Cocktail Conversations with Plants & Trees? Yessss! Learn the Language of Plants

Photo: Peter Wohlleben presentation screenshot

Did you know that trees nurture their offspring; that they wage war, that their roots are like brains, and that they feel pain? (That fresh cut grass is actually a cry for help!)

These concepts and more were presented at The New York Botanical Garden at the Fifth Annual Humanities Institute Symposium: Plant Intelligence.

I had a conflict in my work schedule and woefully regretted to have to miss this recent lecture at The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) when I read the invitation in the Adult Education brochure.
This is what grabbed my attention, in a big way:
“Trees may appear to be strong and silent, but they can “talk” -- to one another, to other plants, ad to animals and insects. Discover how trees communicate via chemical signals in the air to warn each other of insect attacks, as well as through complex fungal networks underground to transfer nutrients and resources to one another - and sometimes to assist their sick tree ‘family members.’”

See, I’ve been working on a children’s book -- and in my story the plants talk to one another - and to the fauna and insects -- and yes, some deserving humans.  In my children’s writing class, I’ll never forget how one man couldn’t abide that plants could talk -- he thought it too unbelievable even for a child to imagine. I reminded him that his story was about a talking truck (!) and wondered how that was so plausible…
More on the challenging world of writing a children’s book soon. I only wanted to bring it up here as it fuels my passion for learning more about how plants do indeed talk.  And they have a lot to say...

My intense interest in plant language is not a reference to the previously kooky scenario of folks talking to their houseplants - chatting up their begonias and African Violets to insure better growth.  No. We're talking science and adventure and exploration of new worlds.

This emerging field of study is rather a consequence of advanced technology and testing that allows us to more readily understand how plants communicate.

You could say it’s like the rosetta stone - except it’s more of a "rosetta or Rose plant" - a bit of our human first steps into the mystery of understanding plant language.
It’s not them - it’s us! We just needed the tools to better communicate with them.

The lecture at NYBG featured the irrepressible Peter Wohlleben, author of The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate,




And Stefano Mancuso, author of Brilliant Green and Plant Revolution  (who, as I understand it, was socked in due to weather and unable to present.)



and Janet Browne, Historian of Science, Harvard University was the moderator.

In the video, Janet notes it has long been common that plants don’t communicate, nor do they have the ability to think or move. To whit: the “couch potato” and “vegging out!”
Ouch - that’s not nice.

On the other hand, horticulturists long believed plants possessed parallel functions to animals.
Enter Carl Linnaeus and Charles Darwin to change people’s minds about plants and their sex lives!

At the lecture, Peter helps us understand plant life - a world brimming with activity and communication. 

We learn plants communicate on a time scale that is different from ours. Meaning trees, especially, take a looooongg time. After all, they live a long time.  He cautioned tree huggers to be patient. 

Plants are living indicators of an unknown world of communications - they are sophisticated - and not just sedentary animals, as some have ignorantly referred to them as.

I think you’ll be fascinated by the presentation: Peter has a great sense of humor when discussing the plants’ and trees’ communication capabilities (you’ll laugh at his description of how a tree “eliminates!” Ahem.

You’ll be touched learning how they can reflect emotions and feelings and bond for life with their tree family. 

Trees have memory. 

Offspring learn from the parents. 

Peter provided the example of a young sapling that doesn’t drop its leaves soon enough and the winter snows and frost cracks the wood - and it feels pain - but the offspring learns from its nearby parent when to drop its leaves next time when the season demands.

Technology can now register radioactive sugar molecules permitting us the ability to track how a mother tree can talk to and nurture her offspring.  For example, she won’t take as much water during a dry summer in order to feed her child… 

Moreover, plants have the ability for kin recognition. Incredible...
Here is the link to the entire video of Peter's talk:

During the Q&A, when asked if he had any direct communication with a tree, Peter replied without missing a beat - saying  "All of us have -- albeit via a one-way communication." 

What?  How's that? 

Yes, he says research shows that our blood pressure lowers when we walk among trees. 

Trees act like medicine, he added. 

What have trees taught him?  Patience.  Living more than 200 years can have that effect...

More cool tree talk: Oaks can send out “fear branches” when surrounded by beech trees that are intent on killing the oak. There are "gang wars" in the plant kingdom! 

Bark beetles hurt the trees. 

Beech can taste the saliva of deer and can begin a wound-healing action.

Besides roots as brains and a kind of communication internet for plants, fungal networks act like neural networks - adding a method for how trees communicate in a kind of two-way/win-win symbiotic relationship with the fungi.

Trees and plants have instincts and reflexes - just like animals - and their emotions are drivers of their instincts. Isn’t that fascinating to discover? 

Plants have social lives and can learn from experience as they struggle for resources and interact with their environment. 

What Plants Talk About

The weather? The new neighbors? Like us, plants have a lot to say.

Yet another plant talk “must see” is a favorite of mine: The PBS documentary, What Plants Talk About. The visuals are breathtaking. The time lapse videos of plant communication, the interaction of plants and pollinators and predators is stunning. It’s discoveries are that “whoa, how’d they capture that,” mesmerizing images.  Click on the image and link above to watch the documentary.

I highly recommend you grab some popcorn and sit back and enjoy this astonishing look at the plant world just beckoning for more research, exploration, and the opportunity to talk to us.

Here’s the documentary overview:
“When we think about plants, we don't often associate a term like "behavior" with them, but experimental plant ecologist JC Cahill wants to change that. The University of Alberta professor maintains that plants do behave and lead anything but solitary and sedentary lives. What Plants Talk About teaches us all that plants are smarter and much more interactive than we thought!”

Networks Plus 

Speaking of working together, while I have you, I thought you’d like to know about a new partnership at the Garden. NYBG has teamed up with one of my favorite enterprises: Blue Apron, the pioneering meal-kit company. Both will promote community well-being and raise awareness of the benefits of sustainable gardening and cooking with fresh ingredients. How nice is that?

As part of Blue Apron's commitment to making delicious home cooking accessible and bringing families and communities together, Blue Apron is aligning with NYBG's Edible Academy, a new state-of-the-art garden-based education facility that will open on June 14, 2018.

The partnership includes seasonally rotating kid-friendly educational signage in the Edible Academy's Green Thumb Gardens, used by school groups, drop-in families, and community visitors.

Now you can bring the children to the Edible Academy, enjoy a true “happy meal” -- all while having a lovely conversation with the nearby plants and trees.

Cheers!

The New York Botanical Garden Unveils Commissioned Installations by Renowned Belgian Floral Artist, Daniel Ost, for their 16th Annual Orchid Show Launching March 3

Yesterday was the annual Press Preview for The New York Botanical Garden’s (NYBG) premiere exhibit, the Orchid Show. Orchids are the “eye candy” of the plant world and I’d be hard-pressed to name a single soul that doesn’t find them completely irresistible.

