On the Way to the Library

Crabapples in the Osborne

Lucky for me that Brooklyn Botanic is less than a ten minute walk from home and is on my way to the library. Luckier still that the garden is free all winter when being in such a broad beautiful space does wonders to fight the winter blues even for just a quick walk. Seeing the red crabapples today in the Osborne brought back memories of pruning the trees with Dan earlier this year. And the Weeping Pagoda tree below is a pretty awesome sight with its gnarled trunk and form in the winter.



Gnarled branch and posture of the Weeping Pagoda tree

The only complaint is the scratch on this camera's lens, which makes it difficult to get a clear picture of the Lilac buds, like below. They are beautiful now in winter.



Buds of the Syringa x hyacinthaflora 'Anabel'

One Tree, Two Gardens, Three Ways

Carpinus betulus (European Hornbeam), as a specimen in late fall, Queens Botanical

















Same tree, used both to line a roadway and as a hedge at Brooklyn Botanic, Osborne Garden

I will never forget the lesson I got from Dan one superhot afternoon at Brooklyn Botanic on the Carpinus betulus and the making of the tall hedge at the Osborne's lawn south end. Until that moment, I hadn't thought about hedges really at all and I never would have thought that the trees and the hedge that faced each other across the road were in fact the same species.

Cold Turkey, Really Only Good for Sandwiches

The Osborne in the last days of fall 2010.

Turns out it's harder to give up a daily dose of the Brooklyn Botanic than I'd thought. I didn't even last two weeks out of the internship program before finding myself back on the grounds for a late afternoon walk. Even though it's not quite winter, it's felt that way for the last two weeks, so it seemed like a fine enough time to check out what's interesting now at Brooklyn Botanic in the coldest season.



It's probably not accurate to say the seedhead of this Cardoon, Artichoke Thistle (Cynara cardunculus) is only interesting in the winter since it's been hanging around the Rose Arc looking lovely like this for quite a while now, at least since September. I wonder how long it will remain. To my eye, it's lovely from any view.



And as always, it's never a disappointment to spend any amount of time in the Native Flora Garden, no matter how small. Right now there's a lot to see down at ground level, like the beautiful white strips of this Birch bark among the fallen leaves.

A Cold Windy Day in the Osborne

There was some sleet even and still the Plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides) held on with a few blooms. What a plant. It thrives cascading down a rockwall, has blue flowers, and fall color to boot. Below, as it was, smothered with flowers in full bloom, on August 18th.

Oyama Magnolia

Walking the grounds of Brooklyn Botanic studying for ID tests has its perks. Susan and I may not have seen these beautiful Oyama Magnolia (Magnolia sieboldii) flowers otherwise. Depending on your rotation, you might not make it to any one area of the garden for a while. This shrub is blooming now in the Osbourne garden, to the west near the Eastern Parkway Entrance. Such a beautiful white flower. The bees must think so too.