An inflorescence of Virginia bluebells showing the pink buds that become blue just before opening.
The leaves of Virginia bluebell sprout each spring in such deep shades of purple that they are difficult to see against the dark soil. As the leaves mature, the purple coloration is gradually lost until they become a soft green. Flowers, too, undergo a color change, from pink in bud to a lovely shade of blue shortly before the buds open.
The floral color change is not uncommon in members of this family, the Boraginaceae (borage family). Its members include forget-me-not (Myosotis spp.), viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare), and lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.), all of which have pink buds opening as blue flowers. The color change is due to changes in the pH of the cell sap, and, like some hydrangeas, plants growing in more acidic soils will have flowers of a deeper shade of blue. Members of the borage family also share in common the shape of their inflorescence, referred to as a scorpioid cyme for the way it uncoils like a scorpion’s tail. A true spring ephemeral, the leaves of Virginia bluebells turn yellow soon after the flowers have finished blooming and are gone by late June.
The Nancy Bryan Luce Herb Garden features a formal boxwood parterre
Imagine a landscape without boxwood. Some people—who see the shrub as an overused landscape crutch—would welcome it. But what about the home gardener on the hunt for a sturdy, reliable, trusty, deer-resistant shrub to provide their landscape with some backbone? Sure, there are alternatives, but boxwood really can fit the bill in the right design and place. Plus, if you’re a fan of the formal English garden, a world without boxwood is almost unimaginable.
But in the United Kingdom, it’s a real possibility. Home to such famous gardens featuring boxwood as Great Dixter, Sissinghurst, and Helmingham Hall, the gardens across the pond may soon lose one of their most famous plants. Boxwood blight is caused by a fungus known as Cylindrocladium buxicola in the U.K. where it was first found, but is also known as Cylindrocladium pseudonaviculatum or Calonectria pseudonaviculata. The disease was first described in the U.K. in the 1990s, and confirmed in the United States in 2011. It has now been seen in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia.
The common names of plants can be very evocative. Foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, has always been one of my favorites. I love envisioning a little fox gently trying to find the perfect blossom to fit his paws. What is your favorite plant common name?
In case you haven’t heard: The cicadas are coming! The cicadas are coming! To New York City at least, where they haven’t been seen, en masse, since 1996. Cicadas of the Brood II type hibernate underground for 17 years, waiting for the soil to warm to a balmy 64°F before emerging in the millions to mate. Then, they disappear again for another 17 years. We haven’t seen, or heard, them yet at the Garden, but there have been scattered sightings throughout the greater New York City area.
And it turns out, cicadas have not only a sense of rhythm, but also a sense of timing and will have emerged in time for the World Science Festival! We’ll be celebrating with a special Festival program on June 1, Cicada Serenades: Music, Mating, and Meaning. The panel will be moderated by ABC News’ Good Morning America co-anchor Dan Harris, and will feature musician, philosopher, and author David Rothenberg (recently featured on WNYC’s SoundCheck); environmental scientist John Cooley; professor and neurobiologist Ronald Hoy; and author, biologist, and professor Marlene Zuk. Discussion of the cicada’s song, mating rituals, and scientific importance will be punctuated by a “musical performance between the bugs and their human collaborators.”
When I talk to other botanical enthusiasts about wildflowers of the northeastern United States, our conversations often return to the same question: “Where have all the spring wildflowers gone?” The most obvious response is that there are too many deer eating understory plants in our forests. However, that is only one of several reasons explaining the loss of spring wildflowers, among which is the presence of invasive plants which outcompete many species of our native flora. One of the worst invasives, the Japanese barberry—Berberis thunbergii DC—has had a major impact, leading me to rate it as one of the most noxious invasive plants in the northeast.
After seeing what I have to say, I would love to know if you can nominate an invasive species nearly as bad as this resource glutton!
Just a reminder that ‘Ivy’ and her sisters will soon be departing the Garden. You have until May 26 to see Manolo Valdés’ beautiful ladies before they depart. I’m really going to miss them! Each season was like a costume change for the sculptures. Who will you miss most?
One of the centerpieces of the newly opened Native Plant Garden is Britton Rock, a monument to one of the founders of The New York Botanical Garden, Elizabeth Britton. Elizabeth was an advocate for native plants, especially in the form of wildflower preservation, so it is supremely fitting to have this monument to her in this gorgeous garden.
The family fun includes bird and butterfly walks, watercolor painting, a professional photographer’s booth where you can get a beautiful family portrait, lawn games and picnicking on Daffodil Hill (complete with food carts and free samples), music perfect for dancing from the Banjo Rascals, and on Sunday, a family concert presentation of Jack and the Beanstalk by the Bronx Arts Ensemble.
After enjoying the festivities, take mom for a stroll around our 250-acres where you will be dazzled by all the beautiful blooms. The Azalea Garden is as close to peak bloom as you can get, like stepping into a pink and red kaleidoscope! The tree peony and lilac collections–both located near the newly reopened Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden–continue to perfume the air with amazing aroma, and in the Home Gardening Center you can tiptoe among the tulips until your heart’s content. The Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden is verdant and green with vegetables and flowers popping up all over. Feel free to lend a hand, dig around, plant a little, and play in the dirt here. Everyone’s encouraged to give gardening a try in this one-acre veggie wonderland!