Their dazzling colors, shapes, “faces,” fragrance, mystery, and sheer beauty have captivated cultures around the world, as well as plant explorers, writers, fine artists -- painters and photographers and jewelry makers - - and of course, visitors to this annual blockbuster.

We just can’t get enough of orchids.

I for one, just recently trekked up to the Ecuadorian Cloud Forest (from where I was working at Hacienda Cusin in San Pablo, near Otavalo) where there are more orchids than anywhere due to the country’s biological diversity. This Andean paradise boasts more than 30,000 wild orchids so far identified -- almost 25% percent of Ecuador’s flora. I’ll provide a complete cloud forest and orchid discovery posting about that soon.

Closer to home, the annual Orchid Show at NYBG has gained a much-deserved reputation for strutting the orchid’s glamorous good looks as well as teaching us about the orchid plant’s diversity and cultural significance to a number of countries, including last year’s inspiring Thailand-themed exhibit or previously, the dazzling and “uplifting” chandelier installations that compelled you to look up in 2015 or the take-your-breath away beauty of the 2013 show .

This year, it was quite evident how much professional respect and love and mutual admiration there is between the NYBG Horticultural staff and the revered Daniel Ost and his team.



Todd Forrest, Arthur Ross Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections & Daniel Ost at press preview

Scores of the press in attendance were swooning over Ost and past features they’ve been honored to write.

I saw that my botanical artist friend, Ellen Hovercamp (I own three of her fabulous pieces, featured in our bedroom; Ellen collaborates with horticultural expert, designer, and author, Ken Druse, most notably in the book, Natural Companions ) had retrieved Ost’s book Floral Art and The Beauty of Impermanence - a stunning compilation of the artist’s unparalleled floral designs.

Botanical Artist Ellen Hovercamp with her Daniel Ost book ready for autograph 

No less CBS has described him as "the world's leading flower designer," while the New York Times says that "to call him a master flower designer is akin to calling Annie Leibovitz a shutterbug.”

NYBG notes “Ost is celebrated worldwide for his eye-catching installations in private and public spaces, working with both living and cut flowers.

His large-scale artwork has drawn comparison to that of renowned sculptors Anish Kapoor, Claes Oldenburg, and Andy Goldsworthy. In Belgium he has been called “the Picasso of flower arranging,” and in France he was touted as “the international star of floral decoration.” Daniel Ost lives and works in Sint-Niklaas, Belgium, where he was born and raised.

Mr. Ost’s recent YouTube interview for the Garden helps explain his approach to the installation. Many orchids are epiphytes -- meaning they grow on the surface of another plant or tree, getting their nutrients from the air, rain, and water. And Ost says he was very much drawn to the orchid’s ability to grow like this.

He also explains why he chose the clear, plastic tubes that the orchid blossoms are attached to “like vines,” he says - throughout the three key installations in the show.

There is a huge funnel-like structure in the Palms of the World Gallery, right near the entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory where the Orchid event is located at NYBG.

Rather than seeing a breathtaking display reflected in the moody black water of the pool here - the towering design in the Conservatory’s Palms of the World Gallery, is an 18-foot-tall sculpture by Ost that is meant to complement the height of the 90-foot-tall dome overhead.




“In the Seasonal Exhibition Galleries, his designs speak to the architecture of the glasshouse.”

There are two more site specific living art installations: a bamboo dome that holds an array of color-coordinated fiery yellows, oranges and red orchids.




The other is a hanging bamboo structure that runs the length of the central axis and is filled with Kodedama -- hanging orchids planted in moss.



I do love these and have been successfully growing one made by floral designer and landscape architect, EunYoung Sebazco and graduate of the Gardens School of Professional Horticulture, that I got at the “Nature in Art” show I curated not too long ago.

Within this area there are also kaleidoscopes of drop-dead gorgeous orchids and companion plants. These “orchid companions” include croton, dracaena, and more.

I especially liked the unique kalanchoe - Kalanchoe, Vrisea, Phormium on display that picked up the soft, subtle greens and flamingo pinks of the orchids.


We were told that Ost spotted these within the Garden’s Collection and insisted he wanted to have them in the installation. What a great eye for harmony the master has ...



I do recommend you go to see and experience the Orchid Show - and moreover, all the special collateral, orchid-themed events the Garden has lined up.

This show underscores the fact that art is provocative - it moves us and touches each of us in unique and profound ways. For me, I didn’t care for the clear tubes woven in and about the orchids like so many skeins of yarn. It looked like life support tubes in a medical environment and detracted from the simple elegance and sheer beauty of the orchid plants. I know. I know. I get the narrative and the artful back story. I have more than respect for Ost and his informed and impressive floral art installation. I write this with hesitation. I don’t want to be arbitrary or a spoiler. But I must be honest. It’s just that I prefer to see the orchids. In a more pristine or pretty design.  This appears “messy” to me.
I had a challenge getting past the plastic tubes...

When I got on the subway this morning I saw an image that was reminiscent of the installation's tubes ...



Don’t hate me because I see the link with the Ost orchid tubes …

In years’ past, the orchids help tell the story of a culture or environmental diversity but at the same time were set in a tableau or “living picture” that was more sensual and inviting. And well, to be frank and honest, it was more glamorous and elegant.

Though, I do like the artist’s dreamy rendering: (there was just a lot more tubing in the final look).


Floral Artist Daniel Ost A Daniel Ost conceptual rendering for The Orchid Show

I’m sure that evenings in the show will be spectacular and help to showcase the blooms.

During “Orchid Evenings throughout the run of the exhibition, visitors experience music, tours, and special performances, with cash bars offering for purchase beer, wine, and cocktails, including the Dancing Lady, especially created for Orchid Evenings by Edible Bronx’s head mixologist.” The Garden notes “You can warm up around fire pits on Conservatory Plaza, then head into the glasshouse to explore the exhibition. Live performers add extra flair to the stunning displays of orchids, while curated music by a live DJ creates the perfect atmosphere to explore The Orchid Show. Alice Farkey’s whimsical Orchid Ladies roam the Conservatory.

Orchid Evenings are from 6:30– 9:30 p.m. on March 17, 24, and 31, April 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, and 21, and are for adults 21 and over.

Back to the floral art displays. We were told the clear tubes capture the sunlight and reflect… But I thought it was a bit of the Emperor’s New Clothes… There was the inarguable fact that there is a lot of plastic tubing to look at. I don’t like plastic. I was doomed.

The Ost-designed installations were also disappointing to me because while there were three, they are similar in style using clear tubing and bamboo as structural elements with the orchids featured on that. No reveal or aha or heart-clutching mystery…

While there are more orchids on display this year I was told, it didn’t create that impact or visual...

