Garden News Archives
Summer Children’s Garden Registration
Is it really already time to think about spring and summer sessions in the Children’s Garden? Why yes, it is. And it’s not your imagination that the registration period has come early this year. We have shifted the opening date for these two popular program seasons. Registration will begin February 6th at 9 a.m., sharp. The staff is
Watch BBG’s Living Roof Come to Life
How long does it take to install a 10,000-square-foot meadow on the roof of a building? According to this video, just two minutes! We captured the entirety of the early-autumn installation of 40,000 plants on the roof of BBG’s new Visitor Center—from September 26 to October 31, 2011—in this short time-lapse video. A month of soil
Woodpeckers, Wintersweet, and More
This time of year in the Discovery Garden, I often wonder where did everybody go? Visitors are a little scarce, and when they are here, they often drift in and out quickly, unsure of what to look for in the bare winter landscape. But take time and look closely, and you’ll discover plenty of fascinating things. Winter is the time to look for
Tree Guards 101
Are you a Brooklyn street tree fan who wants to protect your tree from dogs, trash, foot traffic, and ill-placed bikes? Maybe you’ve thought, “I’ll put in a tree guard!” Tree guards are urban heroes if designed and installed properly. But no matter how well intentioned, a poorly designed and placed tree guard can do more harm than good;
Sankofa for a Greener Brooklyn
Six years ago, GreenBridge began a yearlong process of reflection that produced Greening Brooklyn Together: GreenBridge Strategic Plan 2007–2011. We gathered voices from block associations, master composters, and community gardeners. Sankofa, a word from Ghana often symbolized by a bird and translated as “looking back to move forward,”
A Rain Garden Grows in Brooklyn
When it opens in May, Brooklynites gazing up at the new BBG Visitor Center on Washington Avenue will witness a hillside transformed: soft lines of glass and steel covered by a rooftop meadow rustling in the breeze. The green roof is gorgeous, but look down—the newly installed landscape around the Visitor Center is no less innovative and
Early Bloomers
Seeing the hyacinths emerge in the springtime is exciting. Seeing them in January, as we are now due to this winter’s exceptionally mild weather, is a little bit alarming, especially now that the forecast is calling for temperatures to dip into the 20s over the next few days. There is one bright side, though. Any holiday greenery still on
Winter in the Children’s Garden
Have you ever harvested and eaten fresh vegetables...in the middle of winter? This time of year, we prepare portions of the Children’s Garden for the cold weather by covering cool-weather crops with row-cover fabric and plastic. This material insulates our plants, keeping the air and soil up to 20 degrees warmer than surrounding areas, so our
Mulch Ado
Holiday tree still hanging around? Time to recycle it. This weekend, the city will host MulchFest 2012. Just bring your tree to any MulchFest location and it will be converted into nourishing wood chips for plants and trees in city parks, gardens, and streets. At some locations, your tree will be chipped right there on the spot so you can take it
