Summer Sculpture Spectacular

Summer is descending on New York City, and that means it’s time to dust off those shorts and sandals. Right now the weather couldn’t be better, which is why it’s no surprise that NYBG’s current exhibition, Moore in America, has been noticed as one of the best outdoor sculpture exhibits in the city!

Artinfo.com gives a  nice rundown of the top five NYC oudoor sculpture exhibits this summer. Moore in America is compared favorably to the other shows in the city, outranking works by Jeff Koons, Richard Deacon, and Tom Otterness.

While the art scene can seem a little stuffy and exclusive to the uninitiated, BLACK20 News breaks down Moore in America for the average Joe. According to its site, the weather commands you to come see the show: “Get a taste of culture amid your typically brain-numbing summer fare. Nature demands it!!!” How can you argue with that?

Some of the Garden’s fans in Germany and France will get the chance to see a new documentary, The Gardens of New York. European filmmaker Veronika Hofer shot portions of the doc at the Garden and other locations across New York. Hopefully we’ll get an Engligh-language version soon.

Channel Thirteen/WNET continues to air its captivating episode of New York Voices about Darwin’s Garden. Those of you who woke up too late to catch last Saturday’s 7 a.m. airing can always view the entire episode on-line. If that’s not enough, the program has an entire NYBG-devoted web page with interviews of people such as Dr. Dennis Stevenson and a tour of the Pfizer research lab.

And just because he’s so cute, here’s a preview of WNET’s piece on Snowflake, the white gorilla. Try and resist his cuteness!

Rose Companions

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

Everyone needs a good friend, and roses are no exception. As the growing season progresses, the tops of roses remain nice and lush, but the bottom can start to look leggy and sparse. Hiding their bare legs with a companion plant is a simple remedy.

The wispy flowers and foliage of ornamental sage (Salvia), Russian sage (Perovskia), and catmint (Nepeta) are three good options. Annuals to think about are cherry pie (Heliotrope), Lantana (Lantana), or summer snapdragons (Angelonia).

Aside from aesthetic qualities, some companions are said to protect other plants or enhance their growth. Members of the onion family are rumored to ward off aphids and help prevent black spots, so plant your alliums around your roses. Scented geraniums (Pelargonium), rue (Ruta), and feverfew (Tanacetum) are reported to repel Japanese beetles.

Remember that companions not only need to look good together, but also require compatible growing conditions. Roses perform best in full sun and in soil with good drainage; their companions should do the same.