Let me know what you think after you experience the show.

The overwhelming element is: the orchids are sublime. 

Go for the plants!





This year, NYBG’s 16th Annual Orchid Show Runs from March 3 through April 22, 2018

News on the show from the NYBG team: “The 2018 edition of The Orchid Show at The New York Botanical Garden, exhibiting commissioned works by Daniel Ost, opens on March 3 and runs through April 22, 2018. Entering its16th year, the popular exhibition, showcasing thousands of dramatically displayed orchids in the Botanical Garden’s historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

One of the world’s leading floral designers, Ost uses flowers as a means of expression. He identifies himself as a bloembinder, the Dutch term for an artist who works with flowers. His large-scale artworks have been tailored to the unique environment of the landmark Victorian- style Haupt Conservatory, complementing the architecture of the building while creating a transformative, dazzling spectacle of color, form, and texture. Bamboo arranged in grids and calling to mind the glass grids of the Conservatory, and clear tubing meant to both evoke water and connect to the Conservatory’s glass, are among the materials employed in his artful installations to which individual orchids are attached so that each flower and form can be seen and appreciated. The works pay homage to his training in ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging. In ikebana, artists value the ideas of wabi-sabi, a philosophy that finds beauty in imperfection, asymmetry, and impermanence.

Ost trained in Belgium and the Netherlands before visiting Japan for the first time in 1983 where he befriended Noboru Kurisaki, one of the most prominent grand masters of ikebana, who became his mentor and teacher. He taught Ost that a single flower used the right way can be more impactful than thousands of flowers used en masse. This concept is particularly evident in one of Ost’s designs on view in The Orchid Show.

The Hudson Garden Grill is open for meals and light bits before Orchid Evening festivities.

Dining options include Hudson Garden Grill, NYBG’s full-service restaurant, and at the Pine Tree Café.

Orchid Show visitors may select from thousands of top-quality orchids, from exotic, hard-to- find specimens for connoisseurs to elegant yet easy-to-grow varieties for beginners, available for purchase at NYBG Shop, along with orchid products and books. Along with plenty of other, plant-inspired objets d’art, tablescape accessories, fashion, fragrance, and hostess gifts.

Orchids are eternally fascinating and have so much to teach us. Adult Education at NYBG gas thoughtfully produced and curated a number of classes you’ll enjoy participating in. See the lineup here:

PHALAENOPSIS CARE
Myths abound about how hard it is to care for this ever-popular orchid. Jim Freeman dispels those myths with plenty of sensible advice on how to treat your phalaenopsis so that it blooms year after year. Light, water, nutrients, repotting, and root care are all key. Walk away feeling confident and equipped with the knowledge to make your orchids thrive.

Saturday, March 17; 11 a.m.–2 p.m., NYBG Instructor: Jim Freeman



ORCHIDS: DIVIDE, REPOT, REJUVENATE!

Frank Guida, beloved Botanical Art teacher and orchid aficionado, shows you what he’s learned from years of helping out in NYBG’s Nolen Greenhouses, demonstrating when and how to divide and repot your orchids without trauma (to you or the plants!). Learn about different types of containers and potting media and making your own bark mix.

Saturday, March 24; 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m., NYBG Instructor: Frank Guida



ORCHID MOUNTING (image from orchids made easy)

Show off the exquisite beauty of an orchid by mounting it on cork. Not only is this a showstopping piece of living décor, it is also healthy for the plant, mimicking the way epiphytic orchids grow in nature. Frank Guida, botanical artist and orchid aficionado, will discuss which species thrive on mounts and how to care for your newly mounted orchid.

aturday, March 24; 2–4:30 p.m., NYBG Instructor: Frank Guida

FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY: THE ORCHID SHOW
Get an exclusive opportunity to photograph The Orchid Show using your DSLR 100- 300mm telephoto lens, and dedicated speedlights. Master techniques to achieve

the best lighting and exposure for these vibrant flowers without the use of tripods or monopods. Afterward, return to the classroom for a review and critique of your images.

Required Equipment: DSLR, zoom telephoto lens (100-300mm focal length), other lenses if you desire, lens hood, dedicated speedlight, brackets, hotshoe cable or remote, and lunch.

Tuesday, April 3; 9 a.m.–3 p.m., NYBG Instructor: Jeffrey Falk


LIVING DÉCOR: TERRARIUMS WITH AIR PLANTS & ORCHIDS! (image from wanelo.co)


Create a mini rainforest with air plants and orchids in an open-style terrarium. Maria Colletti, author of Terrariums, will guide you as you design your own, and provide instruction on the care and maintenance of your miniature plant world.

Wednesday, April 4; 6:30–8:30 p.m., NYBG Monday, May 21; 6:30–8:30 p.m., Midtown Center Instructor: Maria Colletti

DESKTOP ORCHIDS
Get pro tips on how to care for orchids in less than optimal environments. Barbara Schmidt, award-winning exhibitor at the Philadelphia Flower Show and author of Orchid Care: For the Beginner, will walk you through which orchid genus will fare best in your indoor environment, as well as how to ensure your orchids have what they need to grow and bloom. Optional: Bring Your Own Orchid so Barbara can help you identify and/or troubleshoot its problems.

Saturday, April 14; 11 a.m.–1 p.m., NYBG Instructor: Barbara Schmidt

Register for classes at www.nybg.org/adulted

For more information about The Orchid Show and to purchase tickets, please visit the Garden’s Web site, www.nybg.org




Some last minute prep by the Hort staff proved to almost be the best part of the orchid show. 

Thank you.

New York Botanical Garden's "Hortie Hoopla!" Turns Five

The number five is good -- we all wave a “high five” when we are saying congratulations in a physically demonstrable way, don’t we?

I researched the significance of the number five and found that “People with the lucky number five/5 usually tend to pursue freedom.

They do not like to be bounded by their surroundings or other people.

They judge or enjoy things with their senses…”


Well if all that doesn’t more or less describe the Hortie Hoopla attendees’ spirit, I don’t know what does.

Freedom and celebrating nature and the environment with all of our senses is truly a hallmark of those who choose to make horticulture their career.


This Wednesday, July 19, 2017, marks the fifth anniversary of The New York Botanical Garden’s (NYBG) Annual Green Industry Intern Field Day -- or as it’s affectionately referred to: Hortie Hoopla, and hosted by NYBG’s School of Professional Horticulture (SoPH).



(Karen Washington speaking at last year’s Hortie Hoopla.)

