Amy Stewart at the Horticultural Society of New York

This evening I had the pleasure of attending Amy Stewart's appearance at The Horticultural Society of New York. Amy was promoting the paperback edition of her bestseller, Flower Confidential, and provided a synopsis of the themes she covers in detail in her book.

I enjoyed her talk. She illustrated her stories with photographs from her research and travels for the book. The photo above illustrates Florigene's attempts to genetically engineer a blue rose by combining Petunia genes with a Rose's. Telling stories through pictures is something I strive to do here, however statically. Amy's talk was a model for me.



Amy was also an animated speaker, so few of my photos successfully captured her spirited delivery. A couple of quotes:

• "What would a blue rose mean?" We have cultural associations for Roses of other hue: white, red, yellow. Blog Widow suggests a blue rose should signify "disease," ala The Glass Menagerie.
  
• "You don't see a lot of flowers in bloom" in greenhouses. Except for Gerberas, most flowers are cut, prepped and shipped while still in bud.
  
• "We Americans know nothing about flowers." (On national pride in flower-growing)
  
• "There are good and bad farms everywhere." (On making assumptions about floral industry practices based on the region of the world in which they're located.)
  
• "The focus is you." (Advice to brides seeking her consult on where to obtain the "chocolate" rose.)
  
• "Florists have to have a careful understanding of human nature." Which leads us to the florist's axiom:
  
• "Use a different florist for a different woman."
  

Amy also announced her next project: "Wicked" Plants - illegal, illicit, immoral, murderous, and so on. Sounds delightful! It reminded me of the wormwood, Artemisia vulgaris, I've been striving to eradicate from my gardens the past three years. It has been used as an arbortifacient in early pregnancy. I have thought of simply keeping some of it in a container, but it's not the most attractive plant, and its flowers are visually insignificant.



It was also a pleasure for us to finally meet face to face, having known each other only through the gardening blogosphere up to now.

The Horticultural Society of New York

This was my first visit to the offices of The Horticultural Society of New York (HSNY). The building was midtown non-descript at street level.



But HSNY announces itself when the elevators open on the 13th floor. (It didn't strike me until just now how unusual it was that the building even has a 13th floor.)



This simple arrangement of Spring flowering bulbs stood on the other side of those green doors.



Daffodils


Fritillaria (pallidiflora?)


Their beautiful space is open to the public Monday through Friday, 10am to 6pm. Their library is impressive.

Links

Amy Stewart's Web site
The Horticultural Society of New York

Sunday, April 27: Sustainable Flatbush Street Tree Walking Tour

Updated 2008.04.21: Added Google Map.

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Westminster Road, Beverley Square West, looking north from Cortelyou Road


On Sunday, April 27, in celebration of Arbor Day weekend and Spring in bloom, join Sustainable Flatbush and others as we take a walking tour of one of our neighborhood's greatest assets: our street trees.

Experience the neighborhood's amazing wealth of street trees — including some that are more than 100 years old!

Throughout the tour, your street tree guide will:

• Identify trees and their characteristics
  
• Share interesting facts
  
• Explore local tree history
  
• Discuss the many ways street trees benefit the environment
  
• Explain how to obtain and care for street trees
  

and much more!

Newly Planted Street Tree on Cortelyou Road


Credit: Keka Marzagao


WHEN:
Sunday, April 27, 2008, Arbor Day Weekend, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

LOCATION:
Tours start and finish at 1414 Cortelyou Rd, the office of NY State Assembly Members James Brennan and Rhoda Jacobs. The tour will loop through the neighborhoods of Beverley Square West and the landmarked Prospect Park South Historic District.

DIRECTIONS:
Take the Q train to Cortelyou Rd. and walk one block west (left), toward Marlborough Rd., after exiting the station.

SPECIAL DETAILS:
The tour is just about a mile in length and will take place rain or shine.
Please dress appropriately for the weather and the walk.


View Larger Map

Tree identification with Trees NY at Greening Flatbush


ABOUT SUSTAINABLE FLATBUSH: Sustainable Flatbush provides a neighborhood-based forum to discuss, promote and implement sustainability concepts in Brooklyn and beyond.

Hydrant and Tree, 297 Westminster Road, Beverley Square West

Related Posts

Factoids: Street Trees and Property Values, December 2, 2007
Factoids: NYC's Street Trees and Stormwater Reduction, November 15, 2007
Basic Research: The State of the Forest in New York City, November 12, 2007

Links

Street-Tree Walking Tour next Sunday!, Sustainable Flatbush
Trees NY

Sunday, April 27: Plant Trees in Ditmas Park West

North side of Dorchester Road between Rugby and Marlborough Roads, Ditmas Park West


On Sunday, April 27, Arbor Day weekend, join the residents of the Victorian Flatbush neighborhood of Ditmas Park West to:

• Plant Trees
  
• Liberate Tree Pits
  
• Beautify the Neighborhood
  

This is Ditmas Park West's 14th Annual Arbor Day weekend tree planting. It is well-organized and coordinated with City resources such as Parks. Even if you don't live in Ditmas Park West, this event can provide you with ideas for organizing and mobilizing your neighbors to clean up your streets, become stewards of street trees, and build community in the process.



