The New York Botanical Garden

Welcome to the Bronx.

You didn't know it looked like this, did you? I didn't either. We went to the New York Botanical Garden to see their Edible Garden exhibit.

I liked this idea for a vegetable garden design:

Another design idea I loved, but didn't get a good photo of, was growing corn in a (huge) container along with peas or another climbing plant so the climber could use the corn as a support. We are definitely growing some corn next summer in our garden.

I also liked this idea for pruning (training?) an apple tree along a fence--easy picking!

This lotus was part of a beautiful exhibit of aquatic plants.

After the gardens we walked to the Little Italy of the Bronx, along Arthur Avenue, which was rumored to be waaaay better than the Little Italy section of Manhattan. We had a good dinner at an Italian restaurant, but my favorite place was the Madonia Brothers Bakery, where they fill your cannolis while you wait. If this place was in our neighborhood I would be in big trouble.

Next up will be some photos of our garden. It is doing well, thanks to Erik, who watered for us while we were on the Outer Banks.

Oh Snap!

If you want an instant gratification garden, plant sugar snap peas.

My sugar snap plants have taken off. These first two pictures were taken about a month ago, on April 27. 

Here they are today. I filled this container with several snap pea plants, and planted nasturtium seeds around the border. I thought it might get a little too crowded, but everything seems to be thriving so far. Fast and easy, sugar.  

Sugar snaps grow best in cool weather, so I don't think they will survive the summer heat. They can also be planted in late summer for a fall crop. 

Outer Banks Arboretum

This Saturday was the Coastal Gardening Festival at the Outer Banks Arboretum. Chris and I donated our extra plants that we started from seed to the Master Gardener's homegrown plant sale. It was a relief to get the extras off our hands. Chris's apartment was starting to smell like one big peat pot. 

I helped my Mom with her container gardening display for the festival. We assembled containers as demonstrations, and then they were raffled off. I think these containers were the reason that they ran out of raffle tickets. 

One of the best things about the gardening festival is that it draws attention to the Outer Banks Arboretum in Kill Devil Hills. Not many people, even locals, have visited the arboretum before. This is one of my favorite containers in the arboretum (also created by Mom). 

This is one of the containers at the entrance to the arboretum (yep, Mom again--isn't she fabulous?). 

 

All of my efforts to be kind to the planet were cancelled out this morning when I stopped to fill up with gas on my way to work. I was too busy selecting my gas grade to notice that whoever filled up with gas before I did failed to release the lever on the pump. Before I placed the spout into my tank gas started spraying everywhere--fast. Judging by my receipt, over a gallon of gas sprayed all over the back of my car and onto the concrete. What a waste, not to mention a mess. Has this ever happened to anyone else?