The brainchild of Charles Yurgalevitch Director, School of Professional Horticulture, NYBG, and inspired by the rather prescient feature that successful author and horticulturist Ken Druse wrote for Rodale Press in 2013 where Ken introduced us to “The Next Generation” - six young horticulturists, emblematic of the Emergent professionals who are the future of American gardening, Hortie Hoopla has grown to become the seminal event for the future of professional horticulture.

Of the original six, several have spoken at past Hortie Hoopla events - I especially love that Kelly Norris! Here I am last year showing Kelly the spelling of my name so he could autograph his book, Plants with Style for me.






Me, Kelly, and Ken. Happy Plant People.




Kelly Norris speaking at 2016 Hortie Hoopla at NYBG


Brie Arthur is really on a successful roll - this firecracker of a plantswoman is now a first-time author with her just-released book, The Foodscape Revolution, (can't wait to get my autographed copy) published by St. Lynn’s Press; she is the recipient of the American Horticultural Society’s (AHS) first-ever “Emerging Horticultural Professional.”

 

The AHS clearly took a cue from Hortie Hoopla. High-Fives to that!

Brie is also the Keynote speaker at this year’s Hortie Hoopla. Again, High Fives all ‘round.

According to Charles, this year’s Green Industry Intern Field Day has a whopping pre-registration of nearly 250 attendees; over 175 of whom are interns or seasonals. “Further, the event has grown to be regional - attracting attendees from a broader geographic base than the original city or tri-state core audience,” explained Charles. “We’re hosting young professionals from as far away as North Carolina and Massachusetts,” he added, with great pride.

If you are a an intern or seasonal and haven’t yet registered, you can still do so - SoPH and Charles’ team make an exception for you.

Here are the details for Hortie Hoopla's schedule:

5th Annual NYC-area Green Industry Intern Field Day - Hortie Hoopla 5

When: Wednesday, July 19, 2017 @ NYBG

2900 Southern Boulevard

Bronx, NY 10458-5126


Time: 11 a.m.–dusk

Join NYBG for its annual event for interns and seasonal employees involved in the green industry.

This free industry-sponsored event features remarks from top horticulturists around the Tri-State Area.

Plus this being a magical kind of garden, you may discover a special surprise - or two - on this very remarkable day.

View the Garden’s collections and talk with the Garden’s Horticulture curators, test your plant ID skills with a contest, and wrap up the day with food and refreshments, games, and prizes. Nice!

The School of Professional Horticulture is very proud to host Brienne Arthur as the 2017 keynote speaker.

In addition to being a first-time author, Brie helps lead the national suburban foodscape movement -- a model of community development that incorporates sustainable, local food production.

To Register: RSVP with the name and email address of each person attending, and the name of your organization to Eric Lieberman at 718.817.8580 or elieberman@nybg.org.

Space is limited to one supervisory staff member per group of interns.

Arrive early to view the breathtaking works of art created by world-renowned artist Dale Chihuly in his first major garden exhibition in New York in more than ten years.

Program of Events

• 11 a.m.— Early Registration

• Lunch on Your Own (Pine Tree Café open all afternoon)

• 12:30–3 p.m.—Arthur and Janet Ross Lecture Hall

Welcome: 

• Todd Forrest, Arthur Ross Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections

“My Stories”/Featured Speakers:

• Francisco Davila—Prospect Park Alliance Arboriculture Supervisor

• Louis Bauer—Director of Horticulture, Wave Hill

• Melanie Sifton—Vice President for Horticulture, Brooklyn Botanic Garden

• Rashid Poulson—Horticulture Supervisor, Brooklyn Bridge Park

• Francisca Coelho—Vivian and Edward Merrin Vice President for Glasshouses and Exhibitions, New York Botanical Garden

Presentation: 

• Ken Druse, author/photographer

Keynote Address: 

• Brienne Arthur, author of The Foodscape Revolution 

3–5 p.m.—Visit the Collections at NYBG, including, 

The Thain Family Forest, 

Native Plant Garden, and 

Green Materials Recycling Center (new composting facility), & Hands-on composting demonstrations

Plant ID contest (ongoing)

5 p.m. to dusk—Food and refreshments, fun, games, and prizes in the Clay Family Picnic Pavilion

Food and drink generously provided by:

Floral Landscape Services

Etain Health

Landcraft Environments, Ltd.

Mario Bulfamante & Sons

Bartlett Tree Experts

NY State Arborists Association

Riverside Park Conservancy

The Bronx Brewery (I love this craft beer!)

Thank you, sponsors.

If you are a green industry professional - or want to become one -- this event is for you. See you at the Garden.

NYBG’s Newly Expanded Farmers Market Opens for the Season, Offering Fresh and Nutritious Local Produce, Specialty Foods and Other Exciting New Features

Ahhhh - it's officially the first day of summer. Admit it, you've been waiting all year for this very moment.

If that wasn't enough to make you giddy with delight, today marks the return of the Farmers Market at The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG).

Offering a diverse array of fresh, locally grown vegetables and fruits, along with hand-crafted baked goods and specialty foods, The New York Botanical Garden’s Farmers Market opens for the season today, just inside the Mosholu Gate and across the street from the Botanical Garden station of the Metro-North commuter railroad.

With a newly expanded roster of vendors from the Hudson Valley and other parts of the tri-state metropolitan area, the NYBG Farmers Market will bring the flavors of the seasons to New Yorkers throughout the summer and into the fall every Wednesday, running until October 25, 2017. Hours are 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

The Garden’s market has been reimagined by Pascale Le Draoulec, who manages farmers markets in the Westchester communities of Hastings, Irvington, Chappaqua, and Bronxville.

Before running farmers markets, Pascale Le Draoulec was a newspaper reporter for 18 years. She spent most of her career writing about food, and from 2001 to 2007 she was the lead restaurant critic at New York’s Daily News, where she won a coveted James Beard award for her reviews.

A first-generation American of French heritage, she is the author of American Pie: Slices of Life and Pie from America’s Back Roads (Harper Collins, 2002), which chronicles her cross-country road trip in search not only of her American roots but also people who still make pie from scratch.

The market will include not only a regular weekly lineup of some of the area’s top produce vendors, bakers and specialty food purveyors—with more than twice as many merchants as in recent years—but also a rotating group of artisanal merchants, offering such treats as savory jams, piquant salsas, infused olive oils, caramels, and gourmet salts.

The market accepts cash, credit and debit cards, and EBT cards, providing visitors more ways to take advantage of the market’s amazing bounty.

Admission to the Garden grounds is free on Wednesdays, allowing visitors to explore many of the Garden’s offerings such as the ever-changing flowers and plant collections in the award-winning, sustainable Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, the 50-acre old-growth Thain Family Forest, the Native Plant Garden, the Perennial Garden, and the inspiring Home Gardening Center.




