Flatbush Gardener

From Dark to Dark: Eclipse-Solstice Astro Combo

2010-12-20T21:57:00.001-05:00

Illumination of Earth by Sun at the southern solstice. This season's Solstice (Winter in the Northern hemisphere, Summer in the Southern), occurs at 23:38pm UTC on December 21, 2008. That's 5:38 PM tomorrow evening where I am, in the Eastern...

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Mulchfest 2011: Recycle Those Trees!

2011-01-02T11:33:00.002-05:00

The giant tree shredder in action at last year's Mulchfest at Park Circle in Prospect Park. It's tree recycling season in New York City. Residents can have their trees recycled into mulch for the City's parks and gardens. Note that, although...

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2010 Wrap-Up

2011-01-03T07:18:00.002-05:00

This photo of a community garden supporter in front of City Hall was one of my photos illustrating my 2010 guest rant on Garden Rant. Here's my review and recap of 2010. Stats73 blog posts 41,253 visits 36,048 visitors 2,185...

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Sustainability Guidelines for NYC Parks

2011-01-08T23:11:00.004-05:00

Panorama, Frozen Lullwater at Prospect Park at Sunset The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (Parks) recently released new sustainability guidelines for the design and maintenance of NYC's green spaces, High Performance Landscape...

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Dare we Dream of Spring? Happy Imbolc (Groundhog Day) 2011

2011-02-01T18:00:00.024-05:00

Update 2011-02-02: Flatbush Fluffy didn't see his shadow this morning. He did see his reflection in the sheet of ice that covers everything. Not sure what that means. The snow in the backyard - undisturbed by shoveling, snowblowers, drifts, and...

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Brooklyn Dirt, 2/16, Sycamore Bar and Flower Shop

2011-02-06T22:27:00.003-05:00

I am honored and excited to be one of the inaugural speakers for a new event series: Brooklyn Dirt - Monthly Talks on Urban Garden and Farming. The topic of this first event is, appropriately, Dirt, aka Soil. If you have questions about soil, or...

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Brooklyn Dirt #2, 3/16, Sycamore Bar and Flower Shop

2011-03-14T21:00:00.001-04:00

The second night of the speaker event series Brooklyn Dirt: Monthly Talks on Urban Garden and Farming is this Wednesday, March 16. The topic is Garden Design. Prospect Farm and Sustainable Flatbush are proud to present Brooklyn Dirt: Monthly...

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Persephone Returns

2011-03-20T22:01:00.001-04:00

Happy Equinox. The Return of Persephone (1891), by Frederic Leighton (1830–1896). Leighton depicts Hermes helping Persephone to return to her mother Demeter after Zeus forced Hades to return Persephone. Related PostsFinally, Spring!,...

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Second Annual Great Flatbush Plant Swap

2011-04-03T19:16:00.001-04:00

Do you have extra seed-starts? Leftovers from dividing perennials? No place for that shrub you just dug out? Bring them to the Second Annual Great Flatbush Plant Swap on Saturday, April 16. No plants? No problem: everyone can bring home a plant,...

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Dividing Ornamental Grasses

2011-04-03T22:09:00.002-04:00

As we approach the Second Annual Great Flatbush Plant Swap, I'm hoping to post some tips on how to divide perennials to bring to the event. Now is the time to do it, as foliage has just emerged, plants are actively growing, and most will recover...

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Upcoming Events for Brooklyn Gardeners

2011-04-01T08:39:00.002-04:00

Saturday, April 16Rain Barrel Giveaway, NYC DEP 9:00 am – 2:00 pm Marine Park Parking Lot Avenue U Millions Trees NYC Tree Giveaway 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Green-Wood Cemetery 500 25th St, Brooklyn 100 TREES 2nd Annual Great Flatbush...

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Street Tree Walking Tour, Sunday 4/17

2011-04-06T23:42:00.008-04:00

Update 2011-04-16: As nasty as the weather is as I update this on Saturday night, it will be beautiful tomorrow for the tour, windy, but temperatures reaching into the upper 50s and low 60s. Added a Google Map of the tour below. The Sustainable...

