Matthew Pace, an expert with the NYBG through 2011, is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in botany at the University of Wisconsin.
The next time you’re outdoors, take a moment and look around. What plants do you see growing nearby? Have those species always been there? Might there be plants that once grew in that area but are no longer found there? How can we help to protect the plants that we find in a given area? These are questions that many botanists and horticulturalists think about and strive to understand every day. They are central to the issues of conservation and restoration–issues which are also central to the mission of The New York Botanical Garden.
A real-world example of these issues is the case of Anemone quinquefolia and the NYBG. Based on founder Nathaniel Lord Britton’s first list of species originally found on NYBG grounds; field work in the Forest; and herbarium work I had conducted (looking through hundreds of dried plant specimens of species found in the NYC metro-area), I thought Anemone quinquefolia was just one of the 100+ native plant species which have been extirpated since the founding of the Garden (“extirpated” is a word which describes species which were once found in a location, but are no longer found there, a.k.a. local extinction). The last herbarium collections of Anemone quinquefolia were from 1898. Little did I know that I was in for the surprise of the year!
Shade gardens call to mind stalwart plants such as hostas, ferns, and astilbes. While the Azalea Garden has an interesting array of exquisite hostas and intriguing ferns, it also includes less familiar shade-loving woodland inhabitants.
Many of these plants have interesting foliage that can add texture and color to a shade garden, and a number of them flower later in the season, providing color in the garden long after spring ephemerals and the majority of azaleas have finished their early season show. These woodlanders come in all shapes and sizes, from groundcovers to large perennials, and in a myriad of leaf colors–variegated, deeply veined, and color-tinged–and in a range of textures–fuzzy to matte and glossy.
Mukdenia rossii 'Karasuba' with Beesia deltophylla in the back
Mukdenia rossii ‘Crimson Fans’ (Karasuba) is one of two unusual plants in the Azalea Garden with foliage that gets a beautiful red tinge as the season progresses. A relative of the coral bell (Heuchera), mukdenia has been available for a few years from specialty growers and is now becoming more widely available. The main attraction of mukdenia is its spectacular fan-shaped leaves that turn red around the edges in mid-summer and continue coloring into fall. Panicles of small white flowers that resemble foam flowers rise above the plant in early spring. Mukdenia grows 12-16 inches tall and fans out 12-24 inches, like coral bells, into a nice clump. In the garden it will perform best in moist, well-drained soil in part shade. The plant pairs nicely with late flowering red astilbe such as Astilbe x arendsii ‘August Light’. Mukdenia is native to Korea and China, where it grows on slopes and in rocky ravines at the side of streams.
Beesia deltophylla, a native of China, is another plant that gets red hues as the summer progresses. Beesia makes a wonderful evergreen groundcover in a woodland garden when planted in drifts. The foliage is spectacular: The leaves are large, glossy, and heart-shaped, with deep veins that give them a rippled, puckered appearance. Beesia looks like a mutant European ginger (Asarum europaeum) on steroids (in a good way). Small white flowers appear in summer on tall stems and are fairly insignificant compared with the foliage. Beesia will grow in many soil types but does best in moist, well-drained soil in part to full shade; it grows 10-15 inches tall and spreads up to 24 inches wide.
Syneilesis aconitifolia, the shredded umbrella plant, pokes its head out of the ground in spring wearing a fuzzy white coat that disappears as it matures. The leaves open like an umbrella to reveal large, heavily dissected, lacy leaves, looking like a mayapple (Podophyllum – See “Geographic Diversity In the Azalea Garden” for more on these plants) that has passed through a paper shredder. The shredded umbrella plant will thrive in part to full shade and can tolerate relatively dry soil. It reaches 2 feet in height. Its dissected foliage looks great when paired with a broad-leaved hosta that has smooth or puckered foliage.
Cardiandra alternifolia
In the Azalea Garden are some unusual members of the hydrangea family, all recognizable by their hydrangea-like foliage. Two are perennials that reach about 18 inches tall. Cardiandra alternifolia flowers in late summer with pretty pale-pink flowers reminiscent of a lace-cap hydrangea. Deinanthe caerulea ‘Blue Wonder’ flowers in midsummer with large, nodding lavender flowers. It has the demeanor of a hellebore. Both these woodlanders like part shade and moderate to moist soil. The sub-shrub Platycrater arguta reaches 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide. It flowers in midsummer with white blooms that resemble mock orange (Philadelphus) or deutzia (Deutzia).
Dealing with Deer
Aconitum krylovii, a monkshood from Russia, is a woodland plant that is deer-resistant–or at least has the promise of being so. It can be grown in full sun to full shade and matures to a height of 2 feet. Its deep-green, deeply veined, maple-like foliage is attractive even when the plant is not in bloom. White to pale-yellow flowers tinged with green open mid to late summer.
