Don’t you just love this time of year, when things seem to green up before your very eyes?

One morning I’m on my hands and knees hunting for my bleeding heart, then it’s 2 or 3 inches tall the next afternoon.

Seemingly minutes later, it’s blooming.

And my tulips really shot up this year. I don’t ever remember having them up so early, before lots of the daffodils. Here’s a variety called ‘Olympic Flame.’

They were a gift from the Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center, in honor of the Olympics this year.

They sent out a whole Olympics-themed package last fall.

These ‘Passionale’ tulips have been a real winner for me this spring, with blooms lasting for a good three weeks.

I have lots of different kinds of daffodils …

… but I always come back to the big old-fashioned ‘King Alfreds.’

I got a pack of ‘King Alfred’ bulbs from my friend Barbara Davis as a house-warming present many years ago, and they keep naturalizing out from the original bouquet.

A few tulips and late daffodils I picked yesterday:

I love these old-fashioned white jonquils.

Remember that ugly stand of pale yellow forsythia that I griped about last spring?

Well, I ripped the only thing out late last fall and I couldn’t be happier with this giant blank canvas just outside our new screened porch.

Good riddance.

Here’s our Do It Now column, from Susan Henry:

Perennials
Continue dividing, transplanting and staking. After a thorough weeding, mulch the beds with 2 to 3 inches of buckwheat hulls, bark chips, cedar or sweet peat. Continue spraying roses with horticultural oil and a fungicide.

Flowers
The danger of frost should be past, but always keep “a weather eye out.” Purchase tender annuals and plant among the perennials for constant color. For a display in patio pots, use fresh potting soil and a slow-release fertilizer. If there is a cold snap, cover the plants with flower pots. Deadhead the pansies to keep them blooming. Zinnias do not like to be transplanted but can be seeded into peat pots now and will receive little shock when planted out later, pot and all.

Vegetables and fruits
Harden off (that is, acclimatize to cool nights, direct sun and strong breezes) seedlings of eggplant, peppers and tomatoes before planting in the garden. To harden off properly, start the adjustment period on a cloudy day — an hour in a sheltered location, then half a day, all day and finally overnight before planting. Give a water-soluble fertilizer boost at half rate. Wait to mulch until the soil is thoroughly warm.

Trees and shrubs
Broad-leaved evergreens are recovering from winter burn. Prune out obvious dead wood, but look for green wood that shows life even though the leaves may be brown. Fertilize with acid-type fertilizer, keep watered and mulched. It is normal for hollies, rhododendrons, boxwood, taxus etc. to shed old leaves now.

Lawns
Do not mow where naturalized bulbs are ripening. Keep lawns mowed at 3 inches. Leaving the clippings can reduce fertilizer requirements by at least 30 percent.

Houseplants
After repotting wait a month or so before fertilizing, until new roots develop. It is too early to transfer houseplants outside.

General
Mother’s Day plant sales are everywhere — it’s a good time to stock up and plant something beautiful for your mother.

— Susan Henry

Here’s our latest Ask the Master Gardeners column, courtesy of Cornell Cooperative Extension:

Q: I’m interested in creating raised vegetable beds to compensate for not only poor soil but also my aching back. What building materials are safe to use in raised organic vegetable gardens?

A: Raised vegetable gardens are a great way to get delicious home-grown veggies without the worries of seasonal flooding, poor soil and drainage — and you may even even avoid damage from those cute little gophers with voracious appetites.

These gardens can take advantage of the most favorable location, and unwanted pests will have difficulty penetrating through the chicken coop wire on the base of the planter. Finally, with a cap seat around the perimeter of the raised garden, aches and back pain will be a thing of the past.

The best material to use is natural wood, not pressure-treated varieties. Treated lumber is chemically preserved to prevent it from rotting; yet those chemicals can possibly leach into the soil posing an unhealthy situation for the gardener.

