Jay Petrow, a former student in Continuing Education’s Landscape Design program, is owner of PetrowGardens Landscape Design. He will talk about his path to becoming a landscape designer at a free Career Information Session on Landscape Design, Floral Design, and Horticultural Therapy tomorrow, May 13, 6–8 p.m., in the Arthur and Janet Ross Lecture Hall.
I was an eight-year-old boy growing up in Forest Hills, Queens, when my parents bought a country house. The house was overrun by thickets of wisteria, poison ivy, and weeds, but I used to go out there and just hack away and try to reshape the landscape. I believe that’s where my love for working on the land originated.
When I got to college I studied the natural sciences and art. After graduating I became a magazine art director, working for Time, Sports Illustrated, and Business Week for 25 years. Eventually, I reached that age when you need to figure out what you really want to do when you grow up. I started a personal exploration and one day everything came together. I decided that landscape design was the perfect match for all of my skills, experience, and interests. I could capitalize on my design and drawing skills, my natural science education, and my love for landscaping.
I looked around for different landscape design programs and settled on the program offered by NYBG. It would be difficult to go through the program one course at a time for me since I was living in Connecticut, working in Manhattan, and had a full-time family life. So I gravitated toward the Summer Intensive program. I managed to talk my employer into letting me take all of my vacation time at once.
To learn more about Jay’s career-changing experience…
Graduating from the School of Professional Horticulture (SOPH) is much like any galvanizing event, as now my life is divided in two: “before SOPH” and “after SOPH.” Being a SOPH graduate has validated me as a horticulturist and empowered me to practice my skills with confidence. The two-year program is very intense as you do your best to absorb the endless information, learn from practical experience, and engage in the unique opportunities that are only available through the program.
Be forewarned: This is not an easy program; the commitment is enormous. But beyond what you learn in the course curriculum, it is entirely in your hands to seek out everything possible to make your experience that much richer.
Horticulture runs so deep and so wide that the taste I received from SOPH was only the beginning for me. I have grown in many ways from the foundation I built through the program. I am always looking for new ways to learn and to share my conclusions. My growth has revealed itself in my fascination of soil biology, and promoting its health is my professional philosophy. I am now certified by NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) as an organic land-care professional, making the progressive commitment to practice horticulture in harmony with the environment.
First-year SOPH student John Gunderson (foreground) plants violas in the Class of 2011 Spring Student Garden, located across from the Howell Family Garden.
Thanks to the public speaking classes at SOPH, I have the confidence to give lectures and presentations on garden topics. As a garden communicator, my blog, DirtyHorticulture.com, allows me to reach out to a broad group of gardeners. My consulting and design business, Living Colors Landscape and Gardens, is growing steadily thanks to the passionate clients I’ve acquired.
The climate is changing: not just the environment, but our awareness and actions, too. People are much more aware of their surroundings and are interested in preserving and protecting it. As horticulturists in the 21st century, it is our responsibility to offer comprehensive solutions for private and public spaces that are enjoyable to be in, do not stress our resources, and are prepared and maintained in responsible and accountable ways. We are the natural leaders of this “green revolution,” and so we must be prepared to empower others to follow.
The application deadline for the next SOPH class is August 15.
Louis Gagliano, a graduate of Continuing Education’s Floral Design program, is co-owner of Harlem Flo floral atelier, a floral boutique in Manhattan. He will talk about his path to becoming a floral designer at a free Career Information Session on Floral Design, Horticultural Therapy, and Landscape Design on Wednesday, May 13, 6–8 p.m., in the Arthur and Janet Ross Lecture Hall.
What is the path that brought you to where you are today? This is always the interesting question people ask when getting to know one another. It may at times be simple and at other times complex. Mine was the latter.
Growing up in a family business, I have always known the responsibility of ownership: Coming in early, leaving late, changing my plans…not the ideal situation but it comes with the territory. Knowing all this, I still chose to open my own floral design business with a partner.
The path to here, though, wasn’t direct. I graduated college with a degree in hotel/resort management and in 1994 went to work for a luxury Hilton hotel. After three years, I heard about this new-ish, booming coffee company called Starbucks and became a manager at one of its stores in New York City. My experience with Starbucks was fantastic and varied. Besides my role as a store manager, I opened new stores, became a training manager for soon-to-be managers and assistant managers, taught the basics of coffee and service, and was head of hiring retail employees for my district.