Leucosceptrum stelipillum 'Ogon'
Both deer and rabbits tend to avoid members of the mint family and so may also pass up Leucosceptrum japonicum ‘Variegatum’ and Leucosceptrum stelipillum ‘Ogon’, Japanese shrub mints. The ‘Variegatum’ has brilliant chartreuse-and-green variegated foliage that brightens up any shade garden. ‘Ogon’ has yellow-green foliage that is equally as impressive. Both produce pale-mauve flowers late in the season, September to October, and reach 2-3 feet tall.
Trachystemon orientalis
Rabdosia longituba, trumpet spurflower, also in the mint family, looks similar to many late season ornamental salvias. This relative has an open and airy vase-shaped habit. It grows to 3-4 feet tall with long sprays of tubular lavender flowers that appear from October into November. It tolerates dry soils, does best in part shade, and pairs nicely with Japanese anemone (Anemone japonica).
The Azalea Garden has many other interesting exotic woodland plants to explore. Creamy-yellow flowered Salvia koyame blooms from September to frost while the penstemon-like purple-pink blooms of the Chelonopsis yagiharana begin in August and last into October. For early season color try the elegant Asian twinleaf (Jeffersonia dubia), with its lavender cup-shaped flowers and lobed, red-edged foliage, or the tough, weed-smothering Trachystemon orientalis, with its borage-blue spring flowers and large heart-shaped leaves.
As part of #plantlove at NYBG, we’re talking with people from all over the Garden about what inspires their passion for plants. Today, meet Rob Naczi, Curator of North American Botany at The New York Botanical Garden.
I grew up north of Wilmington, Delaware, and I loved to explore, to discover, and to be out in nature. When I was in elementary school, my neighbor turned me onto birding. I would go on bird walks with him and our club nearby, the Delmarva Ornithological Society. On one of the trips, there were some people pointing down at some spring wildflowers, the ephemerals in the deciduous forest. I looked and thought, Hey, that’s interesting. Gradually I got so interested in plants that I wanted to take every moment I could to go out and explore.
Lisa Synoradzki is Senior Development Officer at The New York Botanical Garden.
In Oaxaca Journal, renowned neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks, M.D., remarks on the contributions that amateurs provide to field science: “A special power of observing and remembering particulars, a special memory for places…a lyrical feeling for nature.” Such is a naturalist I learned in NYBG’s Urban Naturalist Certificate Program. Courses provided a solid grounding on New York City’s plants, birds, and insects; their interactions; how they relate on the Tree of Life; and the ecology of their habitats.
Field trips on Garden grounds and to Pelham Bay and Van Cortlandt Parks were chances for our class to practice identification skills and record nature. We learned to identify a sign of forest succession in a meadow—a small grove of sapling sassafras trees, notice the pollination strategies of ephemeral spring beauty flowers—pink lines on white petals that point to nectar, and reflect on the success of American woodcocks in persisting in disturbed areas as we saw them ascend for sky dances at dusk.
As part of the Program, we were asked to create an ecological portrait of a patch in nature. I chose Welwyn Preserve in Glen Cove, Long Island, known for its magnificent, mature forest of tulip trees that are being threatened by storm damage, neglect, and an onslaught of invasive species. I documented Welwyn’s flora and fauna, its natural history and condition today, and the potential for restoration. My project led to an invitation from the Long Island Botanical Society (LIBS) to write an article for its newsletter, a presentation for LIBS members, and a nomination to the board of the Torrey Botanical Society. NYBG’s Urban Naturalist Program gave me the training and confidence to communicate about and advocate for the nature I love.
This article originally appeared as part of a series on responsible citizenry in the 2018–2019 issue of Garden News, NYBG’s seasonal newsletter. For further reading, view the issue online and discover a sampling of stories about our current efforts and activities that promote, engage, and support active and responsible citizenry on local, regional, and global levels.
Don Wheeler is the Collection Development Librarian of The New York Botanical Garden.
The Douglas spruce memorial grove in 1924, Fordham hospital in the background. Photo courtesy of the Mertz Library.
There is always something to discover at the Garden, even for those of us privileged to work here every day. While looking for something else, an article in the 1919 volume of the Journal of the New York Botanical Garden caught my eye: “The planting of trees as war memorials.” In the January 1919 issue, Edward Adams, prominent banker, engineer, philanthropist, and member of the Board of The New York Botanical Garden, suggested the planting of Douglas Spruce trees as a living memorial to the men and women who had served in the recently ended First World War. He proposed that trees be planted on the grounds of The New York Botanical Garden with contributions of $10 per tree from citizens wishing to participate. (That $10 is equal to about $146 today when adjusted for inflation.)
Katherine Wagner-Reiss has a Certificate in Botany from The New York Botanical Garden and has been a tour guide at NYBG for the past two years.