Rather, use redwood, cedar or Douglas fir to create the raised beds. If redwood is too pricey, cedar is more affordable. It is rot resistant for at least 10 years even with direct contact on the ground. In time the wood will age and take on a silvery gray sheen.

You can purchase PVC raised bed kits that are moisture and temperature resistant. This light-weight material is quite strong and will last many years. But a cheaper method of planting with plastic materials is to create a container garden using some of those detergent buckets, plastic cat litter containers or even the discarded black planting pots from the nursery.

Wash all the containers thoroughly and make holes in the bottom of the buckets for drainage. If aesthetics are an issue, build wood frames to surround groups of these containers. Not only will these plastic containers function as raised vegetable gardens but they also will aid recycling efforts.

— Vivienne Dieckmann, Sloatsburg-based master gardener, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rockland County

The Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College is organizing an all-day field trip to Quaker Hill Gardens in Pawling, a spectacular 350-acre private garden owned by the Ziff family.

I’ve been hearing great things about this place for a few years now and have wanted to make a visit. The trip also includes a visit to the Native Landscapes and Garden Center in Pawling.

I got an email yesterday that the signup deadline has been extended to May 14.

Here’s a press release from the Native Plant Center, with photos supplied by Quaker Hill:

“NATIVE PLANT CENTER SPRING TOUR TO PAWLING’S QUAKER HILL GARDENS ON MAY 21

“The Native Plant Center (NPC), which is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a number of special events and programs, is sponsoring a May 21 trip to the Quaker Hill Native Plant Garden in Pawling, New York.

“Travel with The NPC to an extraordinary landscape on a fantastic scale and spend the day learning about wildflowers and native plants. This is an exclusive guided tour to the private, rarely seen 350-acre garden.

“The morning will be spent at this amazing property. After lunch at McKeever’s Restaurant, the group will enjoy a talk by the owner of Native Landscapes and tour the Garden Center. Travel by luxury coach leaving Westchester Community College at 9:00 a.m. with another pickup point at 9:15 a.m. The return is at 4:30 p.m. The signup deadline is May 8. The all-inclusive fee for the event is $100.

“The Quaker Hill Native Plant Garden has been a work-in-progress by the Ziff family for over 20 years. It seamlessly incorporates the existing landscape in many areas, but the majority of the rocks and ground forms, the trees and groundcovers, and all the ponds and waterfalls, are entirely constructed.

“There are 12 miles of roads, trails, and paths, 24 waterfalls, over 10,000 planted trees, 45 acres of ponds and lakes, and more than 1,000 native plant species. Paths are narrow and rocky, so comfortable walking shoes are necessary.

If someone is uncomfortable walking, Quaker Hill can provide them with a driving tour. If this is necessary, please notify us by May 8.

“McKeever’s, where lunch will be held, is a cozy, family restaurant. The atmosphere is bright and warm, and they serve American cuisine. Interestingly, the owner is the great-grandson of Judge Stephen W. McKeever, the original owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

“Pete Muroski of Native Landscapes and Garden Center in Pawling will welcome the group to his unique Garden Center-Design Center. He will lead a brief tour of his niche garden center, one of the few exclusively native plant centers in the Northeast offering the “American Beauty” program, sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation. “You’ll find many plants unique to our area, so come shop and learn,” says owner Muroski. “One of my hobbies is raising upland game birds and part of my collection is here at the Garden Center so bird enthusiasts can keep themselves amused around the cages.”

“The Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College is dedicated to educating people about the importance of wildflowers and native plants of the Northeast. As the first national affiliate of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas, the college’s Center is extending the educational and environmental concepts of the Texas Center to this region. It shares information on choosing, growing, and maintaining native plants. The Center’s mission is to educate people about the environmental necessity, economic value, and natural beauty of native plants in the Northeast.

“The Lady Bird Johnson Demonstration Garden and the Stone Cottage Garden on the college’s campus in Valhalla contain native species which thrive in the Northeast. There is no better way to learn about and understand these plants than by watching them grow, mature, flower and seed. In addition, The Center offers classes and lectures by native plant experts.

