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Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Archive: August 2014

This Weekend: A Labor Day Lark

Posted in Around the Garden on August 29 2014, by Matt Newman

The NYBG WeekendAs one of the last gasps of summer, Labor Day weekend is a chance for NYBG to throw open its gates on a Monday and welcome everyone for what tends to be the closing week of our summer exhibition. And this year, things are no different—we’re rapidly approaching the September 7 end of our Groundbreakers exhibition! If you haven’t found a moment to get away and visit us here in the Bronx, now’s as good a time as any and maybe even better.

Those of you with kids in tow will be happy to know that we’re going full-tilt in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden with our SousaKazooza events, the last of the season. Bring your little ones for some music, marching, and crafts to keep them busy. And for the adults, we’re still offering our full suite of Groundbreakers events alongside a sweeping schedule of tours—Azalea Garden, Rock Garden, Conservatory, Native Plant Garden and Garden Highlights among them—to help you make the most of your afternoon.

Head past the jump for the full schedule, and don’t let the last few weeks of warm sunshine get away from you!

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Art of the Heirloom

Posted in Adult Education on August 29 2014, by Plant Talk

Penstemon digitalisAdult Education is going to seed—but in a good way!

The new Fall-Winter course catalog showcases NYBG’s collaboration with Hudson Valley Seed Library, a farm-based company devoted to heirloom and open-pollinated seeds and garden-themed contemporary art. Every year, Hudson Valley Seed Library commissions unique, original artworks for its annual seed catalog—and this year a special NYBG seed pack coincides with the upcoming Art of the Heirloom exhibit. The Adult Education catalog features the Garden’s seed pack on the cover, with art from the exhibition included throughout.

On the cover, a wreath of Penstemon digitalis—a perennial native to New York also known as foxglove beardtongue—surrounds the iconic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

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An Urban Farm Flourishes on the Grand Concourse

Posted in Learning Experiences on August 27 2014, by Ursula Chanse

Ursula Chanse is the Director of Bronx Green-Up and Community Horticulture and Project Director for NYC Compost Project, hosted by The New York Botanical Garden. For more information about these programs and upcoming workshops and events, visit Bronx Green-Up.

New Roots Community GardenOn a sun-baked day in July 2012, we stood outside a new vacant lot, completely sterile and void of any plant or animal life, but there was an urban farm to come…

The International Rescue Committee (IRC), an organization that provides critical services to refugees and asylees, had signed a lease with the NYC Department of Transportation, envisioning a new community farm to support their clients and also benefit the surrounding community. They asked for the help of our program, Bronx Green-Up, the Garden’s community gardening outreach program which has helped create community gardens, school gardens, and urban farms in the Bronx for more than 25 years.

There was promise from the start. On one early visit I bent down to pick up a plastic bottle near the entrance when I noticed a small piece of paper tucked inside—surely, it couldn’t be a message—but yes, the words asked if we were starting a garden, and stated that the person would be interested in helping out.

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This Week at the Greenmarket: Bright & Robust

Posted in Programs and Events on August 27 2014, by Lansing Moore

Tomato Today’s Greenmarket includes tomatoes of all sizes and onions of every shade, plus kale, sweet chard, leeks, fresh garlic, and more!

Leeks have a very special flavor without being overpowering. Click through for a bit of seasonal inspiration in a simple, savory pasta recipe—fusili with creamed leek and spinach. Try it out over the long weekend!

Be sure to visit the upcoming schedule for future special programs, demos, and Q&As at the Wednesday Greenmarket. Now that summer is winding down, be sure to look at GrowNYC’s calendar of what’s in season and explore some future possibilities for exciting fall meals.

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Clethra on the Cape

Posted in Gardening Tips on August 26 2014, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Sonia Uyterhoeven is NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.

Clethra alnifolia 'Ruby Spice'
Clethra alnifolia ‘Ruby Spice’

Every year, I travel to Cape Cod for a family vacation. I find it heartening to return to the same location, as there’s a comfortable familiarity that cannot be replaced. I know the bike paths, the homemade ice cream store, the quiet beaches, and the customs of the changing tides. We spend a portion of our days riding on the Cape Cod Rail Trail—a bike path that spans from Wellfleet just past the old Marconi telegraphy station down to Dennis. As we ride along the spectacular Cape Cod National Seashore, I admire the local flora, which there seems to be mostly native and exactly where it should be.

I soak in the sights, admiring my beloved beach plum (Prunus maritima) and the much adored bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) that grows with such elegance and enthusiasm in its native habitat. As I make my way down the rail trail, one botanical encounter that I have every year in early to mid August is summersweet. I know I’m getting close when I smell that sweet fragrance wafting through the air. It grows in abundance on the side of wet marshes and persists on the edges of shaded woodland paths.

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