, Moore in America. The weekly publication, covering the antiques and arts trade, discusses the upcoming sculpture exhibition and features three nice photographs.

The New York Times Science Q&A reached out to the Garden’s Marc Hachadourian, Curator of Glasshouse Collections, to ask him a question about the longevity of amaryllis orchids. Marc offered some easy orchid care tips as well as recommendations on which type of amaryllis is for you.

Bellewood Gardens, the Web site of Garden consultant and popular instructor Judy Glattstein, featured Darwin’s Garden: An Evolutionary Adventure on the site. In a lush, photo-laden post, Judy detailed the blossoming cherry trees and tulips as well as the Darwin exhibition. Described as The New York Botanical Garden’s maven of geophytes (the rubric that encompasses “bulbous, tuberous, cormous, and rhizomatous plants”), she is an award-winning author on water gardening, shade gardening, bulbs, and more. Her latest garden book is Bulbs for Garden Habitats, published by Timber Press in 2005.

Scientific American’s Science Talk recently posted its latest episode online. The downloadable podcast recorded on April 23 features Dr. David Kohn, curator of the current exhibit in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library and nationally recognized Darwin scholar. Surrounded by original Darwin publications in the Library’s Rare Book Room, Dr. Kohn talks about the role of plants in Darwin’s early life and how his views on botany were integral in his understanding of evolutionary processes.

Dr. David Kohn is editor of the Darwin Digital Library of Evolution, based at the American Museum of Natural History.

Darwin’s Garden: An Evolutionary Adventure runs through July 20. Get Your Tickets!

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, Shanika Gunesekera, Manager of Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden, took time to examine the daffodils, which are exploding all across the Garden right now.

Daffodils are one of the cheeriest members of spring. Whether you call them daffodils, narcissus, jonquils, or paperwhites, they are all members of the genus Narcissus. There are over 13,000 different hybrids available in the nursery trade.

Part of their popularity is due to their timing—they appear from late March into May, breaking the monotony of winter and brightening up the landscape. They are also incredibly easy to grow and require very little care once planted. They are tough and versatile. Deer and rodents will not touch them (the bulbs are poisonous), they make excellent cut flowers, and many varieties are wonderfully fragrant.

Flower arranging tip: The sap from cut daffodil stems is said to shorten the vase life of other flowers mixed with them. Use them alone in a vase or seal daffodil stems with a flame.

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.

April showers bring May flowers, as the adage goes. April brought a little bit of rain to the Bronx, but now it’s the month of May’s turn. The weatherman predicts some sporadic rainfall this weekend, which will further the Garden’s transition into vibrant spring colors. But don’t be scared by the muggy weather, folks. This weekend (May 3–4) is jam-packed with events such as Charles Darwin programming, a home gardening demonstration on growing lilacs, and kids programming dealing with worms.

Check out the full listing after the jump.
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Shop in the Garden, the official store of The New York Botanical Garden, always offers up an amazing selection of products. This time, some of the products are featured by none other than Oprah Winfrey, in O at Home. From gardening accessories to stylish hats and bags, check out some of the individual products below or visit Shop in the Garden to see the whole collection.

Keep the no-see-ums at bay with this sleek mosquito and insect hat.

Demand satisfaction with these rugged yet stylish rose pruning gauntlet gloves.