“To quote Lady Bird Johnson, “Whatever its condition, the environment is, after all, a reflection of ourselves, our tastes, our aspirations, our successes, and our failures.”

“For more information on this and other events, see The Native Plant Center’s web site at www.nativeplantcenter.org or phone 914-606-7870.”

It looks like another big weekend for plant sales. Here’s our latest wrapup of what’s where in the local gardening world.

I highly recommend the first item, a visit to Phillis Warden’s garden. Here’s a link to a post I did last year on the garden, and another post with video.

May 10
Bedford Hills: Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program. Self-guided tour of two private gardens. $5 per garden. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Garden of Phillis Warden, 531 Bedford Center Road. 888-842-2442.

Katonah: Plant Sale. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road. 914-232-1252.

Tarrytown: Garden Fair/Plant Sale. Free. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Lyndhurst, 635 S. Broadway/Route 9. 914-631-4481.

Yorktown Heights: Composting for Your Organic Garden. Instructor: Margaret von der Meden, backyard farmer and farm-based educator. Dress appropriately for garden work. Registration. $10. 3-4 p.m. Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center, 1275 Hanover St. 914-980-6375.

Armonk: Green Acres Garden Club Plant Sale. Free. 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Byram Hills High School, 12 Tripp Lane. 914-276-7890.
Brewster: Plant Sale. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 81 Main St. 845-278-2881.

Chappaqua: Chappaqua Garden Club Spring Plant Sale. Free. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Chappaqua Railroad Station, Bridge Road. 914-242-3799.

Katonah: Plant Patch Sale. Flowers, vegetables, herbs. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 68 Bedford Road. 914-232-5220.

Lake Mahopac: Lake Mahopac Garden Club Plant Sale. Free. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Lake Mahopac United Methodist Church, 85 Mount Hope Road. 845-628-8217.

Ossining: Nature-Friendly Plant Sale and Workshops. $5 May 9, Free May 10. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Teatown Lake Reservation, 1600 Spring Valley Road. 914-762-2912.

Peekskill: Garden Club of Peekskill Plant Sale. Hanging baskets, herbs, shrubs and more. Sponsor: Garden Club of Peekskill. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Riverfront Green Park, Route 9 and Hudson Avenue. 914-572-5246.

Pleaantville: Pleasantville Garden Club’s Annual Plant Sale. 8-11:30 a.m. Pleasantville Memorial Plaza, Marble Avenue. 914-239-8755.

May 11
Brewster: Plant Sale. 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 81 Main St. 845-278-2881.

Katonah: Plant Patch Sale. Flowers, vegetables, herbs. 9 a.m.-6 p.m. St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 68 Bedford Road. 914-232-5220.

May 13
White Plains: Greater Westchester Orchid Society Meeting. $25 membership. 7 p.m. Ethical Culture Society of Westchester, 7 Saxon Woods Road. 973-420-4966.

May 14
Katonah: Bedford Audubon Society. Speaker:John Rogers. Topic: “All About Bluebirds and More.” Free. 7:30 p.m. Katonah Village Library, 26 Bedford Road. 914-232-3508.

New Rochelle: Garden Club of New Rochelle. Speaker: Ron Amidror. Topic: Healthy gardening. Free. 1 p.m. Elks Lodge, 19 The Boulevard. 914-632-5411.

May 16
Somers: Ninth District of the Federated Garden Clubs of New York State Standard Flower Show. Theme: “Welcome Aboard the Hogwarts Express. Free. 2-3:30 p.m. Lasdon Park and Arboretum, Route 35. 646-853-4402.

May 17
Somers: Ninth District of the Federated Garden Clubs of New York State Standard Flower Show. Theme: “Welcome Aboard the Hogwarts Express. Free. 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Lasdon Park and Arboretum, Route 35. 646-853-4402.

Somers: Friends of Lasdon Annual Plant Sale. 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Lasdon Park and Arboretum, Route 35. 914-864-7268.