The Orchid Show: Thailand features a genus of lady’s slipper orchids native to Eastern Asia known as Paphiopedilum. The Latin name has a beautiful background story relating to the birth of Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty, and fertility.
According to ancient Greek myth, Aphrodite was born out of the sea, and landed at the site of Paphos on the island of Cyprus. A great temple was built in her honor at Paphos (and ruins remain there today). This orchid’s shape and beauty would have made it a suitable slipper for the goddess of love; hence it was named Paphiopedilum (Paphio- for the city of Paphos, –pedilum from the Ancient Greek word pedilon, meaning slipper).
Cypripedium is a genus of lady’s slipper orchid native to most of the Northern Hemisphere, and it also happens to have a name inspired by the popular Aphrodite (Cypri– because Aphrodite was the Lady of Cyprus). Another common genus of lady’s slipper orchid, native to Mexico and South America, has a much more scientifically derived Latin name: Phragmipedium (Phragma is Greek for “division,” i.e. the ovary is divided into three).
The historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is well known for extraordinary seasonal exhibitions. The Holiday Train Show delights winter-weary visitors with festive lights, New York landmarks artfully crafted from natural materials, and myriad model trains chugging through a whimsical tropical landscape. The Orchid Show electrifies the senses, offering a veritable jungle of astonishing colors, forms, and perfumes. The annual spring-autumn exhibition showcases kaleidoscopic plantings and has recently paid homage to Monet’s garden at Giverny and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller garden in Seal Harbor, Maine. Beginning May 16th, 2015, the vibrant Mexican garden of artist Frida Kahlo will find an ephemeral home right here in the exhibition houses.
All of these shows certainly warrant a visit, but I strongly encourage visitors to delve into the permanent glasshouse plant collections as well. This incredibly diverse assemblage, comprised of over 20,000 plants from around the globe, is the soul of the Conservatory. Since the grand building’s completion in 1902, many of these specimens have been collected by some of the most distinguished botanists and horticulturists of the era—from our founder Nathaniel Lord Britton to Sir Ghillean Prance.
Don’t forget that next weekend Ray Villafane returns to NYBG for our Pumpkin Carving Weekend. You won’t want to miss the chance to see his latest creepy creation come to life! Catch a sneak peek at Grand Central Terminal on October 17 when Ray will be there with his team, beginning work on a massive zombie carving. MasterCard® cardholders can also let their kids join in the fun with one of our Budding Masters Creepy Pumpkin Carving Adventures!
Click through for the full lineup of programs for the next three days, and come enjoy fall at the Garden!
Spring gallops at such a steady pace, I barely have a chance to pause and soak in the sights before the vernal onslaught has passed me by. I often like to capture these colorful, ephemeral moments in writing.
This year, one of my favorite fleeting moments was the eastern redbud ‘Pauline Lily’. The redbuds stay in bloom for several weeks from April into May, lighting up the woodland understory with their cheerful color.
While the majority of the eastern redbuds produce an abundance of pea-like flowers that are either the characteristic purple-pink color or the occasional pure white variety, ‘Pauline Lily’ has demure ballerina-pink blooms. The buds start off as salmon-pink and open to a divine pale cream. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the flowers are edible and they can be plucked off of the tree (your own tree, of course) and tossed into a salad or frozen in an ice cube tray to add a festive touch to your drinks.
The other day I was working opposite the Garden Cafe on our Seasonal Walk, the border that was designed by Dutch Designer Piet Oudolf. This border is characterized by an intermingling of permanent and ephemeral plants that drift through it, and my late season task was to deadhead the dahlias.
We have some stalwarts of the garden in this border, one of my favorites being the popular flower known as Dahlia ‘David Howard’. This dahlia was immortalized years ago in Christopher Lloyd’s borders at Great Dixter in Sussex, England, sporting dark black-purple foliage and bright apricot-orange flowers. The contrast between the foliage and flowers is stunning, while the flowers alone are quite showy with their large, 4-inch-wide, blousy double blooms. In our garden, the height of ‘David Howard’ ranges from 3 – 3.5 feet tall.
Giving ‘David Howard’ a run for his money is the stunning, blushing Dahlia ‘Bashful’. She is a prolific bloomer and grows from 30-36 inches. Her flowers remind me of a raspberry parfait. She has purplish petals that fade to mauve-lilac on the tips, each surrounding a buttery golden center. Delicious! On the morning that I went out to deadhead the dahlias, several bees were asleep on her flowers.
The next time you’re outdoors, take a moment and look around. What plants do you see growing nearby? Have those species always been there? Might there be plants that once grew in that area but are no longer found there? How can we help to protect the plants that we find in a given area? These are questions that many botanists and horticulturalists think about and strive to understand every day. They are central to the issues of conservation and restoration–issues which are also central to the mission of The New York Botanical Garden.
