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Plant Talk

Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Spring

Morning Eye Candy: A New Generation

Posted in Photography on April 4 2014, by Matt Newman

The future leaders of our upcoming exhibitions are growing up in the Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections at this very moment. To say we’re proud of their efforts is an understatement.

Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections

In the Nolen Greenhouses – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Morning Eye Candy: The Vanguard

Posted in Photography on April 3 2014, by Matt Newman

Success! The earliest arrivals in the daffodil flotilla can be seen making their appearance around the Visitor Center. In fact, because of the delayed spring, we may have daffodils and tulips overlapping in a flood of mixed color. That’s from Associate Vice President of Outdoor Collections Kristin Schleiter herself in a recent chat with The New York Times.

Daffodils

Daffodils at the Visitor Center – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Morning Eye Candy: Katharine’s Best

Posted in Photography on April 2 2014, by Matt Newman

My favorite iris is blooming in the Rock Garden. It is my favorite by leaps and bounds, by landslide mandate, by as many kind words and encouraging gestures as one could drum up in support of a simple flower. The bees are of like mind.

Iris 'Katharine Hodgkin'

Iris ‘Katharine Hodgkin’ in the Rock Garden – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Mighty Onions

Posted in Gardening Tips on April 1 2014, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG’s Gardener for Public Education.

AlliumsI can be very sentimental when it comes to gardening, and the subject of today’s topic always brings a tear to my eyes: onions. My favorite onions are bunching onions (spring or green onions), though they are not the culprits that make me cry. Spring onions are an incredibly versatile delight that can be tossed into a salad or sauce at the last minute. Instead, it’s their pungent cousins that get me, so let’s talk about them.

You will notice that onions are listed as three separate growing types: short-day, intermediate, and long-day varieties. Onions are sensitive not only to temperatures but to the amount of daylight, as well. Short-day onions will start to form their bulbs with 11-12 hours of daylight; intermediate types need between 12 and 18, and long-day onions only form their bulbs after receiving 14 hours or more of sunlight.

Northerners grow long-day onions that are planted in the spring, southerners plant short-day onions grown in the winter, and intermediate types are generally planted in early spring and harvested in summer.

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