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Plant Talk

Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Summer

This Weekend: Blooms Unmissable

Posted in Programs and Events on July 12 2013, by Matt Newman

The NYBG WeekendFriday, Friday, how do we love you—let me count the ways. Or the activities, at least. We’re once again toeing the weekend’s threshold here at the NYBG, and the summer blooms make for a bright lead-in to the next few days of Wild Medicine, home gardening demonstrations, and romps in the edible plots of the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden. You might want to make a point of hitting up the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, too. Talking greenhouses and summer in the same breath might be a bit redundant, but the colors under the glass dome make my point for me—between the lilies and thistles of The Italian Renaissance Garden, and the lollipop plants, passion flowers, and lotuses surrounding, these collections are unmissable.

Speaking of unmissable, 2013’s first Family Dinner with Mario Batali’s chefs is fast approaching, and tickets are still available for this summer evening in the Family Garden. We’ve even got a menu up on the main page for the July 28 event! And if Mozzarella di Bufala and Pistachio Olive Oil Cake sound like your kind of eats, you’re headed in the right direction. Check out the offerings, maybe take a peek at the restaurants involved (you won’t be disappointed in the visiting chefs’ qualifications), and register while you still can!

Just one last reminder: while most of the 2013 Summer Intensives have already started, hopeful gardeners looking to earn a certificate from one of the most prestigious horticulture schools in the world still have a day or two to sign up for our Gardening Summer Intensive. You can see what it’s all about here.

As we saunter on into summer, we’ll have more events for you, too. For now, check our weekend schedule below.

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This Week at the Greenmarket: Seed-Saving Smorgasbord

Posted in Programs and Events on July 9 2013, by Matt Newman

GreenmarketIt’s Tuesday, which means it’s almost Wednesday. And Wednesday, of course, means Greenmarket goodies! Come 9 a.m. tomorrow we’ll be out along Garden Way with our visiting vendors, buying our fill of fresh-picked fruits, vegetables, and baked treats. That said, we would love some company from our visitors.

As of last week’s Greenmarket offerings, we saw heaps of fresh blueberries, grape tomatoes, cabbage, bok choy, potatoes, green beans, and beets from Gajeski Produce. From Migliorelli Farm, there was all manner of flavorful herbs, along with summer squash, zucchini, peas of different kinds, and all the kale, spinach, and collards that could possibly fit in your crisper drawer. From Red Jacket Orchards, apricots, strawberries, and cherries, along with buckets of fresh chilled fruit juices. And of course there was Meredith’s Bread, which supplied us with stacks of fresh-baked pies, breads, scones, and muffins. They even had quiche!

Chances are we’ll see similar offerings on the table tomorrow, but with so many harvests beginning and ending in July, there may be a few surprises. In the meantime, head below for a recipe from our Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden crew.

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Southern Magnolias

Posted in Gardens and Collections on July 9 2013, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

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

Southern magnoliaThis morning when I was walking to my office I noticed that the southern magnolia, Bracken’s Brown Beauty (Magnolia grandiflora ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’) was in bloom. My first impulse was the right one—to go up to the voluptuous, velvety petals, shoo the bees and other insects away, and stick my nose into it.

Not all magnolias have fragrances, but many do, and it is always worth investigating. ‘Bracken’s Brown Beauty’ has a distinctive lemon dishwashing detergent smell to it. It’s not a fragrance that is going to have you traveling from miles away to visit the flower, but it is nonetheless pleasant and worth a sniff or two.

Honestly, the fragrance is just a poor excuse to get close to the magnificent flower. The flower is substantial at 4-6” wide, with petals that are reminiscent of the undulating wings of a dove. Botanically speaking, since the petals and the sepals look so similar in a magnolia, they are classified as tepals. Sepals for the botanically less-inclined are the outer layer of the flower—in trees they are generally green leaf-like structures that protect the flower when it is in bud and then support it when in bloom.

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Of Monarchs and Milkweed

Posted in Around the Garden, What's Beautiful Now, Wildlife on July 8 2013, by Joyce Newman

Joyce H. Newman holds a Certificate in Horticulture from The New York Botanical Garden and has been a Tour Guide for over seven years. She is the former editor of Consumer Reports GreenerChoices.org.

Monarch_Butterfly_Danaus_plexippus_Milkweed-1024x544

Monarch butterflies are among the most popular and prominent insects in the Native Plant Garden, easy to spot with their dramatically dark orange and black patterned wings. One reason for their high visibility and large numbers is actually their relationship with the tall milkweed plants, which are flowering now in the dry meadow. Without the milkweeds, we wouldn’t have the monarchs.

In fact, monarchs (Danaus plexippus) depend on milkweed throughout their entire life cycle—when they lay eggs and when their  larvae, in caterpillar form, feed exclusively on milkweed.

Many different species of native milkweed provide nourishment for monarchs, including swamp milkweed, green, purple, redwing, whorled, and horney spider varieties. The dry meadow contains a total of more than 500 milkweed plants. Of these, by far the most numerous are the butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa).

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