Southeast: Master Gardener Plant Sale. Master gardeners will answer questions and conduct soil PH tests. Free. 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tilly Foster Farm and Conservation, 100 Route 312. 845-278-6738.

Upper Nyack: Garden Club of Nyack Annual Plant Sale. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Katzenstein Residence, 507 N. Broadway. 845-358-0534.

White Plains: Make Your Own Compost. Buy a compost bin and get free advice on gardening. $20, $40. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saxon Woods Pool, 1800 Mamaroneck Ave. 914-813-5420.

May 18
Armonk: Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program. Self-guided tour of private woodland garden. $5 per garden. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Cobamong Pond, 15 Middle Patent Road. 888-842-2442.

Somers: Ninth District of the Federated Garden Clubs of New York State Standard Flower Show. Theme: “Welcome Aboard the Hogwarts Express. Free. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Lasdon Park and Arboretum, Route 35. 646-853-4402.

May 21
Pawling: Quaker Hill Native Plant Center Tour. A tour of the plant center in Pawling. Lunch at McKeever’s Restaurant. Sponsor: Native Plant Center at Westchester Community College. Registration. $100. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Native Landscapes and Garden Center, 991 Route 22. 914-606-7870.

May 24
Chappaqua: Garden Conservancy’s Open Days Program. Self-guided tour of this private garden featuring extensive collections of rhododendrons, azaleas, tree peonies, and clouds of reseeding forget-me-knots. $5. 2-6 p.m. Rocky Hills, 95 Old Roaring Brook Road. 888-842-2442.

Most of us in the gardening world are well aware of the many invasive plants marching through the Hudson Valley. Here’s an interesting press release from the US Fish and Wildlife Service about the full national scope of the problem:

“Refuge System Battles Invasive Species

“Citizen Support is Key

“Invasive plants and animals—introduced to the lands and waters of the United States from foreign shores—continue to plague national wildlife refuges. Some efforts to stem this threat are already in place and beginning to take hold. But there are other steps people can take to help by slightly altering their routines.

“About 2.4 million acres of the 98-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System are currently infested with invasive plants, according to the 2007 Refuge Annual Performance Plan. Additionally, 4,423 invasive animal populations occupy refuge lands—from the brown treesnake overrunning Guam National Wildlife Refuge to the more common nutria, a species that has spread to many states that was brought from South America when its fur was highly marketable.

“National wildlife refuges spent more than $11 million last fiscal year in fighting this problem, which has become pervasive. During each of the past four years, the Refuge System has treated an average of 14 percent of the acres infested with invasive plants.

“Five Invasive Species Strike Teams have been mobilized to respond rapidly to the detection of new and threatening infestations. They are working in Arizona, New Mexico, the Upper Missouri/Yellowstone/Upper Columbia River basins, south Florida, North Dakota, and Hawaii and the Pacific Islands.

“In the near future, a team led by biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be gearing up to rid Rat Island, part of Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, of its namesake invader. More than 200 years ago, Norway rats came ashore to Rat Island when a Japanese ship ran aground. The rat spill changed the island from a predator-free sanctuary for ground-nesting seabirds into a death trap. There are virtually no seabirds left.

“The team will hit every potential rat territory on the island, including all vegetated offshore rocks and islets. And areas that can’t be reached by helicopter, such as overhanging cliffs and coastal areas, will be visited by biologists on foot.

On the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge became a beacon of success in 2004, when it eradicated nutria. But the battle is never-ending, and the refuge’s nutria-free status now depends largely on neighboring landowners to control nutria on their lands. Today, an intensive trapping and detection program is maintained on 130,000 acres of coastal marsh surrounding and including Blackwater Refuge.

Citizen support is key in the battle against invasive species. The Refuge System has worked for the past three years with the National Wildlife Refuge Association, The Nature Conservancy and the National Institute of Invasive Species Science on a program that has enabled about 2,750 volunteers to inventory, treat and restore more than 211,000 acres of Refuge System land.