As an added convenience, visitors can shop at the Farmers Market first, then store their fresh produce with the Garden’s new complimentary Veggie Valet service as they enjoy the Garden’s many features. Purchases will be kept on ice until visitors pick them up before they leave.

Nice touch! Love the greenmarket concierge service.

This is an outstanding, well-curated list of food artisans and growers. This collection, gathered in one place, helps distinguish a valuable Farmers Market, offering unique and distinguished ingredients, and makes it a must-do weekly food gathering -- plus -- what's better than shopping in a garden?

The weekly vendors at the NYBG Farmers Market will be:

• Big Bang Coffee Roasters, Peekskill, N.Y.–Hot or iced coffee and coffee beans 
• DiRiso Rice Balls, Hastings, N.Y.–Arancini (Italian rice balls) stuffed with porcini mushrooms and other homemade Italian foods. Arancini Brothers' could be the very best anywhere - enjoy these treats! 
• Dr. Pickle, Paterson, N.J.–Pickled products, from standard cucumber pickles to peppers, olives, mushrooms, and much more 
• Honey Locust Farmhouse, Newburgh, N.Y.–Organic teas, various types of honey, and jams made with local Hudson Valley fruit 
• Meredith’s Bread, Kingston, N.Y.–Breads, rolls, cakes, cookies, pies, biscotti, challah bread, and quiches, including sugar-free and gluten-free baked goods 
• Pie Lady & Son, Nyack, N.Y.–Butter-crust fruit pies such as mixed berry, strawberry-rhubarb, and apple, sold whole in three sizes or by the slice 
• Red Barn Bakery, Irvington, N.Y.–Savory and sweet treats from a full-service bakery 
• Taliaferro Farms, New Paltz, N.Y.–Wide variety of produce (peppers, zucchini, kale, spinach, turnips, beets), fruits (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, apples, and melons) and many varieties of interesting, hard-to-find produce and herbs 
• True Food of Nyack, Nyack, N.Y.–Fresh, flavorful seasonal salads and burritos made with local organic chicken 
• Wave Hill Breads, Norwalk, Conn.–Artisanal breads and pastries made with organic whole grains milled at the bakery 

Setting up at the farmers market on a rotating basis will be:

• Anna Maria’s Savory Jams, Cliffside Park, N.J.–Italian-style jams meant to pair with cheeses and yogurts, enhance the flavor of meats and poultry, and complete the presentation of cured meats and pâté 
• Arlotta Food Studio, Briarcliff Manor, NY - Infused organic olive oils such as garlic, lemon, red pepper, and blood orange; balsamic vinegars; and tapenades 
• Found Herbal, Chappaqua, N.Y.–Lotions, balms, salves, sunscreens, and more—all made with local herbs and flowers 
• Healing Home Foods, Pound Ridge, N.Y.–Gluten-free and vegan granola, crackers, and other delicious, healthy snacks 
• La Petite Occasion, Chappaqua, N.Y.–Caramels, toffees, and other handmade confections made with local, high-quality ingredients 
• Lucero Salsas, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.–Homemade salsas, pepito pestos, tortillas and tamales 
• Wild Sea Salt, Pomona, N.Y.–Gourmet salts infused with such local ingredients as dandelion, stinging nettle, cedar berry, and sumac. 

Happy Summer. Celebrate the season. Happy cooking and baking and drinking.

Register for 4th Annual Green Industry Intern "Hortie Hoopla" at The New York Botanical Garden

THE 4th ANNUAL NYC-AREA GREEN INDUSTRY INTERN FIELD DAY IS JULY 20


The annual Green Industry event designed exclusively for interns has proven to be an overwhelming success. Largely the brainchild of Charles Yurgalevitch, Director, School of Professional Horticulture (SoPH), this year marks the fourth time The New York Botanical Garden’s SoPH will host a day brimming with talks, networking, and fun -- to celebrate and educate the interns about the myriad career options available within the noble field of horticulture.

WHO: For Tri-State area horticulture interns working in the Green industries. The annual “Hortie Hoopla” event provides attendees the opportunity to network and increase awareness of the many professional career opportunities in the diverse field of horticulture.


WHAT: A FREE, fun-filled, inspiring day hosted by New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) School of Professional Horticulture


WHEN: Wednesday, July 20, 2016. Registration: 11 am; Talks: 12:30 pm; Activities till dusk.


WHERE: New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY


SPEAKERS:

Keynote Speaker Kelly D. Norris, Director of Horticulture, Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden,, nurseryman and award-winning author


Karen Washington,, community activist called “urban farming’s de facto godmother” by The New York Times


Quill Teal-Sullivan, Garden Manager at Meadowburn Farm, a 130-year-old designed landscape in Vernon, NJ - the Garden State.


ACTIVITIES:
Self-Guided Exploration

Garden Tours

Plant ID Contest

Evening BBQ with games and prizes

Tour of NYBG Library 

To register: Contact Eric Lieberman at NYBG: elieberman@nybg.org

Food and drink generously provided by:

Bartlett Tree Experts

Mario Bulfamante & Sons

Floral Landscape Services

Landcraft Environments, Ltd.

NY State Arborists Association

Riverside Park Conservancy

Trees New York

The Bronx Brewery

The Next Renaissance of Horticulture - Planting in a Post-Wild World lecture at NYBG

Anticipation was amped-up for the Thomas Rainer talk at The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG). He and co-author, Claudia West recently headlined at Metro Hort’s annual trade show and symposium: Plant-O-Rama. And frankly, I hadn’t heard this kind of frothy excitement for a speaker in I can’t remember when. Well, really I can. It was when Tracy DiSabato Aust launched her series of planting guide books, including or especially, The Well-Tended Perennial Garden

Rainer, landscape architect, teacher, and writer didn’t disappoint. He is authentic, experienced - as in he’s done this - not just come up with some ideas. And he is, understandably, more than inspiring. In a soft-spoken way. Not like the image of a firebrand "revolutionary." But make no mistake - Rainer is at the vanguard of a revolution: a "renaissance of horticulture."

I was lucky to have ridden the train back to Manhattan with Thomas so we got to chat a bit about the business vagaries of today’s horticulture, gardens, deer - they are destroying our understory and our gardens.. and why do we need to import New Zealand lamb when we are being overrun with bloody deer?! And tax credits for maintaining edible gardens (those last two, I confess, are my hot topics!)  Not a surprise Thomas is just as delightfully professional one-on-one as he is in the lecture hall. I can more readily appreciate how he is a leading voice in ecological landscape design. And boy do we need this now.

Rainer and West’s book, Planting in a Post-Wild World has aroused garden designers and landscape professionals to a reverential state. The book claims no less than to be the “future of planting design.” By the end of the lecture, it was with a respectful awe that I rather came round to agree with this assertion. Like a force of nature, it took some time to understand it all. And while I haven’t read the entire book yet, my notes from the lecture and looking through my autographed Post-Wild book (lucky me!), I’ll share the top-line revelations as to why you must get this book and become a Wild advocate.

