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Beyond Mums—Fall Containers with Style

Posted in Around the Garden on September 17 2013, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.

Fall ContainersOver the past few weeks, I have been coordinating with one of my colleagues at the Shop in the Garden regarding some attractive fall options for containers and the garden. We perused the availability lists from one of her vendors and came up with some refreshing changes for late season color. Traditionalists need not venture into our Shop with trepidation—my colleague also ordered plenty of the stalwart fall mums. I, however, was looking for something beyond mums. Here are a few suggestions that we came up with.

One of my first picks was Euphorbia x martinii ‘Ascot Rainbow’. It is an intoxicating variegated spurge that looks good from spring until frost. The variegated foliage is a green-grey color (more green with smoky overtones) with creamy yellow edges. In the fall, the foliage takes on a pinkish orange autumnal hue. This 20-inch perennial is hardy from zone 5 – 9 and is deer and rabbit resistant, as well as being drought tolerant. It makes a wonderful addition to a mixed container display as well as growing beautifully in your mixed perennial border.

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Morning Eye Candy: Ruffed

Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on September 13 2013, by Matt Newman

If you were wondering—yes, my dahlia fixation is still riding high, and probably will be for the remainder of the summer. Not that many of you can blame me. There’s just something about their frilly, cheering colors—like a fanciful take on the Elizabethan neck ruff. Happy Friday, all.

Dahlias

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Poetry in Passing

Posted in Around the Garden on September 12 2013, by Matt Newman

Every now and then our visitors step up to surprise us, and this is certainly one of those times. Our Director of the Thain Family Forest, Jessica Arcate-Schuler, was making her way across the grounds this week when she came to the waterfall overlook of the Bronx River. It’s not a roaring cascade, but calm and picturesque, with a talkative rush that even the Garden’s caretakers seldom hurry past without a pause.

Bronx River

Standing at the rail, Jessica noticed the corner of a note poking out from a gap behind the sign there, but it wasn’t trash. Someone had wedged the paper there to be found. So she plucked it out from its hiding place and read it.

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