To participate, meet at 458 Rugby Road at 9:30am to join a crew. Heavy excavation will be done with power equipment. You can bring your own gardening tools, as well. Work continues for about two hours, then everyone gets a chance to share a light lunch.

Southeast corner of Dorchester Road and Rugby Road, Ditmas Park West

Related Posts

Wanna Fight Crime? Plant Trees, February 1, 2008

Thank You! Flatbush Gardener is a Finalist for the 2008 Mousies

Thanks to everyone who nominated blogs for the Second Annual Mouse & Trowel Awards, the "Mousies." With your support, Flatbush Gardener is a finalist in the category of Best Photography in a Garden Blog. The other finalists in this category are David Perry Photographer and Digging.

You can vote for your favorite gardening blogs until May 13th at midnight Eastern Time. You can only vote for one of the finalists in each category. You can include a comment about your choice, as well. Winners will be announced on May 15th.

You can see my photographs in posts labeled with Photos on this blog. You can also browse my Flickr Collections; most of my Flickr photographs are linked back to the posts in which they appear.

Related Posts

Deadline, April 13: The 2008 Mouse & Trowel Awards
Flickr Collections: Brooklyn Botanic Garden, North Carolina Arboretum, Other Gardens, My Gardens

Links

Mouse & Trowel

Meet Mr. Ripley

This is Ripley, the cat Blog Widow and I adopted this past Saturday. Cat-blogging has never been a regular feature of this blog. I promise this won't become a cat blog.

He's led an interesting life so far. He was born in August 2000, so he's not quite 8 years old. He lived in a shelter on Long Island the first year of his life. He spent about another year as a companion animal at a nursing home with a few other cats. He's lived the past few years with his most recent human here in Brooklyn. They had to give him up because they're moving to a co-op which doesn't allow pets.



We're biased, but we think he's very handsome. It's hard to tell from these photos, but he's huge. He weighs 19 pounds, and it's nearly all muscle. With his size and markings - black spots on white - he reminds us of a Holstein. Or a panther.

We're all still getting to know each other. He's already comfortable enough in his new environment to jump up onto the couch next to us. He's extremely affectionate, loves petting and especially brushing. He's starting to come when we call.

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Bat Houses

Corrected 2008.04.17: Restored missing photos. Other edits.
Updated 2008.04.16: In response to Manhattan Users Guide, provided additional explanation of why I put up a bat house: to help prevent their extinction.
Updated 2008.04.15: Added inline links, plus link to BatCatalog, BCI's online store.

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Today I installed my first bat house, on the side of my tree fort, the second floor porch on the back of our house. It's a two-chambered house which I purchased online three weeks ago from BatCatalog, the online store of Bat Conservation International (BCI). (Disclosure: I'm a supporting member of BCI.)

BCI has free plans for a single-chambered house [PDF] on their Web site, and they have a handbook of many different plans for folks to design and build their own houses. I chose a pre-built house, for my first one. Because it's my first, I wanted one that was well-designed and built. I also wanted to get one installed in time, possibly, for this year's summer breeding season. I'm handy, but I procrastinate; if I started building a house now, I'd be lucky if I got it done for NEXT year.

Contents

• Why build (or buy) and install a bat house?
  
• Where can bat houses be used?
  
• What makes a well-designed bat house?
  
• When should bat houses be installed?
  

Deadline, April 13: The 2008 Mouse & Trowel Awards

Berberis canadensis, American barberry, Bonsai at the North Carolina Arboretum.


I know that my photographs are the single most popular feature of this blog. My Flickr site gets even more traffic than this blog.

If you enjoy my photography here, or on Flickr, please consider nominating this blog for the "Best Photography" category of the 2008 Mouse & Trowel Awards:

The Mouse & Trowel Awards were created by freelance writer and garden blogger Colleen Vanderlinden to honor and reward excellence in online gardening. Awards for a variety of blog and website categories, as well as podcasting awards, are awarded every May after nomination and voting phases.

Quickly dubbed “the Mousies” by the garden blogging community, the Mouse & Trowel Awards earned a fair share of acclaim in 2007, with multiple write-ups in the Detroit Free Press, on several websites and blogs, and mentions on garden-related podcasts.
- About the Mouse & Trowel Awards

Nominations are by the public: YOU. Nominations are open JUST THREE MORE DAYS, through April 13. You can nominate up to three sites for each category.

