There’s another photography contest afoot … but not ours this time.
IGPOTY: The International Garden Photographer of the Year contest is getting set to announce their overall winner, which is a really big deal (the winner of the top prize for a single image receives £5,000 or more than $8,000). In the run-up to the big announcement, IGPOTY is posting the finalists in several categories including Plant Portraits, People in the Garden, and Garden Views. Commendations are also being given for finalists in the Portfolio Category, and to the YGPOTY (Young Garden Photographer of the Year). But it’s the two special awards: the Best Image of Kew (IGPOTY’s partner) and the Spirit of the American Garden that we’re really keen on. The photograph of Kew is simply stunning, and one of the finalists in the Spirit of the American Garden was shot just across the city at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden!
Bluebells in Brooklyn - photograph by Ben Miflin
We think IGPOTY is a great contest, and that the quality of photographs is simply amazing! Entries are being accepted now for the fifth IGPOTY contest. There is a fee to enter, but the prizes and advice (all contestants are able to request professional feedback about their images after the end of the contest), the opportunity to see your photo in a professional exhibition and in a book are totally worth the price! We’re hoping to announce a fun partnership with the IGPOTY folk soon, so until that time take a look at this contest’s winners, and keep snapping!
A month ago we discussed the history of the sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) with the focus on uncovering which sweet peas will grow well in the short springs and the warm summers in the New York Area. Some varieties are definitely more heat tolerant than others and the new day neutral varieties such as ‘Winter Elegance’ and ‘Velvet Elegance’ flower up to 2 weeks earlier than older varieties.
So what are the basics for getting your sweet peas in the ground and growing? If you live in a cool climate and would like to get an early start then you can plant them indoors 6-7 weeks before the last frost date. If you would like to wait and direct sow then wait until a month or so before the last frost date. In the New York area you will be sowing them outdoors somewhere between the beginning and middle of April.
Sweet peas will germinate faster if you either nick the seed coat or soak them for several hours in lukewarm water. Sweet peas like to be planted in full sun although if you live in a place where the summers get hot quickly you can try morning sun and bright afternoon shade.
You will improve growth is you amend the soil ahead of time with either compost or aged cow manure. Sweet peas prefer good drainage. Plant your seeds one inch deep and space them 2-3 inches apart. Once they begin to grow, thin them out to 5-6 inches.
You will encourage lateral branches and get a fuller plant if you pinch your sweet peas back when there are 3-4 sets of leaves. Pinch back to 2-3 sets of leaves just above the leaf node.
Young seedlings are in danger of being eaten by slugs, snails and birds. Cover the young plants with bird netting and used your favorite slug repellent when the seedlings are young and tender.
Mulching and keeping your sweet peas well watered will improve their growth. Once they start to produce flowers make sure you pick them on a regular basis to promote more blooms.
Smaller dwarf varieties such as ‘Pink Cupid’ can stand on their own, but most sweet peas need vertical support to thrive. Remember that sweet peas have tendrils that like to cling to and wrap around supports. Galvanized wire cages make easy supports. Bamboo trellises or teepees also provide good places for peas to climb.
Sweet peas are not related to edible peas – they are poisonous and should not be eaten. They make wonderful cut flowers and their fragrance is one of the nicer fragrances that you will find in the spring.
Ed. note: We offer many classes here at the Garden in a plethora of disciplines and at many levels, from “just for fun” to professional (see a pdf of the catalog here). But no matter how appealing the subject, the classes would be nothing without the instructors. On Plant Talk, we’ll introduce you to them, and their stories.
David Dew Bruner, Instructor, Landscape Design
My grandparents were great plant people. My grandfather bred Camillias under high-canopied pine trees in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Walking under those pines was transcendental for me. As I grew older, the pine forest experience would happen under many other trees, in may other places. I would build little house-like structures and fountains and pretend I was somewhere else.
Wanting to continue experiencing that transcendental pine forest feeling in new places, off to landscape design school I went. I knew very little about the subject and didn’t even know how to draw; I was scared I would be kicked out. Having only used a pencil for math problems, I tumbled into the world of art and design like Alice down the rabbit hole and immersed myself in this new world. (Do not fear new students; you, too, can learn to draw as I did. It’s about practice!)
This slowly acquired love of art and design has shaped me to this very day. I now have an antique store and art gallery where every week something new and beautiful comes into my life to keep me humble and inspired. For similar reasons I feel lucky to teach at The New York Botanical Garden, for every new class of students filled with potential and wonder is for me like discovering an unknown painting and falling in love with it. The simple, direct questions new designers ask make me dig deep into myself for logical, honest answers.
The Orchid Show: On Broadway has begun its limited engagement at the Garden, and it’s garnering rave reviews. The spotlight shines bright on The Orchid Show: On Broadway!
The New York Times featured interviews with several Orchid Show staff, including designers Scott Pask and Drew Hodges, and orchid curator Marc Hachadourian.
The definitive magazine for U.S. theatergoers, Playbill, created a slide show to display our botanical divas.
Meanwhile, Broadway World spread the exciting news about Hirschfeld’s Broadway Scrapbook, which tells the story of the Great White Way as seen by its foremost chronicler, Al Hirschfeld.
But don’t just take their word for it! Come see one of New York’s most spectacular flower shows for yourself. What’s more New York than Broadway?
Each day had its findings. Each day came with at least one amazing plant that brought all work to a stop. That plant could be one we thought was special because of its rarity (restricted geographic distribution), or one that locals use in some interesting way; sometimes a plant could be deemed special just because it is simply too beautiful. We have selected some of our favorite plants to share them with you.
A pair of Great-Horned Owls make the Forest their home. Currently, the female is sitting on her nest inside of an old, dead tree. We can’t see if she has any eggs, but we can see the male, everyday, silently standing sentry over her. Isn’t he spectacular?
