Pull on your galoshes and best gardening gloves, because spring is just two weeks away! Soon, kids ages 3–5 and 6–12 will learn about spring crops and beautiful early bloomers, like tulips and daffodils, in the Children’s Gardening Program, which kicks off later this month.
Kids in the Children’s Gardening Program learn about plant life, from soil all the way to the treetops. They get to take part in the process by planting their own veggie garden plots and digging for worms—key players in the composting and soil enrichment processes. There’s plenty more fun with songs, crafts, and nature-inspired activities that indulge in kids’ desire to know more about the inner workings of the environment around them.
Todd Forrest is the NYBG’s Arthur Ross Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections. He leads all horticulture programs and activities across the Garden’s 250-acre National Historic Landmark landscape, including 50 gardens and plant collections outside and under glass, the old-growth Thain Family Forest, and living exhibitions in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.
The flowers of Penstemon cobaea var. purpurea are much larger than those of the other beard-tongues in the Native Plant Garden.
I am batty for beard-tongues. No, I don’t mean the furry-mouthed feeling that people with actual social lives get after long nights of too many cocktails, I mean the more than 250 species of Penstemon, a genus of perennials and biennials native to North America from the Maine woods to the alpine meadows of Idaho and the deserts of California. With tall clusters of flowers as beautiful as their common name is ugly (the moniker beard-tongue refers to tufts of hair that emerge from the sterile fifth stamen of certain species), beard-tongues carry late spring in the Native Plant Garden.
The most common beard-tongue in cultivation is Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’, selected in 1983 by Dr. Dale Lindgren of the University of Nebraska for its maroon leaves, long-lasting inflorescences of white flowers, and extreme hardiness (it thrives in Nebraska!). We planted ‘Husker Red’ in the Native Border, where its flowers bridge the gap between the peaks of mid-spring and mid-summer bloom, and its foliage adds a dash of welcome color throughout the growing season.
Happy Father’s Day! Here’s to all the dads out there that—even if they’re a bit prickly—will always have a heart of gold. We’ll be chilling on Daffodil Hill for the Big Backyard BBQ all afternoon, so feel free to join us if you’re in the mood for good food, beer, and music.
Prickly pear (Opuntia humifusa) in the Native Plant Garden – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Beer, bands, BBQ. In a nutshell, that should be enough to give you an idea of what’s going on this Saturday and Sunday at the Garden. We’re opening up Daffodil Hill for a Father’s Day weekend to remember with a stacked roster of great Americana bands, visiting samplers, BBQ for sale, and plenty of craft beer offerings to help you toast the coming summer warmth!
While our Big Backyard BBQ is our spotlight event (grab tickets in advance if you can!), there are a number of other activities taking place at NYBG over the weekend for those who are raring for some exploration. The Rose Garden’s still popping, making it the perfect time to jump on a tour. And if you’re of a mind to break out your binoculars, Debbie Becker’s weekly Bird Walk takes place at 11 a.m. this Saturday. We’re even holding our Three Billy Goats Gruff family concert for anyone with kids to entertain.
From our Groundbreakers activities to the growing vegetables in our Family Garden, the end of spring is beyond lively. See you on grounds!
Pull on your galoshes and best gardening gloves, because spring is just two weeks away! Soon, kids ages 3–5 and 6–12 will learn about spring crops and beautiful early bloomers, like tulips and daffodils, in the Children’s Gardening Program, which kicks off later this month.