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Happy Earth Day

2011-04-22T08:14:00.001-04:00

Earthrise over the moon as seen by the astronauts of Apollo 8 on December 22, 1968. This was not the first image of the isolated Earth from space. It was the first which contrasted in the same image the wet, blue and green, atmospheric Earth...

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Happy Arbor Day from Brooklyn's Trees

2011-04-29T08:57:00.000-04:00

Many thanks to all the great Brooklyn photographers and tree-lovers who continue to contribute to the Flickr photo pool I started a few years ago. Related ContentUrban Forestry page Urban Forestry blog posts LinksBrooklyn's Trees (Flickr photo...

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The Years Have Been Kind

2011-06-07T07:28:00.002-04:00

This Spring has been a season of garden anniversaries for me. Six years ago, my partner and I bought our home in Flatbush. In the first month after closing, I began weeding, composting, and envisioning the gardens. Five years ago, I started this...

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Solstice: Summer Abundant

2011-06-20T23:54:00.001-04:00

Illumination of Earth by Sun at the northern solstice. This season's Solstice (Summer in the Northern hemisphere, Winter in the Southern), occurs at 17:16/5:16pm UTC on June 21, 2011. That's 13:16/1:16pm where I am, in the Eastern Time zone,...

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Gardening with the Lepidoptera

2011-06-11T13:39:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow, Sunday, June 12, my garden will be opened for its second tour of the season: the Victorian Flatbush House (and Garden!) Tour, to benefit the Flatbush Development Corporation (FDC). Earlier this week, I wrote about the transformation of the...

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What's a tree worth?

2011-08-05T10:34:00.002-04:00

You can quantify the relative benefits of an individual tree, and project its future benefits as it grows through the years, with i-Tree Design: i-Tree Design (beta) allows anyone to make a simple estimation of the benefits individual trees...

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Fall in Miniature: BBG's Bonsai in November

2011-11-13T11:21:00.000-05:00

A yose (group-style) bonsai specimen of Acer palmatum, Japanese Maple, developed by Stanley Chinn currently on display at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Yose typically group multiple specimens of the same, or closely related species, in the same...

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BBG 2012 Calendar: Your Take

2011-11-19T20:44:00.001-05:00

Updated 2011-11-20 My photo of Patrick Dougherty's "Natural History" blanketed in January's snow opens Brooklyn Botanic Garden's 2012 calendar. Earlier this year, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden solicited submissions for a visitor-sourced...

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Emergence

2012-03-25T10:19:00.001-04:00

Our unseasonably warm weather has turned the phenology dial up to 11 in my urban backyard native plant / wildlife habitat garden. Last Wednesday, the furry buds of Amelanchier x grandiflora 'Autumn Brilliance' were extending. Yesterday, four...

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Rest for Winter's Dead

2012-03-31T16:47:00.000-04:00

Amelanchier Flower Buds With a score or so species, subspecies, and natural hybrids native to northeastern North America, the genus Amelanchier goes by several common names, many of which represent the plants' phenology: Shadblow It blooms -...

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Gardening with the Hymenoptera (and yet not)

2011-07-31T23:29:00.015-04:00

One of the great pleasures of gardening is observing the activity the garden invites. I can lay out the welcome mat, and set the table, but the guests decide whether or not the invitation is enticing enough to stop by for a drink, a meal, or to...

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Patent Lies: What's "Native"? And What's Not.

2012-05-15T13:17:00.000-04:00

Echinacea pallida, Pale Coneflower, growing in my urban backyard native plant garden. I was appalled to see the National Wildlife Federation publish on their Web site, without qualification or counter-point, a press piece by the "Brand Manager...

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Native plants blooming in my garden today

2012-04-28T10:56:00.000-04:00

Lonicera sempervirens, Trumpet Honeysuckle, blooming in my urban backyard native plant garden and wildlife habitat this afternoon. My little urban backyard native plant garden is in its peak Spring bloom: Amsonia tabernaemontana, eastern...

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