Plant Talk

Morning Eye Candy: The Palm Gallery

Posted in Photography on November 4 2010, by Plant Talk

The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory will reopen on November 19. Allow us to whet your whistle.

The Palm Gallery (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen).

Lessons From the Tree Tops

Posted in Programs and Events on November 3 2010, by Plant Talk

There are many ways to get to the top: you can work long hours, ignore your family, sacrifice, lose sleep, and take classes.  But few classes can guarantee as swift a path to the top as the Garden’s Recreational Tree Climbing Workshop. In this amazing class, along with the popular elective Chainsaws – Safety and Maintenance, students learn valuable skills all while getting the best view of the Garden possible.

The Tree Climbing Workshop returns to the Garden this Saturday and Sunday. The Chainsaw class will be offered Saturday, November 13.  The classes will be taught by instructor David Fedczuk.

In the meantime, check out this interview with tree climbing expert and longtime instructor of the Garden’s tree climbing courses, A. Wayne Cahilly, manager of The New York Botanical Garden’s Lionel Goldfrank III Institutional Mapping Department.  To see a tree climbing student in action, check out this video from Travel + Leisure where portions of this interview were originally published.

Raccoons, squirrels and bee's nests, oh my! Read the full interview below.

A Rose Garden Beyond Compare

Posted in Gardens and Collections on November 3 2010, by Plant Talk

Peter Kukielski is the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden Curator.

One of the best things about a rose is that it is the longest blooming perennial plant there is. Roses begin blooming in late May and can continue to bloom until the first frost. The Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden is a perfect example of this and continues to bloom even today–the second day of November! This is amazing considering this year’s peak bloom occurred in the third week of May. ‘Easter Basket,’ a variety that is planted along the main alley of the rose garden and newly planted at the top of the stairs, hasn’t been out of bloom since late spring.

Fall is a wonderful time to stop and smell the roses. The cooler air seems to intensify their fragrance, allowing it to linger in the air. The main entrance to the garden is flanked on either side by an incredible collection of English Roses, which are famous for their scent. Other varieties such as ‘Julia Child,’ ‘Quietness,’ ‘Bolero,’ ‘The McCartney Rose,’ ‘Eternal Flame,’ ‘Mister Lincoln,’ ‘Double Delight’, ‘Tiffany,’ and ‘Marie Louise Marjan’ are all incredibly fragrant, and ‘Queen Mary 2’ smells slightly of bananas!

We're not the only ones that think the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden is pretty special. Find out more below.

Morning Eye Candy: Bridge Over the Bronx River

Posted in Photography on November 3 2010, by Plant Talk

Since our Monday morning eye candy was met with such enthusiastic approval, we figured, “Well, why not give the people what they’re so obviously craving?” So, here it is: Your new, daily dose of Garden beauty. Enjoy.

Morning on the Bronx River near the Stone Mill (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen).

In The News: Scott Cully on NPR’s Weekend Edition

Posted in NYBG in the News on November 2 2010, by Plant Talk

We wanted to share this great interview that Weekend Edition host Scott Simon did with master pumpkin carver Scott Cully.

In the interview, Scott divulges how he became a giant pumpkin carver, and one deep, dark secret. It’s not to be missed.

You can read the transcript, listen to it, or download it as a podcast.

Video Tip of the Week: Simple Autumn Centerpieces

Posted in Uncategorized on November 2 2010, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center.

Join The New York Botanical Garden’s Sonia Uyterhoeven as she shows off some easy and simple tips for your home and garden. In this installment Sonia showcases some easy and quick botanical ideas for autumn inspired centerpieces.

You can always ask Sonia (or our other gardening experts) your own questions online.

It’s Still a Great Pumpkin in Our Book

Posted in Programs and Events on November 1 2010, by Plant Talk

Gravity, it seems, will always win. Whether it’s in the war against wrinkles, when you drop your buttered toast, or when you’re carving the world’s heaviest pumpkin. Here on earth, we’re all a slave to it.

And while Chris Stevens’ 1,810.5 pound world record-holder did succumb to Newton’s most famous force, the other two fabulous pumpkins are still on view here at The New York Botanical Garden, and should be around through Friday.

And here’s hoping Scott Cully‘s heroic effort will be considered great by another book: The Guinness Book.

Horticultural Highlight: Sassafras

Posted in Gardens and Collections on November 1 2010, by Plant Talk

The Botanical Garden’s living collections is among the greatest in the world and contains more than 1 million plants. Jon Peter, Plant Records Manager, periodically shines the spotlight on a particular species that can be found within our 250 acres.

Botanical Name: Sassafras albidum

Common Name: Sassafras

Family Name: Lauraceae (Laurel family)

Native Range: USA—Maine to Florida, west to Michigan and Texas
Canada—southern Ontario

USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 through 9A

Locations within NYBG: Forest, Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, Native Plant Garden

Site Requirements: Sun to partial shade; well-drained, moist soil

Interesting Note: This species has been used for centuries in a variety of ways. The root bark was used to flavor root beer, the leaves and bark used to make tea, and the oils used in soaps. It was known in folk medicine as a tonic and a purifier of the blood and still has a reputation as a stimulant, and as a treatment for syphilis, rheumatism, and skin disease. Most of these uses ended in the early 1960s when it was found that the active ingredient safrole is carcinogenic.

In the native habitats of North America it has exceptional valuable as a food source for insects, birds, and mammals. The sassafras has many great ornamental qualities as well: from its gorgeous furrowed bark and three forms of leaves to its fragrant twigs and beautiful autumn color. Sassafras is under utilized in the North American landscape.

Fall at the Garden

Posted in Gardens and Collections on November 1 2010, by Plant Talk

Mondays are rough. We understand. So to help you ease into your week, some eye candy of the Garden in fall.

Learn more about spending a day in the country, without ever leaving the city, here.

The World’s Largest Pumpkin Becomes World’s Largest Jack-O-Lantern

Posted in Programs and Events on October 29 2010, by Plant Talk

Rustin Dwyer is Visual Media Production Specialist at The New York Botanical Garden.

Scott Cully has held the Guinness World Record for largest jack-o’-lantern multiple times. In fact, there have been ten record breaking pumpkins in the last 11 years. Eight of those record-breakers were turned into jack-o-lanters, five of which were carved by Scott! Not a bad career, huh?

His last record was set on Sunday, October 31, 2005 and here we are –exactly five-years later– where he will try to break his own record by carving the current World Record-holding pumpkin, a 1,810.5-pound behemoth grown by Chris Stevens of New Richmond, Wisconsin.

He won’t be alone, though — botanical artists Michael Anthony Natiello (the artist behind the 500 carved pumpkins currently decorating the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden) and Sara Mussen are on had this weekend to decorate the two other prize winning giant pumpkins on display next to the record holder. Here’s a short video with Scott talking about the process (hint, wine is involved).