Okay, so practically speaking, winter storm Janus and its aftermath have been sort of troublesome for most northeasterners. If you own a car, you likely spent Wednesday morning hewing it out from beneath a glacier of stubborn ice. For those of you who didn’t have to worry about that particular hassle, transit delays and luge-like sidewalks more than made up the difference. But, that said, there are some upsides to a blizzard! There’s still the fresh-powdered majesty to enjoy—given the right location. For anyone who has not yet made the short trip to the NYBG since the city returned to business as usual, you’re missing out on quite the sight!
Despite the whirling flakes painting the landscape throughout Monday and into the night, our staff photographer, Ivo Vermeulen, was more than happy to bundle up and brave the storm for some snapshots of the changing Garden. The sheer density of the falling snow created something of a foggy effect, as you’ll see in the gallery below, but the result is fantastical! Check out some of what Ivo captured in the moment.
On the heels of Sonia Uyterhoeven’s informative series on post-hurricane garden recovery, Jody Payne, the Director of both our Rock Garden and the soon-to-reopen Native Plant Garden, offers a listing of hardy and salt-tolerant plants worth including in your garden or landscape. With proper planning and a solid understanding of the conditions facing these new inclusions, this supplement should put you on the path to a sturdier coastal planting–not to mention less storm season stress.
“Salt tolerance is a relative term,” Payne adds. “Some of the recommended species here would be better sited away from prevailing winds, perhaps sheltered by a building or hill. This list is meant to open ideas for which plants are salt tolerant, but choices should be further researched based on the actual conditions of your site.”
This is quite a long list, but it’s intended to show you just how wide-open your options are when it comes to planting a coastal or near-sea plot. Head below for the many tree, shrub, annual, and perennial species available, and stay tuned in the coming weeks for a follow-up from Travis Beck, the NYBG’s Landscape and Garden Projects Manager.
Have questions we haven’t answered yet? Leave them in the comments! With access to some of the finest horticultural minds in the country, if not the world, we’re more than happy to help you with your post-Sandy gardening conundrums.
In January of last year, I wrote a series of blog entries on “Snow-tober: No Tree Left Behind,” followed by a blog series on “Winter Injury.” These blogs chronicled the devastating October snow storm and the erratic weather that we experienced during the later months of 2011. My discussion at the time focused on the extensive damage that The New York Botanical Garden endured, giving homeowners tips on how to assess structural damage on trees and combat winter burn on evergreens.
Since then, Super Storm Sandy has drawn our attention away from the Garden and focused it on coastal areas. Over the past few weeks I have been talking to a number of professionals working in the tri-state area, detailing their personal experiences with the mega storm. This has included experts on soils and trees, garden writers, nurserymen that sell halophytic plants (salt-tolerant plants), and restoration landscape designers.
The energy from this group–individuals who were out on the front line of restoration and remediation–and the enormity of the damage from this storm are mind-boggling. My hope is that these painful lessons will help teach us how to work with and respect nature–particularly when it comes to safeguarding our coastline.
Salt damage after coastal storms is not uncommon. Coastal gardeners will notice an appreciable amount of burn on their lawns and their ornamental beds after a storm, damage which will generally be more prominent on the windward side of the garden. Foliage will look desiccated and brown and you will discover that leaf buds have either been killed or are slow to leaf out in the spring.
If salt damage has affected large areas of your garden and plants are wilting, growth is stunted, or buds are slow to break in the spring, then it is worth getting a salinity test for your soil. It is possible that the roots were damaged from increased levels of salt water, or the soil has excess adsorbed sodium which is preventing the plant from taking up nutrients and water.
Last week we discussed how to take a soil sample in your garden, while this week we will focus on gardeners who were affected by Super Storm Sandy. For coastal gardeners who experienced flooding, requesting an extra test for soil salinity measurements will be important–it measures the amount of soluble salts in the soil. There will most likely be an additional charge for this test, but it is usually fairly reasonable, with most laboratories generally performing an Electrical Conductivity (EC) test to determine the amount of soluble salts.
Hats off to our Valdés sculptures! (Photo by Sarah Paulson)
A blizzard’s aftermath is often far from charming, especially when you’re out on a Saturday, shoveling your way to the curb in soaked pant cuffs. Slushy sidewalks and snowed-in parking spots are no better. But when you’re not obligated to clean up the mess, those first moments after the snowfall can be magical. That was certainly the case here at the NYBG over the weekend (though our dedicated groundskeepers might beg to differ).
