Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Gardening Tips, How-to, Video on August 19 2009, by Plant Talk
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Rustin Dwyer is Visual Media Production Specialist at The New York Botanical Garden. |
Download printed instructions on maintaining your pruning tools.
Posted in Gardening Tips on August 17 2009, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
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Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center. |
Even though beets never seem to make the Top Ten list of favorite vegetables, they deserve a place in everyone’s vegetable garden. Between the beet greens and the beet root, they are an excellent source of vitamins A, C, and several Bs (B1, B2, B6, and folic acid); calcium; manganese; potassium; iron; and fiber. Who would have thought that this sturdy little root vegetable packs so much punch!
Incidentally, you will lose all of these nutrients if you peel the beets before you cook them, causing them to bleed. Cook them unpeeled with a little bit of the tops still intact and then peel and slice them. The minimal bleeding that occurs and any red stains that result can then easily be cleaned up with some lemon juice.
There are many ways to enjoy beets. You can pickle them, boil them, or roast them. Jamie Oliver has a wonderful recipe in which he slices them into hearty chunks and adds some thyme, olive oil, and garlic before wrapping them in tinfoil and tossing them in the oven. How easy it is to add spice to your vegetable life.
I usually mix the greens with Swiss chard. I chop all the greens into smaller pieces and toss them into a wok, first steaming them lightly and then stir frying them with olive oil. Garlic or the sweet Zante currants gets added into the mix depending on my mood.
Posted in Gardening Tips on August 10 2009, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
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Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center. |
There is a magic to marigolds. They are ubiquitous—you can find them in any garden center and voilá, instant color in the vegetable garden that will last all summer long.
The power of marigolds extend far beyond their color. Companion planting gurus extol the virtues of marigolds, claiming that they deter aphids, thrips, whiteflies, Mexican bean beetles, squash bugs, and tomato hornworms. With this kind of a reputation, what respectable vegetable gardener would go without them?
Some marigolds are supposed to deter nematodes that can attack tomato plants. This particular type of nematode tends to strike in sandy soils and is more prevalent in California, Florida, and the Gulf Coast region. If you see a marigold named ‘Nema-gone’ you know what it is advertising. Apparently, ‘Jolly Jester’ works, too.
The common name “marigold” applies to two genera: Tagetes and Calendula. The former (Tagetes) is the marigold that we are all familiar with. These marigolds are indigenous to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and into Central and South America and are generally broken down into four or five types.
Posted in Gardening Tips on August 3 2009, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
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Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center. |
Tomatoes originated in the Andes Mountains of Peru, where eight different species of tomatoes still grow in the wild. They were first brought to Central America and domesticated by the Aztec, who grew a yellow form of the cherry tomato (Lycopersicon cerasiforme) that they mixed with peppers and salt to create the first salsas.
The Aztec named these little fruits xitomatl, which translates into “plump little thing with a navel.” Subsequent Central American tribes renamed the fruit tomati It was brought to Europe by Spanish and Italian explorers, including Hernando Cortez and Christopher Columbus.
When the tomato first arrived in Europe it was viewed with suspicion. Tomatoes are members of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), and their foliage is similar to deadly nightshade (Atropus belladonna), which was a well-known poisonous plant used as a hallucinogenic drug and a beauty aid. It was fashionable in medieval courts for women to dilate their pupils with drops made from the plant. When taken as a hallucinogen, the drug induced visions and a feeling of flying that were associated with the practice of witchcraft.
To make matters worse, the upperclass ate off of pewter plates that contained a high lead content. Tomatoes, being high in acid, would cause the lead to leach out, resulting in lead poisoning. The first tomatoes, renamed pomi d’oro or golden apple by the Italians, where thought to be inedible; they were viewed as ornamental plants. Only the poor, who ate off of wooden plates, consumed the fruits.
