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Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Archive: October 2011

Foam Flowers, Coral Bells, and Foamy Bells

Posted in Gardening Tips on October 25 2011, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Heuchera 'Cherry Cola' - Photo courtesy of Terra Nova Nursery
Heuchera 'Cherry Cola' - Photo courtesy of Terra Nova Nursery

In August we took a look at sun-tolerant coral bells and several of the dark-leaved varieties of Heuchera. Today I am going to discuss some of the new additions in our garden and two other closely related genera.

Oregon-based Terra Nova Nursery has come out with a ‘Soda Series’ of coral bells that include cultivars named ‘Root Beer’, ‘Ginger Ale,’ and ‘Cherry Cola’. We bought ‘Cherry Cola,’ a compact plant with rounded leaves that morph between red and chocolate brown (more red), this year. It grows to be about 6 inches tall and 14 inches wide making it well suited for a container or the front of a border.

But what really distinguishes Heuchera ‘Cherry Cola’ from other colorful coral bells is its flower. In the spring it produces a rich display of cherry red flowers that cover the plant and creates quite a sensation. It is also fairly winter hardy and the deer tend to place coral bells fairly low on their menu. It is happiest in part shade but can handle sun and shade.

What do you get when you cross a coral bell with a foam flower? Find out below!

Zombies in the Garden

Posted in Around the Garden on October 24 2011, by Ann Rafalko

ZOMBIES!They came. They saw. They conquered! And lucky for us, everyone still has their brains in place.

Couldn’t make it to the Garden this weekend to watch Ray Villafane transform two of the world’s heaviest pumpkins (including the world record-holder) into a super-creepy zombie tableau? Never fear!

We caught all the action via time-lapse camera and in a slideshow. Head below the jump to see them … if you dare!

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The Carving Begins!

Posted in Around the Garden on October 21 2011, by Ann Rafalko

I got a nice surprise this morning when I stopped by the big pumpkins; I found Brant and Elanor Bordsen, of Marysville, Calif. standing beside their beautiful, pearly pumpkin chatting with Garden visitors and staff. I told them I was surprised and excited to see them here (I had no idea they were coming!), and they said that they decided that they wanted to be here when Ray Villafane cut into their 1,693 pounder, to remove the seeds themselves, and to watch the progress of his sculpture. I asked them if they had seen the concept drawing for his sculpture yet. They said no, so I pulled it up on my BlackBerry and showed it to them. They agreed that it was certainly spooky and would be quite the spectacle!

Learn more about why the Bordsens flew all the way from California for pumpkin seeds below.