Garden News Blog
A Fern Grows in Brooklyn
It’s not every day that a federally listed threatened plant establishes itself in a storm drain, but if you peer through the grate on the path leading through BBG’s Lilac Collection toward the Rose Garden, you will see a small colony of hart’s tongue ferns (Asplenium scolopendrium var. americanum ). The lush, shiny
Will the Cicadas Hurt Your Plants?
You’ve no doubt heard about the large brood of 17-year cicadas that will soon emerge in New York City and beyond. If you garden, you’ve probably wondered what these gigantic insects might do to your plants. The good news is that adult cicadas (Magicicada species), though large and noisy, do not tend to do much damage.
A Cherry by Any Other Name
The four cherry trees along the pond just south of the torii in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden look similar—all have a weeping habit and pink flowers that blossom at the same time. They are clearly of different ages, but everyone thought they were the same cultivar—Prunus subhirtella ‘Pendula,’ which is how they
Recipe: Strawberry Kanten
Traditional Japanese confections, or wagashi, are beautiful to look at, texturally complex, and subtly flavored. They are often made with ingredients Americans are surprised to see in a dessert. Rice is used to make mochi, azuki beans are the basis of the red bean paste filling in many sweets, and red algae is processed
Ramping Up
It’s peak ramp-picking time in the neck of the Catskills where I spend my weekends, and my neighbor, a logger, recently took us to his favorite spot for our annual foraging spree. Ramps (Allium tricoccum), also called wild leeks, grow on damp slopes in deciduous woods before spring leaf-out, which perfectly describes the
Are the Cherries Blooming?
Around this time of year, inevitably I’ll be out in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden and someone will ask, “When will the cherry trees blossom?” and I’ll have to point out, “Well, you’re standing under a really beautiful flowering cherry tree right now.” That’s because most people, when they come to see