Posted in Gardening Tips, The Edible Garden on July 27 2009, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
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Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center. |
Edible flowers are not to everyone’s taste. Some are wonderfully fragrant and delicious, others are lemony, some are spicy and tangy, others taste green and weedy, and some even taste fishy. Edible flowers are a good way to add color and seasoning to your summer salads. They brighten up herb butters and dress up desserts. When added to a bowl of sugar or to a bottle of vinegar and left to steep for several weeks, they create inventive, tasty combinations.
Some flowers need a little bit of preparation before they are ready to tickle your tongue. The sepals, stamens, and stigmas of some flowers such as borage (Borago), tulips (Tulipa), and daylilies (Hemerocallis) should be removed before eating—only the petals are eaten.
Pinks (Dianthus) and roses (Rosa) can have a bitter white edge at the base of the petal, which should be cut off before using. Some marigolds (Tagetes) are divine, but others are not—try the lemon-flavored Tagetes tenuifolia ‘‘Tangerine Gem’ and ‘Lemon Gem’.
For the best flavor, harvest flowers either when they are in bud or have just opened. Harvest on a dry day, mid-morning after the dew has evaporated and before it gets too hot. It is best to use flowers when they are fresh. They can be refrigerated for several days, but they do not dry or freeze well.
Posted in Gardening Tips on July 20 2009, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
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Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center. |
The rule of thumb with most herbs is the more you neglect them the better they grow. Most people kill their herbs with kindness by over-watering and over-fertilizing them. If you care too much for your herbs, you will only end up with powdery mildew and rotting leaves.
Herbs generally thrive in well-drained soil and full sun. The only work they require is for you to pinch them back so that they don’t get leggy and go to flower. The handfuls left from pinching back can go straight from the garden into the kitchen.
While most herbs prefer a sunny site to grow in, some herbs thrive in a slightly shady spot. Some candidates for afternoon shade are parsley (Petroselinum), mints (Mentha), lemon balm (Melissa), and tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus).
Cilantro (Coriandrum), chervil (Anthriscus), and dill (Anethum) are short-lived annuals. They go to seed after a few weeks, so multiple sowings a few weeks apart will ensure a good supply. They prefer the cooler seasons of spring and fall.
Posted in Gardening Tips on July 13 2009, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
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Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center. |
The best way to handle life’s ups and downs is to make a commitment to vertical gardening. I have, and it has always led me to new ideas and creative ways of growing my vegetables. Why garden vertically? With an annual vine, a clematis, or a climbing rose, it seems pretty obvious. So why not, then, bring this gardening technique into your vegetable garden?
Saving space is an obvious reason for growing vertically, but vertical crops are also easier to harvest and are less susceptible to diseases. The crop is lifted from its usual place on the ground where it fights for sunlight and good air circulation. I notice a big different in my cucumbers when I grow them up a tepee or a trellis versus letting them sprawl on the ground.
This year I will be experimenting with A-frames that have a grid or wire mesh on either one or both sides. I will be growing cucumbers up these structures, but I could just as well be trying melons, squashes, gourds, or tomatoes. (If you are growing a vegetable that will eventually produce heavy fruit, give the fruit extra support by either cradling them with an old pair of panty hose or a nylon or mesh support.)
I am more of a practical woman. What I like so much about these vertical frames is that there is space underneath that can be used to plant lettuce, beets, or any fast-growing crop that will capitalize on the good light while the vine is young and then adapt graciously to the part-shade that the vine eventually casts.
Posted in Gardening Tips on July 6 2009, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
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Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center. |
Have you ever observed the popular kids in school? They look stylish seemingly without having made an effort, are confident and outgoing, and always seem to surround themselves with beautiful people.
Vegetables are no different. Some of them are born with style while others struggle to cast off their utilitarian image. Some just have a universal appeal, others are easy to grow and never disappoint, while a select class can transform any second-rate chef into the next Jacques Pépin.
An Internet survey of the most popular homegrown vegetables in the country resulted in the following Top 10: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions, beans, lettuce, carrots, sweet corn, radishes and cabbage. (Reading the list just made me hungry.) How were the choices made?