First, there is the concept of Plant Communities and their “relationships with the environment” not as types or categories but as a series of layers that are sequentially added to the site.” The book notes, “Understanding the distinction between design and functional layers is crucial to balancing beauty with function.”

Like any disciple of fashion knows, it’s all about the layering.

So too, Post-Wild’s planting model utilizes the concept of vertical layering with planting designs. The First Layer or Structural Layer  “describes the tallest, most visually dominant species within a (plant) community.” These are the glamour plants that the book says, “draw your attention with their distinct architecture, tall height, and bold colors and textures.”

Think trees, shrubs, tall perennials and grasses. This layer, the authors assert, is the “design layer because its goal is to create visually pleasing horticultural effects.”

The next layer is the Functional Layer.  Hey, not all plants are divas. This layer, the authors describe, as “the mix of low, ground-covering species.” They claim that “almost no one sees it.” I may not be totally on-board with this suggestion as I’m a meticulous, ie. obsessive garden designer and enthusiast. For me and my clients. But I understand the concept. Which is, according to Wild, “to hold the ground and fill any gaps to prevent weed invasion.” I Love this layer “nook and cranny” planting design.  Plus, let’s not continue to think of mulch as the filler, Rainer suggests.

There is one more element to fostering the true plant community and that is the “Seasonal Theme Layer.” These are the companion plants or "friends" to the Structural Plants. This plant category represents from 25 to 40 percent of the planting and is dominated by the plants’ “filler” performances in terms of structure, and color balance.

What kind of Plants are in the Look-Book Layers?

As the backbone of the planting, Layer 1 or the Structural plants include: Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, or Miscanthus sinensis, as well as perennials such as Asclepias incarnata, in addition to the trees and shrubs. Key notes Wild is the structural frame species must be “long-lived.”

Layer 2 or the Seasonal Theme Plants include : Salvia nemorosa, Calamintha nepeta nepeta, or Mertensia virginica.

Layer 3 or the Ground-Covering Plants include those with “aggressive, clonal-spreading behavior (yikes!) such as ferns, sedges, (ahhh) and woody plants such as Vaccinium or Heath, Calluna vulgaris, or Origanum, Tiarella or Geum.

Rainer lamented the decline of natural wild spaces. There is no doubt that increasingly we live in urban-esque environments. He cites the “enchanting power” of wildness.

Planting is a Post-Wild World is truly a doable, revolutionary approach to landscape design.

Later, in line for the book signing, I overheard the woman two after me gush, “You changed my life." This kind of worship is most often reserved for spiritual leaders or life coaches. But then, hearing Rainer’s garden landscape manifesto, there is no doubt that surely, he is indeed a kind of spiritual leader.

Please get this book and come to a new place of garden design…

Plants naturally interact. Wild offers a place and mind-set to reflect on the marriage or intersection of horticulture and ecology. Oh, and one more design and fashion point here, Rainer admonishes a point so close to my garden design ethos: “Abandon the lawn.” Not entirely, mind you. He explains, it’s better as an “area rug vs. a carpet - a terrace when surrounded by plants.”

Published by Timber Press - every plant lover’s favorite - Post-Wild’s blurbs capture the celebrities of the horticulture world, including the cover page’s quote from Doug Tallamy and back-of-book quote from landscape architect, Larry Weaner.  High praise from the best. We can all learn and enjoy the journey. 

Post-Wild suggests that wild is no longer “nature lost” as in we could just leave the city or move to a less-developed area.  Now, the “front lines of the battle for nature are in our own backyard” … parking lots, and public spaces….

Let’s embrace this garden design “revolution.” No need to barricade the gates. After all, they are happy, garden gates - the entry to understanding a sustainable, ecological, landscape.

Rainer’s blog, grounded design by Thomas Rainer offers a potent credo. One of the more salient points is: "Nature should be interpreted not imitated in designed landscapes." Furthermore, the feedback from readers on Amazon delivers plenty of four-star accolades you’ll find inspiring, thought-provoking and well, revolutionary. A glamorous - and sustainable - road map to the future of garden design.

Discover the Relationships Between Plants and Food at NYBG’s Culinary Kids Weekend

Theobroma cacao - Chocolate! Food of the gods & goddesses. Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen, courtesy of NYBG

Discover the Relationships Between Plants and Food at NYBG’s Culinary Kids Weekend 

If all the pretty snow has the family nesting inside and yet wondering what to do on this home-from-school holiday, get to New York Botanical Garden for the last day of the Culinary Kids Weekend. The hands-on food fun runs till 3:00 pm.


NYBG’s Edible Academy celebrates the relationships among plants, farms, and nutritious meals during Culinary Kids Weekend. This family-friendly program offers culinary workshops, hands-on activities, music, and cooking demonstrations with NYC chefs. Activity stations include:

§ Edible Academy: Learn about kitchen tools as you sift, slice, and measure. Then taste-test a favorite winter recipe of the Edible Academy staff.

§ Growing Chefs: Learn about food from field-to-fork with the garden-to-kitchen educational team Growing Chefs. Combine a green thumb with an art project and create a take-home notebook telling the story of a sunflower before sampling a scrumptious “flower power” treat

§ Planthropy: Join Planthropy as they explore the sensory delights of culinary herbs. Learn how herbs can aid health and take home a personal sachet of delicious cooking herbs.

§ Big Apple Edibles: Sample a smoothie borrowed from a worm’s favorite recipe, and learn how these wonderful wigglers make garden soil rich and tasty for plants.

§ Hudson Valley Seed Library: Try solving riddles about which seeds sprout into the plants necessary for growing different meals. Then make a seed envelope to take home.

§ Worksongs: Sing and dance with the Worksongs team as they prepare the harvest for winter storage. Play instruments and be inspired by the stories and photographs of historical singers. Join daily sing-alongs at 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. (plus a barn dance), and 2:30 p.m.

Cooking demonstrations from NYC Chefs are at 1p.m.

Featured Culinary Workshops with healthy take-home dishes each day at 11 a.m., 12 p.m., and 2 p.m.:


§ Health Barn USA: The Very Best Pops


§ By Hand Culinary: Handmade Pasta


§ Chef George Edwards: Squash Noodles


Where?
At the Garden, of course! The New York Botanical Garden is located at: 2900 Southern Boulevard; Bronx, NY

Admission
Culinary Kids Weekend is included in the All-Garden Pass.
Adults $20, Seniors/Students $18, Children ages 2–12 $8, Children under 2 free. Visit nybg.org for more information and to purchase tickets. Usually the Garden is closed Mondays but this is a special holiday -- so enjoy the Culinary Kids activities and all the plants in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Ahhhh, the intoxicating rush of that oxygen is a welcome reminder of the power and magic of plants…

New York Botanical Garden Announces 25th Antique Garden Furniture Fair

While it still remains very much the “winter of our discontent” -- to quote the poetic; climate change notwithstanding there have been a few winter wonderland magical storms.