The snow that Nemo brought to the northeast covered the Garden in a fluffy white blanket, framing the dark trunks of the trees and making for picturebook scenery. And while we were quick to clear the roads and walkways, we left the great lawns and the Forest relatively untouched; only this morning, walking into work, I found the snowy lawn surrounding the Grand Allee laid out under a sheet of mist brought on by the falling rain.
But while my Saturday was spent unearthing my Hyundai from its makeshift Everest in Long Island, our photographer, Ivo, was on the scene immediately after the storm, snapping pictures of the fresh snowfall. He was kind enough to supply a few of them for us to toss up here, as well as our Facebook page, so have a look!
Travis Beck is the NYBG’s Landscape and Garden Projects Manager, overseeing large landscape design and construction projects here at the Garden. His current undertakings include the redesign of the Native Plant Garden and trail restorations taking place in the Thain Family Forest.
The Thain Family Forest at The New York Botanical Garden is a remnant of the deciduous forest that once covered most of the region. Unlike many of the remaining forests, the Thain Family Forest was never cleared for timber or agriculture, and includes numerous grand trees. Today, many of these are well over a century old.
Superstorm Sandy reminds us, however, that humans are not the only ones to fell trees. Her strong winds uprooted or snapped the trunks of over one hundred trees in the Forest. Where these trees fell, gaps now exist in the canopy, creating opportunities for the next generation of trees to grow. Our records show that Sandy was the most damaging storm in the Garden’s history to impact the Forest, but hurricanes, nor’easters, and thunderstorms are part of the natural disturbance regime for northeastern forests. Such storms open gaps in the canopy and allow for new growth to fill the space.
After bracing for and weathering Hurricane Sandy you deserve a break. We are working hard to restore our beautiful grounds to their pre-storm splendor and safety for you, our visitors. We have already reopened many areas across our 250 acres–including the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden and the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. In addition, we have re-instituted Tram service, reduced the cost of Garden admission, and are carrying on with our Fall Forest Weekends! Now that the Metro-North Railroad has restored significant service on the Harlem Line, you can once again ride the train from Grand Central or points north and be let off at Botanical Garden Station, just across the street from our Mosholu Gate entrance.
To summarize:
– Many parts of the Garden are OPEN, including the Conservatory’s permanent collections, Children’s Adventure Garden, and more.
– All-Garden Pass admission is reduced 50% through Friday, making it just $10! Use code 9912 online to purchase your tickets. Reduced prices will also be honored on site.
– All-Garden Pass admission includes the Tram, Conservatory, and Adventure Garden.
– Come enjoy the splendor of Manolo Valdés‘ beautiful site-specific sculptures.
– Saturday and Sunday, join us in the Forest for Fall Forest Weekends! Explore the Thain Family Forest and immerse yourself in the magnificent colors of fall foliage. Tree-climbing demonstrations, guided tours, canoe trips on the Bronx River, and more make for an unforgettable autumn experience.
There’s fun and beauty to be had all weekend long. So come visit! It’s one of the best ways to support the NYBG as we tackle this herculean cleanup effort, and a walk around the Garden is just the thing to help erase cabin fever!
October was a hectic month of stunning Japanese floral displays, pumpkin zombies, changing foliage and a holiday weekend punctuated by tragedy. But if we’re pros at anything, it’s picking ourselves up by the bootstraps! Horticulture can–after all–be an unpredictable business.
After many long months of preparation, the NYBG‘s Fall Flowers of Japan exhibition continued throughout October with a focus on kiku, a centuries-old chrysanthemum tradition requiring patience, skill, and an eye for aesthetic. Our very own Ann Rafalko even took it upon herself to explain just how the talented horticulturists behind these artful blooms do it!
It’s not often that we’re thankful for the rare sounds of industry in the Garden. We do love our peace, and if silence is golden, it’s an abundant commodity here in a place where car horns and creaking subway trains can be so readily forgotten. But since the storm left its mark over the Halloween weekend, the sound of work being completed is–at least for the moment–a comfort.
Arborists and the horticulture staff have leapt to the task of trimming away damaged tree branches, removing fallen boughs, and returning the Garden to its original splendor. And while we may have endured a bit of a jolt, we’re already back on our feet and moving forward with a weekend of events both exciting and memorable.
Okay, so practically speaking, winter storm Janus and its aftermath have been sort of troublesome for most northeasterners. If you own a car, you likely spent Wednesday morning hewing it out from beneath a glacier of stubborn ice. For those of you who didn’t have to worry about that particular hassle, transit delays and luge-like sidewalks more than made up the difference. But, that said, there are some upsides to a blizzard! There’s still the fresh-powdered majesty to enjoy—given the right location. For anyone who has not yet made the short trip to the NYBG since the city returned to business as usual, you’re missing out on quite the sight!