Not surprisingly, tomatoes were at the top of the list—close to 90 percent of the population includes tomatoes in their vegetable garden. Both tomatoes and peppers are incredibly prolific—if you have space for only one plant you will get a nice harvest.
Tomatoes and peppers are also easy to buy as transplants at your local garden center or farmers market. The choices are always exquisite: Do you want an F1 Hybrid or an heirloom? Would you like a sweet pepper or hot pepper? What color would you like the fruit to be this year… yellow, purple, red, orange, or green?
Posted in Gardening Tips on June 29 2009, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
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Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center. |
There are many ways to ward off pests in the vegetable garden. Spraying a crop with an approved, biologically friendly insecticide is one option, but generally that method is used as a last resort. On rare occasions I will use an insecticidal soap in the vegetable garden. More common is an application of commercial hot pepper sauce (to deter rabbits) and BT (Bacillus thuringiensis), a harmless, soil-dwelling bacterium that demoralizes cabbage worms.
My preferable method of dealing with pests in the vegetable garden is to scout for pests on a weekly basis and to deal with any potential problems through more garden-friendly means, such as hand-picking pests off plants before they balloon into real trouble.
Preemptive measures such as row covers provide a physical barrier to prevent pests from reaching their target. I keep cutworms away from my young tomato plants by wrapping a small piece of a glossy magazine cover around the plant’s base; the cutworm will not gnaw through this protective shield.
Companion planting is a traditional practice of warding off pests. Everyone has their preferred combinations. Plants with strong fragrances are supposed to confuse many pests and prevent them from finding target crops. The classics are marigolds (Tagetes, pictured at right) and scented geraniums (Pelargonium).
My favorite marigold is the signet marigold (Tagetes tenuifolia) with its sweet lemony fragrance. While the odor of many marigolds deters pests, it is also overwhelming for the gardener. The ‘Gem Series’ has an inviting fragrance. My favorite scented geranium is the peppermint geranium (Pelargonium tomentosum) with its velvety leaves.
Similar to companion planting is the notion of trap crops.
Posted in Gardening Tips on June 22 2009, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
We All Need Friends: Companion Planting for Roses
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Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center and for part of June in the Rose Garden. |
We all need friends—roses are no exception. As the season progresses, roses start to lose their bottom foliage and show their bare legs. Repeat bloomers also have moments between flowering cycles when they are devoid of color. Companion plants are easy solutions to dress up your roses and make them look their best.
When choosing a good companion, it is important to find a plant that does not compete with the rose for water and fertilizer and does not restrict air flow—sufficient air circulation is needed to prevent black spot and other fungal problems.
Good companions for roses include the classics such as lavender (Lavandula), catmint (Nepeta), and salvia (Salvia) whose wispy spires hide blemishes on the rose’s foliage. Many easygoing annuals such as summer snapdragon (Angelonia), lantana (Lantana), and verbena (Verbena) make excellent partners as well. Plant the companions at least a foot away from the rose so as not to disturb the rose’s roots.
One of my favorite ornamental sages or salvias in the garden is Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’. It keeps a nice, upright, well-maintained look throughout the season and flowers from June until September if deadheaded.
If you haven’t tried summer snapdragons in your seasonal repertoire, then add them to your list. Angelonia or summer snapdragon has the advantage over the traditional snapdragons (Antirrhinum) as they flower dependably throughout the summer with just a little deadheading. Angelonia ‘AngelMist™ Lavender Bicolor’ is a superb bicolor cultivar whose pale colors blend beautifully with neighboring plants.
Sometimes good companions are plants that enhance growth and protect each other from harm. Members of the onion family, including chives and ornamental onions (Allium) are rumored to increase the rose’s perfume, ward off aphids, and prevent black spot. Scented geraniums (Pelargonium), rue (Ruta), thyme (Thymus), and parsley (Petroselinum) purportedly repel Japanese beetles. There are many interesting companions to suit any size or color of rose that you may have.