Seven years later, I left Starbucks and moved to Paris to fulfill a dream of living in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. All along I kept thinking that if I go back to New York City, maybe I should try a new career path.
With many years of managerial experience, well-established skills in customer-service training, a solid foundation in retail management, and an interest in flowers, I started to research areas that would match my strengths. I was returning to New York in June and found the Floral Design Summer Intensive program offered by The New York Botanical Garden.
Robert Naczi, Ph.D., is Curator of North American Botany.
At this time of year, one can hardly miss the grand display of yellow flowers on the floodplain of the Bronx River. The show is especially spectacular from the vantage point of the Magnolia Way bridge at the northern end of the Garden. The view is beautiful, even breathtaking.
Alas, all things are not as they seem, and the golden flowers belie a menace. Yes, beautiful, but a menace nevertheless. The profusion of yellow blooms belongs to an invasive species, Ranunculus ficaria, the Lesser Celandine. Lesser Celandine is a species of buttercup (Ranunculaceae), and is not to be confused with Celandine, a member of the Poppy Family (Papaveraceae).
Anne Meore is a graduate of Continuing Education’s Horticultural Therapy program and has her own horticultural therapy consulting business, Planthropy, LLC.
It’s not always easy to see where you are going when on the proverbial “career path.” At times the path tends to be longer than expected and sometimes a bit bumpy. At age 44, I can finally look back with a bit of clarity and see how I finally made it to today.
With advanced degrees in Elementary Education, Psychology, Counseling, and Social Work, I’ve had the opportunity over the years to work with various populations, each with differing needs and more than I could adequately provide for, especially from behind a desk.
But that’s where it began for me. During counseling sessions, something would happen when we fiddled with the plant on my desk, listened to the sounds of birds, smelled the fresh air through the screen, and watched as Mother Nature danced outside the office window. I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what made it work, but I knew it did work. So I began conducting sessions outdoors in the natural world. A novel idea, I thought. I think I will call this therapeutic milieu “horticultural therapy.”
It wasn’t until I received the Continuing Education catalog that I discovered that horticultural therapy wasn’t my invention after all. How naive of me to try to take credit for a field that has been in existence since the time of Egyptian civilization.
I enrolled in Introduction to Horticultural Therapy and was led through the historical background, foundations, and applications of this field by Katherine Sabatino. An experienced horticultural therapist, she was able to take years of personal contemplation and tie it up in a nice big bow for me. My decision was made, my career path defined, with all arrows pointing toward horticultural therapy.
The instructional staff facilitated my learning process throughout the course of study. The expertise and experience of these very people are what distinguishes NYBG’s program from others.
Nieve Shere is Information and Collections Manager for The New York Botanical Garden’s Institute of Economic Botany.
As the Information and Collections manager for the Institute of Economic Botany (IEB), I manage ethnobotanical data and collections, coordinate the work of volunteers, and curate the Teaching Herbarium of Economic Plants, a valuable tool for education and botanical science.
The Teaching Herbarium comprises specimens that have economic value—for instance, those that are used in a commercial industry such as food production—and that are preserved in a way that allow for hands-on study. In fact, the Teaching Herbarium is used to train students in botanical identification as well as in the development of the Botanical Garden’s educational curricula and scientific exhibitions.
The Herbarium’s first specimens, in the early 1980s, were collected by Garden scientists Michael Balick, Ph.D., and Hans Beck, Ph.D., shortly after the creation of the IEB; later collections included those by Garden scientist Scott Mori, Ph.D., and longtime volunteer Dick Rauh, Ph.D. The majority of the teaching specimens are from the Arts Resources for Teachers and Students (ARTs) project, the first project initiated by IEB to develop the Teaching Herbarium.
Through the ARTs project, middle and elementary school kids on the Lower East Side surveyed plants sold in the Chinese and Hispanic markets. The students collected vegetables such as bok choy, cabbage, and taro and pressed, dried, and mounted the specimens. The specimens documented the historic and commercial data specifically about the diversity of foods sold in New York City markets. These collections, along with the specimens collected by the above-mentioned scientists, were instrumental in the development of the early Economic Botany courses that Dr. Balick taught at Yale University and at Columbia University’s CERC program.
