Compostings

A walk on the wildflower side

If you are looking for something to do on Saturday, May 17 ... how about a walk on the wildflower side?

At 10 a.m., the New Jersey Botanical Garden will host a trek through its wildflower garden with Nancy Bristow.

The NJBG is at Morris Road, Ringwood.

$3 donation.

Information: 973-962-9534 or http://www.njbg.org/

If you'd like to learn more -- check out my "From The Ground Up" column from Thursday, May 15. The article briefly touches on the background of both Bristow and the wildflowers at the NJBG. It can be found on page F-5.

If you can't get to a hardcopy of the paper, here is the online link:

http://www.northjersey.com/betterliving/gardening/18962939.html

Photo courtesy of Nancy Bristow.

Celebrate the Earth

The Teaneck Creek Conservancy will celebrate the Earth and spring 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 18.

"It's the park's second anniversary and we are celebrating," says executive director Jonne McCarron.

The conservancy is at 20 Puffin Way, Teaneck.

Information: 201-836-2403 or www.teaneckcreek.org

Don't be stupid you moron

Is someone out there trying to tell me something?

First, I received "Solar Power Your Home for Dummies" in the mail.

Shortly thereafter, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Trees and Shrubs" (Alpha/Penguin Group, 2008) landed on my desk.

Should I take the hint?

Anyway, "T.C.I.G.T. Trees and Shrubs" is written by arborist Joshua Plunkett and Jeannie K. Hanson.

The 330-page paperback is broken into four sections and 24 chapters.

The sections include: "The Seeds of Success" and "The Growth and Life Cycle" to "Maintenance" and "Diseases and Damages."

The chapters include: "Conditions for Success," "You Light Up Me Life," Aboveground Growth," Fun With Fruit and Foliage" and "Insect Alert!"

It sells for $19.95.

My one negative of the book, is that there are no color photos in the book itself. There is a CD with over 200 photos on it that it accompanies the book. I prefer would prefer the photos in the book.

Flower star power

Simone Pickering, florist to the likes of Prince Charles, Madonna and Elton John will be a guest of the Women Gardeners of Ridgewood from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 15 at the Ridge Elementary School, 325 W. Ridgewood Ave.

Tickets are $15.

Queries and reservations: 201-689-9698 or annezusy@optonline.net

Photo courtesy of MissPickering.com

Plz., try and container yourself

This Saturday, May 17 is the Master Gardener Association of Passaic County's annual plant sale.

The sale, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will be held at the RCE Office, 1310 Route 23 north, Wayne. The offices are behind the old Treasure Island, now Gary's Cheese Shop.

There will be plenty of great greenery to buy and knowledgeable people there to answer your gardening questions.

I should be there for most of the day, so please stop by: purchase a plant, a bumper sticker -- and say hello.

Information: 973-305-5740.

Children and youth symposium

The 16th annual American Horticultural Society National Children & Youth Garden Symposium will take place from July 24 to 26 in the greater Philadelphia area.

The hosts for the symposium are Camden Children's Garden, Camden; Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Penn.; Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Philadelphia; and Winterthur Museum and Country Estate, Winterthur, Del.

The event will be headquartered at the John M. Clayton Hall on the University of Delware's Newark campus.

In addition to more than 30 educational sessions, the symposium will feature keynote presentations by author Jane Kirkland and singer, songwriter Erica Wheeler.

Information: 703-768-7500, ext. 132 or http://www.ahs.org/youth_gardening/national_youth_garden_symposium.htm

Photo courtesy of AHS.

Tunes that are blooming

Mimi Stern-Wolfe's Downtown Productions will present a seasonal celebration titled "The Flowers That Bloom in the Spring Tra-La!" 3 p.m. Sunday, May 18 at St. Mark's Church, 131 E. 10th St., Manhattan.

The program will feature music suited for the occasion: "Red Berries" by Mark Grant; "Magnolia Rag" by Sam Gale; "Spring" from Five Seasons by Frank Russo; "Rushes" by Chris DeBlasio and Richard Hoyt; "The Garden at Night" by Nicholas Scarim; "The Five-Petal Proportion" by Elodie Lauten; and "Schon Rosmarin" by Fritz Kreisler.

Tickets are $10.

Reservations: 212-477-1594

The mother of all flower days

A recent study released by Smithers-Oasis floral foam products reveals that more flowers are sent on Mother's Day than on any other event of occasion. In fact, more than on 24 events and occasions combined.

• Who sends the most flowers? The Northeast (70%) and South Atlantic (67%) regions show the highest level of Mother's Day purchasing, while North Central shows the lowest.
• The strongest floral-purchasing age brackets for Mother's Day are ages 35 to 44, with three-fourths of households purchasing Mother's Day floral; followed by the 45 to 54 year-old age bracket.

On Bloomingdale and vine ...

My "From The Ground Up" column today (Thursday, May 8) is about one of my new favorite plants -- the sweet potato vine.

I offer up some information about the plant and I got some expert tips from Jodie Bross, co-owner of Glenwild Garden Center and Nursery in Bloomingdale, http://www.glenwildgardens.com/

The column can be found on page F5 of the "Better Living" section.

If you can't get to hard copy, here is the online link: http://www.northjersey.com/betterliving/18755229.html

Smile and say chrysanthemum

It's that time of year again, but please don't be afraid ...

Time to submit your horticultural-themed photographs for a blog feature I like to call -- "petal pictures".

Occasionally, I will post photos taken by area green-thumbers. The photos can be of public or private gardens.

Send me jpegs only (they're fairly easy to deal with); your full name; the town you live in; a "brief" description of what the photo is all about; and the town the photo is taken in (please note: if it is from a public garden).

Example1: Raymond Edel, Clifton. Photo of wysteria in bloom at Van Vleck House, Montclair.

Example2: Raymond Edel, Clifton. Photo of my bleeding hearts, front of house, Clifton.

I am making no promises that I will be able to post your photo, but I'll try and post as many as I can. Send your jpegs (ONLY) to edel@northjersey.com

Happy clicking!

Photo courtesy of the Blair Witch Project.

A celebration of color and form

This ain't your momma's gardening book!

"Flower" (Artisan, May 2008), the new 168 page hardcover by photographer Christopher Beane and writer Anthony F. Janson, is a collection of over 150 breath-taking, sometimes sensuous, most-of-the-time bizarre color and black-and-white photographs.

Beane has been described as "the love child of Robert Mapplethorpe and Georgia O'Keefe." And that description, certainly holds true with his latest offering.

The photos are divided into eleven sections, each representing various styles and methods. The collections include: "The Orgy Series," "The Peony Series" and "The Ranucunclus."

The coffee table sized book sells for $35.

Photo of "Lady's Slipper, 2004" courtesy of Christopher Beane, "Flower" and Artisan.

It's opening day

The Garden Conservancy Open Days kick off this weekend.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 10 -- private gardens in Ridgewood, Woodcliff Lake and Wyckoff will be open to the public. The next Bergen County days will be June 14.

$5 per garden.

Call 1-888-842-2442 or go to:  www.opendaysprogram.org for addresses and additional information.