A Few Seconds on Grass

Whether you're talking about reinventing the concept of the American front yard, concerned about whether or not Roundup Ready Kentucky Bluegrass is a bad idea or avoiding high-fructose corn syrup in your diet because of something you read by Michael Pollan, you're thinking about grass. And thinking about grass and realizing how incredibly important this family of plants is in a staggering variety of ways, if you never have before, is probably a good idea.

The fall's a good time to appreciate the beauty of certain grasses in the garden and maybe learn to identify and name a few species. There are a lot of places you could go to do this in New York City. I happened to take these pictures of the native Chasmanthium latifolium at Queen's Botanical Garden this past Sunday.

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.

The Remains of the Day

Humulus lupulus in December

A subfreezing trip to Queens Botanical Garden to check out Shari Romar's photos, the Birds, Bugs and Blooms exhibit, provided not only gorgeous photos of wildlife and blooms shot on Queens Botanical grounds (they have their own fantastic hawk), but a chance to admire the winter interest purposefully left behind by the hort staff. It was a quick walk around the tiniest portion of the grounds in biting winds, but the beautiful remains of the hops vine, flowering basil and the seedhead of Magnolia grandiflora were well worth the stiff fingers and toes.
































Humulus lupulus in another season





















What's left of the Basil, a real bargain beauty.
































The fabulous seedhead of Magnolia grandiflora in winter.

I'm pretty wimpy when it comes to the cold, but as it turns out, if you don't get outside in winter you'll never really get to know plants. I'm looking forward to more winter field trips with Anne and Susan, at least until one or all of us finds a job in the field, and definitely a return trip to Queens Botanical.