Over the years the collection has continued to grow into a rich repository of plants used commercially such as for food, construction, and medicine. It now houses more than 600 specimens made up of 200 species from 113 different families. Dedicated volunteers reorganize and repair damaged specimens and update the database, making the collection even more user-friendly. The IEB is fortunate to have had for more than 25 years the dedication of Dr. Rauh, who has carefully assisted in the curation of this collection with the help of volunteers Connie Papoulas, Margaret Comsky, Ermgaard Clinger, Gwen Dexter, and Daniel Kulakowski.
Specimens from Dr. Mori’s Brazilian teaching collection are currently on display in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory (pictured) as part of The Orchid Show: Brazilian Modern. Additional specimens from the Teaching Herbarium will be featured and new plant material provided for visitors to make their own specimens during the Herbarium Specimen-Making Workshops to be held in the Library building each day from April 9 to 19, beginning at 2 p.m.
If you would like to get involved with the Teaching Herbarium, please contact Volunteer Services at 718.817.8564 or volunteer@nybg.org.
Jessica Blohm is Interpretive Specialist for Public Education.
The Orchid Show: Brazilian Modern in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory features a plethora of interesting interpretive signs that offer a chance to learn about a range of topics concerning orchids: their diversity (the most diverse species of flower on Earth), their preservation, and the ongoing research and conservation efforts by Botanical Garden scientists in Brazil, the theme of this year’s show.
But the savvy visitor knows that the Conservatory is just one place at the Garden that visitors can brush up on their orchid knowledge. This year, the Orchid Rotunda display on the second floor of the Library building features not only beautiful orchids from the Oncidium group, but also highlights botanical researchers at The New York Botanical Garden such as Douglas Daly, Ph.D., Scott Mori, Ph.D., and Wayt Thomas, Ph.D., who have embarked on programs to preserve Brazil’s unique habitats and rich plant life.
In the Rotunda you can also find out about the diversity of orchids throughout the world and how in 1990 The New York Botanical Garden was designated a Plant Rescue Center by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
No Orchid Show visit is complete without a visit to see the beautiful orchids behind glass in the Orchid Rotunda.
Brad Roeller is a research horticulturalist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, formerly the Mary Flagler Cary Arboretum of The New York Botanical Garden. He has been an instructor at the Botanical Garden for over 25 years.
Over my three decades of gardening in the public arena, I’ve seen numerous landscaping trends come and go. However, landscaping with natives has always been popular, with current interest in this genre at an all-time high—and with good reason! A designer with a strong native plant background can meet virtually any design need by using native plants. Further, these days there seems to be something of a clarion call in the green industry to landscape with natives. I’m witnessing private, commercial, and even municipal planting specifications that are mandating, or at least strongly encouraging, using native plants in landscape designs.
While this trend is sweeping the country, landscaping with natives is often done without much thought. Typically the designer is just substituting native counterparts of exotic plants using conventional design criteria. As with the increased interest in natives, another “in” industry phenomena is the concept of creating “sustainable” gardens and landscapes. My definition of a sustainable landscape is one where, once the plants are established (typically a one- to two-year process) the need for additional irrigation, fertilization, or pesticides should be nil. Sounds nice, but I have seen very few examples of sustainable landscapes.
Many “sustainable” landscape designers are using the “natural” model, going “wild” by using native plants in a more naturalistic design. While these intentions are laudable, unless one thoroughly analyzes the growing characteristics of the property and makes wise plant selections based on their investigations, their plantings are destined to need continued sustenance. Even if the necessary site investigations are made and plants are selected based upon growing constraints, unless accepted planting and post-planting care guidelines are used, even the best natives for your site will perform poorly.
One popular application associated with landscaping with natives involves restoration projects in woodlands, meadows, wetlands or other riparian areas where the goal is to introduce indigenous native species back into their representative habitats. This approach is also finding some popularity in residential and even commercial landscapes. While it is typically used for large areas that have varying degrees of functioning native plant communities present, it does have a place in “small” landscapes. The time has come for ecologically designed landscape, and there is no reason that even the smallest of landscapes can’t duplicate a particular and appropriate habitat and landscape with plants obligate to that ecological niche.
