Plants & Gardens Blog

Powerful storms bring severe winds, damaging salt sprays, and heavy rains to our area. If they become more common, how will this affect the city? Can public gardens help mitigate damage? Read › Climate Change in Brooklyn: Fall

Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Herb Garden curator, Maeve Turner, experiments with soil solarization and crop rotation. Read › Organic Pest Management in the Herb Garden

Plants and animals are already responding to climate change in New York State, the Northeast, and here in the city and at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. How can we become more resilient to the local effects of climate change? Read › Climate Change in Brooklyn: Summer

Identifying this poison ivy requires a keen eye since its leaf color and shape varies. Learn to recognize its distinguishing characteristics. Read › Weed of the Month: Poison Ivy

Spare the pesticide and enlist ladybugs, parasitic wasps and other beneficial insects to handle pest control in your garden. Read › Use Insects, Not Chemicals, to Fight Pests

A late winter snowstorm hit after an unusually mild February. How did the Garden's plants handle the stress? Read › How Did the Cherries, Magnolias, and Other Plants Handle the Snowstorm?

This rare fern grows in cool, shaded limestone ravines. In the face of climate change and habitat loss, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, along with other institutions is working to conserve it in the wild and display it for the public. Read › Fieldwork: Hart’s Tongue Fern

Adding compost to your garden beds can help your soil absorb and retain water. This allows you to water less often and also mitigates run-off that leads to water pollution. Read › Compost Can Help Gardens Hold More Water

This rare native plant grows in the pine barrens, along bog margins and roadsides. It relies on regular fires to thrive, and it's actually not a moss at all. Read › Fieldwork: Pixie-Moss

This wetland plant is endangered in two states, but Brooklyn Botanic Garden is part of an effort to conserve the species. Read › Fieldwork: Bog Asphodel