Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Darwin's Garden, Exhibitions, NYBG in the News on May 12 2008, by Plant Talk
Scientific American’s Science Talk recently posted its latest episode online. The downloadable podcast recorded on April 23 features Dr. David Kohn, curator of the current exhibit in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library and nationally recognized Darwin scholar. Surrounded by original Darwin publications in the Library’s Rare Book Room, Dr. Kohn talks about the role of plants in Darwin’s early life and how his views on botany were integral in his understanding of evolutionary processes.
Dr. David Kohn is editor of the Darwin Digital Library of Evolution, based at the American Museum of Natural History.
Darwin’s Garden: An Evolutionary Adventure runs through July 20. Get Your Tickets!
Posted in People on May 7 2008, by Plant Talk
Every few weeks an employee or friend of the Garden takes a quick stroll around the lush 250-acre grounds and writes down his or her thoughts. This week, Shanika Gunesekera, Manager of Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden, took time to examine the daffodils, which are exploding all across the Garden right now. 
Daffodils are one of the cheeriest members of spring. Whether you call them daffodils, narcissus, jonquils, or paperwhites, they are all members of the genus Narcissus. There are over 13,000 different hybrids available in the nursery trade.
Part of their popularity is due to their timing—they appear from late March into May, breaking the monotony of winter and brightening up the landscape. They are also incredibly easy to grow and require very little care once planted. They are tough and versatile. Deer and rodents will not touch them (the bulbs are poisonous), they make excellent cut flowers, and many varieties are wonderfully fragrant.
Flower arranging tip: The sap from cut daffodil stems is said to shorten the vase life of other flowers mixed with them. Use them alone in a vase or seal daffodil stems with a flame.
Posted in NYBG in the News on May 6 2008, by Plant Talk
From Martha to Meat Pies
Darwin’s Garden: An Evolutionary Adventure is in full swing at the Garden and the Henry Moore sculpture are being placed for the May 24 opening of Moore in America: Monumental Sculpture at The New York Botanical Garden. So, as you can imagine, things are super busy at the Garden, and it looks like more than a couple of news outlets have taken notice.
The Washington Post prominently featured the Darwin exhibit on the front page of its style section (right). Check out the link to read about the exhibit and even view a nice photo slide show.
The New York Times ran an interesting article on great places to eat nearby the Garden. From savory Albanian meat pies, the Dominican stew known as sancocho, and, of course, great authentic Italian food, who knew the Bronx was so eclectic?
Martha Stewart went wild at the annual Antique Garden Show and Furniture Sale, held last weekend at the Garden. Martha wrote a lengthy blog entry and included 26 images about her time at the sale.
The latest edition of Sonia’s Garden, all about daffodils, has been picked up by numerous news outlets across the country. Learn the difference between trumpet and large-cupped daffodils!
Posted in Gardening Tips on May 6 2008, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Amazing Azaleas
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden.
One of my favorite springtime plants is the native azalea. It is a versatile shrub that is often overlooked by homeowners. Azaleas have spectacular blooms in spring, some are incredibly fragrant (nice and spicy), and many have outrageous fall color.
Most native azaleas grow from 5 to 8 feet tall and rarely need any pruning. Like all members of the heath family (Ericaceae), they prefer acidic soil and like their feet kept cool because of their shallow roots (apply good leaf litter or mulch at their base).
These shrubs thrive in partial sunlight. Native azaleas flower from late April into July in this part of the world. Try the Pinxterbloom Azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides) and the Pinkshell Azalea (Rhododendron vaseyi) for early season bloom and end with the Cumberland Azalea (Rhododendron bakeri) or the evergreen Plum-leaf Azalea (Rhododendron prunifolium). They make fairly easy-going companions for your garden.
Posted in Programs and Events on May 2 2008, by Plant Talk
April showers bring May flowers, as the adage goes. April brought a little bit of rain to the Bronx, but now it’s the month of May’s turn. The weatherman predicts some sporadic rainfall this weekend, which will further the Garden’s transition into vibrant spring colors. But don’t be scared by the muggy weather, folks. This weekend (May 3–4) is jam-packed with events such as Charles Darwin programming, a home gardening demonstration on growing lilacs, and kids programming dealing with worms.
Check out the full listing after the jump.
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Posted in Shop/Book Reviews on May 1 2008, by Plant Talk
Shop in the Garden, the official store of The New York Botanical Garden, always offers up an amazing selection of products. This time, some of the products are featured by none other than Oprah Winfrey, in O at Home. From gardening accessories to stylish hats and bags, check out some of the individual products below or visit Shop in the Garden to see the whole collection.
Keep the no-see-ums at bay with this sleek mosquito and insect hat.
Demand satisfaction with these rugged yet stylish rose pruning gauntlet gloves.
Posted in Programs and Events on April 29 2008, by Plant Talk
After a beautiful week of sunshine and temperatures in the upper 70s, the weather in the Bronx has gotten pretty ugly. But that doesn’t mean the beautiful specimens at the Garden have, too.
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Posted in Gardening Tips on April 29 2008, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Lovely Lilacs
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden.
For those of you who love lilacs but are deprived of space, dwarf lilacs are something to think about. Some of them have nice fall color and they are small and compact, need minimal pruning, and tend to be more resistant to the powdery mildew that plagues many lilacs at the end of the season.
Two varieties that you will be able to find in any nursery these days are Syringa meyeri ‘Palibin’ and Syringa pubescens subsp. patula ‘Miss Kim’. Don’t be intimidated by the long Latin names; if you mutter lilac ‘Miss Kim’ or ‘Palibin’ everyone will know what you are talking about.
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Posted in Darwin's Garden, Exhibitions, Programs and Events on April 25 2008, by Plant Talk
Beginning today at The New York Botanical Garden, the untold story of Charles Darwin’s lifelong fascination and work with plants will be presented in the exhibition titled Darwin’s Garden: An Evolutionary Adventure.
The exhibition will include living collections of plants and historical documents in three botanical venues: the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, LuEsther T. Mertz Library Gallery, and Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. There is also an “evolutionary tour” of living plants, demonstrating key points on the evolutionary Tree of Life. It will paint a picture of Darwin as a naturalist and plantsman, and show how Darwin’s botanical experiments and discoveries helped share his contributions to the understanding of life in general.
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Posted in Gardening Tips on January 26 2008, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
A Weedy Mess: Keeping My Life in Order
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden.
I am always surprised with the long weekends that we have in January and February. I seem to remember all the other holidays, except for the ones that sneak up in mid-winter. Since I never plan for them, they turn into three days of extended housecleaning. The piles on my desk diminish and bills finally get filed in the right place. During these moments, I swear to good housekeeping practices that I never abide by.
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