This approach is not for the faint of heart and does require something of a learning curve. A working knowledge of the natives of your region coupled with an understanding of some important ecological principles is essential in establishing sustainable native plant communities.
Brad Roeller will be teaching three classes March 28 during Native Plants Saturday, an all-day Continuing Education program in the Watson Education Building at The New York Botanical Garden.
Larger than Life Space Savers: Growing Miniature Orchids in the Home
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education at The New York Botanical Garden.
If you have been visiting the Garden over the past few weeks and enjoying The Orchid Show, once you get into Shop in the Garden to “do some damage” you will be surrounded by many sweet smelling and wonderful hybrids that stretch upward to 4 feet and beyond with wonderful exotic sprays of flowers (Brassia, Oncidium, Ondontoglossum, and more).
If you don’t have space in your home for these gorgeous giants, there are many attractive miniature alternatives that are ideal for orchid growers of different experience levels, from beginner to advance.
We always think that bigger is better, but often in the confined quarters of our homes this is not the case. When you are thinking of growing plants on a windowsill or table, a diminutive-size plant not only does a better job of fitting the space but ends up creating a greater impact. Here are a few suggestions.
For several years now, the clone or cultivar Oncidium ‘Twinkle’ has been all the rage. To tell you that it is fragrant is an understatement. It exudes a strong, spicy vanilla fragrance that fills the air. This small orchid grows to about 12 inches tall with a full spray of white flowers. It is a cross between Oncidium cheirophorum and Oncidium ornithorynchum. There are a number of clones on the market, Oncidium ‘Twinkle Sharry Baby’ looks and smells like its larger parent (a scent of chocolate) but only reaches 6 inches tall.
Like other “dancing ladies,” these little orchids do well in medium to high levels of light. They will thrive in a southern or western exposure as long as the temperatures do not get too warm or the air too dry. One common mistake that people make with these orchids is overwatering. Miniature orchids grow in smaller pots that dry out faster and often need more frequent watering than orchids in larger pots. Remember, however, that many of the same rules apply. Oncidium like to approach dryness between watering; ‘Twinkle’, with its tiny roots, is no exception.
Encyclia have big, round pseudobulbs (swollen stems that hold water), which tells you right away that this orchid likes to get dry in between watering. This is an ideal orchid for the beginner who has bright light. Encyclia like intermediate to warm temperatures (average household temperatures) and are more forgiving of low humidity levels in the home.
Dendrochilum is a cool-looking orchid—the tiny flowers run down the spike to form a chain. This attribute is augmented by a sweet fragrance. They do well in a 3- to 6-inch pot with a fine fir bark mix or sphagnum moss. Water when the mix starts to dry and fertilize lightly on a regular basis. This orchid is happy with household temperatures and moderately bright light.
Cochleanthes and Masdevallia are good small choices for the more experienced orchid grower. Cochleanthes amazonica thrive in low levels of light (eastern or bright northern exposure) and intermediate temperatures. This orchid likes high levels of humidity (up to 70 percent), so it might be a good candidate for the aquarium or an enclosed case. The reward is a big flower on a small plant.
Masdevallia is known for its intoxicating, colorful blooms. It demands a relatively cool and humid environment to survive. These orchids do not posses a storage system, so they should not dry out. New Zealand sphagnum moss makes an excellent choice for potting media. A regular feed of a diluted fertilizer will keep this orchid healthy and flowering.
At this time of year, one can hardly miss the grand display of yellow flowers on the floodplain of the Bronx River. The show is especially spectacular from the vantage point of the Magnolia Way bridge at the northern end of the Garden. The view is beautiful, even breathtaking.
Over my three decades of gardening in the public arena, I’ve seen numerous landscaping trends come and go. However, landscaping with natives has always been popular, with current interest in this genre at an all-time high—and with good reason! A designer with a strong native plant background can meet virtually any design need by using native plants. Further, these days there seems to be something of a clarion call in the green industry to landscape with natives. I’m witnessing private, commercial, and even municipal planting specifications that are mandating, or at least strongly encouraging, using native plants in landscape designs.