Nevertheless, February - that holiday-rich month (think Valentine's Day, Chinese New Year 2016/Lunar New, President’s Day, Mardi Gras - and more, all eyes are looking ahead to Spring.

So getting news of this year’s NYBG’s 25th Anniversary Antique Garden Furniture Fair and its Kick Off with Exclusive Benefit Preview Party and Renowned Collectors’ Plant Sale on the Evening of April 28, 2016 was a lovely seasonal hug. If you love gardens - and being inspired to design garden room indoors and out - this is the event you must attend. Plus, you can rub shoulders with the likes of Martha Stewart, Bunny Williams, and Virginia Newman - Pennoyer Newman Distinctive Garden Pots

NYBG news says it’s “Featuring 30 of the Country’s Leading Exhibitors Showcasing the Finest Garden Antiques for Purchase, The Fair Continues All Weekend, April 29–May 1.

The New York Botanical Garden’s 2016 Antique Garden Furniture Fair: Antiques for the Garden and the Garden Room opens with a Benefit Preview Party and Collectors’ Plant Sale on Thursday, April 28, from 6 to 8 p.m.

Do not miss this rare opportunity to secure the best plants to take home -- and rub elbows with the horticulture and design world’s hoi polloi.

According to the Garden, “The country’s original, largest, and most important venue for authentic garden antiques, this year’s Fair features playful bee-inspired designs by celebrated interior and event designer Ken Fulk. As Designer Chairman for the 25th Anniversary Fair, Fulk will create a showpiece featuring items from exhibitors that will inspire and enlighten visitors about marrying antiques and modern design with their everyday aesthetic.

Amid 600 guests from the philanthropic, interior and landscape design, architecture, and art worlds, Preview Party attendees can indulge in a Silent Auction and NYBG’s renowned Collectors’ Plant Sale, which features hard-to-find beauties, beloved varieties, and horticultural treasures propagated from NYBG collections, all chosen for their rarity and charm.

Lilacs, Japanese maples, and herbaceous peonies, selected to celebrate the recent expansions of these historic NYBG collections, are among the unique offerings that will be available exclusively to Preview Party guests.




The Preview Party presents enthusiasts and collectors the opportunity to examine the plants, peruse thousands of garden antiques from more than 30 leading exhibitors from across the United States offering their finest pieces for sale, and to make early purchases, while enjoying cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, in advance of the Fair’s opening to the general public. For Preview Party tickets and information, please call 718.817.8773 or e-mail cbalkonis@nybg.org

All proceeds benefit NYBG’s Fund for Horticulture, directly supporting the work of the curators and gardeners.

The Antique Garden Furniture Fair continues at NYBG from Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Named “Best in America” by experts and long held as the most distinguished stage for authentic garden antiques and rarities, the Fair is a must for leading collectors and designers, as well as purchasers seeking advice from professionals. Included are outdoor sculpture, fountains, sundials, bird baths, gates, garden benches, antique wicker, urns and planters, botanical prints, and architectural ornament, displaying centuries of classic design inspiration gathered from America, Europe, and Asia. These antiques are not only great for the garden, but also for the garden room.

Weekend visitors to the Antique Garden Furniture Fair can browse and purchase unique items of the highest quality and provenance and enjoy a program lineup that includes talks, tours, and eclectic live musical sets. There will be exhibitors offering an array of interesting ways to bring the outdoors inside by creating garden rooms in your home. Experts will be on hand to answer questions on current decorating styles. They will also discuss trends in the acquisition and appreciation of garden ornament, as well as assist buyers looking for the perfect piece to complement a garden, landscape, or interior. On-site shippers are available to facilitate Tri-State New York and New England deliveries during the Fair and other shipping needs in the weeks following.

At the entrance to the Antique Garden Furniture Fair, a Specialty Plant Sale features an extensive selection of unusual, colorful plants representing some of horticulture’s finest growers. A variety of shrubs and trees, perennials, annuals, and herbs will be available. Visitors may purchase refreshments here as well.

The year 2016 marks The New York Botanical Garden’s 125th Anniversary. The Antique Garden Furniture Fair, taking place in a tent amid flowering trees, plants, and shrubs, with the institution’s landmark Enid A. Haupt Conservatory as its glorious backdrop, is one of many public celebratory events commemorating this historic milestone.

The Antique Garden Furniture Fair is the ideal venue for learning about garden antiques and building personal collections. Admission to the Fair on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 29 through May 1, is included with the All-Garden Pass, which also provides access to the Botanical Garden grounds, seasonal gardens, attractions such as the Haupt Conservatory, and Tram Tour. Advance tickets for the Fair are available for purchase online at nybg.org

Garden to Table Events Mark November: Sourdough Cookbook, The Inspired Landscape, Urban Farming, Culinary Culture & the Kitchen of Tomorrow

There are a number of outstanding events scheduled in the next few weeks that you simply cannot miss.  Adding the cherry on top, I’m delighted to share that all of them feature some of my favorite people. (Including moi!)

First Up: The Horticultural Society of New York celebrates the release of Sarah Owens’ first book Sourdough: Recipes for Rustic Fermented Breads, Sweets and More. HSNY (yeah George Pisegna!) invite reads:  “Sarah will offer a slide presentation of the botanical contributions included in this beautifully photographed cookbook. Join in an afternoon of food and wine (my aside: I’ve seen the homegrown food Sarah is cooking up - it looks delicious!) as the former Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) Curator of the Cranford Rose Garden reveals her inspiration working as a rosarian and how it has contributed to her evolution as a seasonally-inspired baker for her micro business BK17  based in Brooklyn, NY and Louisville, KY. Copies will be available for purchase.”  

Sarah and Ngoc's book is hands-down glamorous elegance in its purity and scope.

I met up with Sarah on Tuesday -- she’s in Gotham for the first leg of Sourdough’s promotional efforts. I’ve worked with Sarah at BBG and she worked with me for my Garden State Duchess Designs clients. I’ve long admired her botanical acumen and her inimitable style. I love Sarah! And you'll fall in love too, reading her book and learning how she bakes with the best ingredients, including those botanicals, - along with love…

She told me during our interview sitting in Union Square park basking in the Indian Summer weather, how she first met up with her incredible photographer, Ngoc Minh Ngo in the Cranford Rose Garden -- and well, the professional connection, "blossomed!" -- to Sarah’s baking and ultimately, to the collaboration on Sourdough. I’ll be writing a full review and feature on Sourdough shortly here for Garden Glamour by Duchess Designs and for my Examiner Leeann Lavin Food & Drink column.