Here are all the categories:

• Blogs:
  
  • Best Writing
    
  • Best Photography
    
  • Best Design
    
  • Most Innovative
    
  • Blogger You’d Most Like as a Neighbor
    
  • Best Gardening Podcast
    
  • Best North American Blog
    
  • Best International Blog
    
  • Best New Blog
    
  • Post of the Year
    
  • Garden Blog of the Year
    
• Web Sites:
  
  • Best Forums
    
  • Gardening Web Site of the Year
    

Links

Nomination form, 2008 Mouse & Trowel Awards

Brooklyn Gardening Bloggers (and Blogging Gardeners)

Update 2008.07.06: Added My American Garden.
Update 2008.05.26: Added 66 Square Feet.
Update 2008.05.03: Added A Brooklyn Life.
Update 2008.04.25: Added New York City Garden.
Update 2008.04.17: Added root stock & quade.

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Just a quick post to highlight some of my fellow Brooklynites who also blog about their gardens or gardening.

Brooklyn has more community gardens - about 300 - than the rest of New York City. More people live in Brooklyn (Kings County) than any of the other four boroughs of New York City. The U. S. Census estimates that 2,508,820 people live in Brooklyn as of 2006.

66 Square Feet
The Bark Tree
A Brooklyn Life
City Dirt
The Clueless Gardener
Crazy Stable
frogma
A Garden Grows in Brooklyn
My American Garden
New York City Garden
root stock & quade
The Urban Planter
ZuZu's Petals

Here's hoping I get to continue expanding this list.

Links

Kings County Quickfacts, U.S. Census Bureau

A Weekend at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Part 3: The Rock Garden

See also Part 1: The Osborne Garden, and Part 2: Magnolia Plaza

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The Rock Garden, viewed from just inside the southernmost entrance.


A year ago I "discovered" the Rock Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden:

I did get to see the Rock Garden as I had planned. I wasn't disappointed. I don't usually get to see this garden. It just seems off the beaten path during my usual visits. I want to visit it more often.
- A Visit to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, April 1, 2007

The Rock Garden lies between the main western path of the garden and Flatbush Avenue. I've been able to visit the Rock Garden each month so far this year. Spring seems to be a peak time of year for this garden.

This boulder-strewn slope provides some of the earliest signs of spring as well as brilliant color in the fall. Opened to the public in 1917, it was the first rock garden of considerable size in an American botanic garden.

BBG's Rock Garden uses boulders to define beds and create pockets of microclimates where plants with a variety of special needs are able to thrive. Many of the plants showcased are compact and suited to growing in small spaces.

Many of the boulders that pepper the landscape were unearthed during construction of various parts of BBG, and were deposited on the site during the last ice age.

During a renovation in 1992, additional boulders, imported from Westchester County, were added to the original collection, pathways were widened, and steps were eliminated wherever possible. Today the Rock Garden is about two-thirds wheelchair and stroller accessible ...

The heaths were buzzing with bees when I visited on Saturday.

Erica carnea 'Springwood Pink'


Heaths and Spring Bulbs


Right now, the Rock Garden is also a great place to see a wide variety of Daffodils and other Spring bulbs in bloom.

Narcissus in the Rock Garden






Narcissus 'Prologue'


Narcissus 'Wee Bee'


The Hellebores were also happy.

Helleborus orientalis, Lenten-Rose






And just keep looking around. There's something new and different everywhere you look.

Corydalis


Corylopsis pauciflora, Buttercup Winterhazel


Rhododendron P.J.M.


I also swung by the Rock Garden when I attended Making Brooklyn Bloom on Saturday, March 8. During breaks in the rains, it was lovely.

Crocuses in the Rock Garden


Crocuses and Snowdrops


Crocus tommasinianus


Pair a Ducks

Related Posts

Part 1: The Osborne Garden
Part 2: Magnolia Plaza
First Crocus, Rock Garden, BBG, February 16, 2008
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, January 21, 2008
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, April 14 and April 1, 2007
My Flickr photo sets of BBG's Rock Garden

Links

Rock Garden, Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Friends of Cortelyou meets this Saturday

Via email, the first meeting of the season for Friends of Cortelyou will be this Saturday morning:

FRIENDS OF CORTELYOU will meet this Saturday, April 12, from 10am to 11:30 a.m. at Connecticut Muffin, 1106 Cortelyou Road. We'll discuss the following issues:

• Welcome and support new Flatbush Food Coop; celebrate the beautiful new store!
• Farmers Market on Cortelyou Road opens in June; help publicize and market the market.
• Welcome the Farmers Market (& Farmers!) to the 2008 Market; help publicize it!!!
• Restart Conversation Partners!
• Tree pits: Daffodil Project, adopt-a-tree

Hope to see you there.