In the meantime, do not miss this rare opportunity to see and hear Sarah talk about her transformative baking, use of healthy, local grains, and the magic of sourdough!

The book talk and tasting takes place from 3:00 pm to 6:00pm at UnionDocs Center for Documentary Art, 322 Union Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211 Email: scourtade@thehort.org

Sourdough author, Sarah Owens, photo: Ngoc Minh  Ngo

Second on the events calendar: Monday, November 16, 6:30 pm is one of the events I'm involved in. I'm so proud and honored to be a part of this one. It's been more than a year in the making.

The Culinary Historians of New York (CHNY) and the NYU Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health present “Savoring Gotham: Celebrating the Making of the Definitive Companion to New York City’s Food.”

The program takes place at NYU, 411 Lafayette Street, Fifth Floor.t

A reception featuring iconic and ethnic New York foods will precede the talk, and copies of Savoring Gotham will be available for purchase.

Admission is $25 for CHNY members; $40 non-members and guests; $10 for full-time students with ID and free for NYU faculty and students with ID.

To purchase tickets in advance, visit

Savoring Gotham: Celebrating the Making of the Definitive …. 

The eagerly awaited Savoring Gotham was published by Oxford University Press. Editor Andrew F. Smith said it is easily the most comprehensive reference work on the history of the city’s food and drink.

Among the CHNY members who contributed the book are: Ari Ariel (area editor), Scott Alves Barton, Tove K. Danovich, Cara De Silva, Doug Duda, Megan Elias, Meryle Evans, Polly Franchini, Cathy K. Kaufman (senior editor), Michael Krondl (area editor) Leeann Lavin, Walter Levy, Renee Marton, Anne Mendelson, Marion Nestle, Jacqueline Newman, Alexandra Olsen, Linda Pelaccio, Carl Raymond, Peter G. Rose, Meryl Rosofsky, Stephen Schmidt, Andrew F. Smith, Alexandra J.M. Sullivan, Judith Weinraub (area editor).

I researched and wrote three chapters: Farm to Table, The History of Greenmarkets, and Ladies Who Lunch.

Savoring Gotham covers New York’s culinary history, but also some of the most recognizable restaurants, eateries and culinary personalities today. And it delves into more esoteric culinary realities, such as urban farming, beekeeping, the Three Martini Lunch and the Power Lunch, and novels, movies, and paintings that memorably depict Gotham’s foodscapes. From hot dog stands to haute cuisine, each borough is represented.

A foreword by Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster and James Beard JBF Awards winner, Garrett Oliver and an extensive new bibliography, round out this sweeping new collection.

Third, is Tuesday, November 17th and it brings the talented and inspiringSusan Cohen Landscape Architect to speak at The New York Botanical Garden to talk about her first book: The Inspired Landscape: Twenty-One Leading Landscape :Twenty-one Architects explore the creative process.”

The forward is by Peter Walker, an influential landscape architect and co-designer of the hauntingly beautiful September 11 Memorial gardens. (Peter spoke at the recent Landscape Design Portfolio series. I’ll cover his talk in an upcoming Garden Glamour post)

I

It’s only natural that Susan’s first book would document the era’s most creative landscape architects. After all, Susan has coordinated the award-winning Landscape Design Portfolio series at NYBG since its launch 17 years ago. Every autumn, she has singlehandedly, brought the best of the industry’s designers to speak about their work -- commercial and residential -- inspiring all of us who listen and learn…
Susan is also the Program Coordinator for the Garden’s Landscape Design Certificate Program; she also teaches courses in the program. Susan is a garden guru treasure - and I love her!

After earning a Certificate at the Botanical Garden herself, she received her BS in Landscape Architecture from City College of New York. She is principal of Susan Cohen Landscape Architect in Greenwich, Connecticut and an award-winning designer, who also lectures and writes about garden history and landscape design.

Susan and Sheila Brady will speak at the Landscape Design Alumni Series: Finding Your Muse at 1:00 pm at the Garden, Watson Room 302. Fee is $29 for Members and $35 for non-Members.

I’m so sorry I will miss this talk - as it’s sandwiched in between two talks/events I am doing. However, I promise to catch up with Susan, have her sign a book, and get a feature story for you Garden Glamour readers.

Photo courtesy NYBG, photo: Alfredo Gaskin

Yet another big green event is the New York Botanical Garden’s (NYBG) Bronx Green-Up Program Presents a Symposium: “Growing the Urban Farm”

What: Symposium: “Growing the Urban Farm”

Who: Featured Speakers:

· Mchezaji “Che’ Axum, Director of the Center for Urban Agriculture and Gardening Education in the College of Agriculture Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences at the University of the District of Columbia. 

· Nevin Cohen, Associate Professor, CUNY School of Public Health

· Annie Novak, Manager of the Edible Academy, The New York Botanical Garden, and co-founder, Eagle Street Rooftop Farm. 

· Karen Washington, Community Activist, Gardener, and Farmer. A Bronx resident, founding member of Bronx Green-Up, and a passionate advocate for urban agriculture.

After the presentations, Todd Forrest, Arthur Ross Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections at the New York Botanical Garden, will moderate a discussion about the future of urban agriculture in New York and beyond.

NYBG Urban agriculture is growing rapidly in cities across America. Vacant lots, abandoned green spaces, and even rooftops are being transformed into productive farms that provide fresh produce and opportunities for healthy activity, income, and many other benefits for urban families. Can the unprecedented growth of urban agriculture continue? Can urban farms produce enough food to feed large numbers of city residents? What new policies must be adopted to improve and promote urban agriculture? Will rooftop and vertical gardening systems increase the productivity of urban farms? What benefits beyond food production does urban agriculture provide to the community?

When: Wednesday, November 18, 2015, 6–8 p.m.

Where: The New York Botanical Garden, Ross Hall 2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx New York 10458

Admission: Non-Member $20; Member $10

To purchase tickets, visit nybg.org/AdultEd or call 800.322.NYBG (6924)


And then there's my big talk -- drumroll please -- on the Future of Food: Culinary Culture – How Food and Its Production Fuel the Kitchen: Eating, Living, & Building ~ Designing the Kitchen of Tomorrow for the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). I’m one of three keynoters at the event to be held at Hafele New York Showroom from noon to 5:45 lunch included.

It’s going to be epic.

More on this event, too.

It’s quite a busy month -- and we’re only at the halfway mark!

It's quite a garden-to-table kind of November. Which is a fitting seasonal salute as we cruise into Thanksgiving and count our harvest blessings.

Such garden glamour.