Many of these refuge volunteers are called upon to wage hand-to-hand combat with invasives. At Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, the New England Invasive Plant Group—a network of agencies and organizations working with the refuge—fought the water chestnut. The aquatic invasive floats on the water’s surface and displaces native plants. The infestation at Log Pond Cove was first detected in 1997, not long after the refuge was established. Once the plant is well established, eradication is next to impossible.

Silvio O. Conte Refuge began to show progress in controlling the problem only after it enlisted the help of hundreds of volunteers to hand-pull the weed, year after year. Machine pulling was not doing the job.

How Citizens Can Help

Learn How to Fight: In collaboration with the Center for Invasive Plant Management, the National Wildlife Refuge System has designed an online training course for volunteers and others interested in joining the army to help fight invasive plant species—one of the single greatest threats to the Refuge System. The new Web-based training course, www.fws.gov/invasives/volunteersTrainingModule, includes video, text and photos that provide information about the science and management of invasive plants.

In Fishing Season:

· Don’t dump any bait, especially minnows or crayfish, into streams or lakes after fishing.

· Be sure to inspect and thoroughly clean your fishing gear, including boats, trailers and waders. Invasive plants and animals, like hydrilla and zebra mussels, can quickly spread to uninfested waters by hitchhiking on gear used by anglers.

In the Garden:

· When looking for ornamental plants or groundcover for your home or garden, use native plants. Many areas now have nurseries specializing in local native plants, or search online for your local native plant society that can make recommendations for you.

· If you do use a non-native plant, ask your local nursery if it is an invasive species in your area.

· When buying a potted plant, check for unwanted weeds growing in the pot and make sure to pull them out before planting.

· When you pull unwanted weeds out of your lawn or garden, make sure to remove the entire plant and carefully bag it for disposal. Seeds from a dying plant can spread into uninfested areas.

Volunteer on a National Wildlife Refuge: More than 36,600 people already donate their time to national wildlife refuges. To join this outpouring of public concern for public lands – whether to fight invasive species or help in other ways – find information about volunteering on the Web at http://volunteer.gov/gov/.

###

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit www.fws.gov.

My editor noticed this story on the AP wire by Lee Reich, who’s got a great garden in New Paltz, NY.

I’ve done a couple of stories with him in the last few years, based on his books “Weedless Gardening” and “Uncommon Fruits.” Lee grew up in Scarsdale and the Crestwood section of Yonkers.

Warning: If you garden with deer or rabbits, read no further.

HOW TO GROW IT: Edamame for the garden

By LEE REICH
For The Associated Press
No need to ramble on praising the many health benefits of soybeans, their high quality protein, their healthful oil, and so on. We’ll assume you’re not living in a cave.

Let’s also keep quiet about the gustatory alchemy that has been wrought on this bean, transforming it into tofu and tempeh as well as “meat,” milk and ice cream.

However, soybeans deserve special mention in their simplest form: the fresh green bean merely steamed or boiled then popped out of its pod into your mouth.

Here’s a photo by Lee from his garden:

This vegetable often goes under its Japanese name, edamame. If you want one new vegetable to try in your garden this year, make edamame that vegetable.

GETTING STARTED
Soybeans are bushy, frost-tender plants that you grow just like bush green beans. Make rows a couple of feet apart, or, if you garden in beds, plant a row down either side of a bed. In either case, drop seeds three inches apart into furrows an inch deep.

Green soybeans taste something like a cross between a fresh lima bean and shelling pea — and it’s as easy as those plants, or easier, to grow.

Soybeans tolerate hot weather better than peas, which languish in summer heat, and cool weather better than limas, which languish in spring’s coolness. And Mexican bean beetles, which in some years devastate green beans, have little interest in soybeans.

Once you’re smitten by the delectable taste of edamame and want to stretch the harvest season, do so by planting varieties that take different times to mature.

OF NOTE
Soybean plants grow larger than bush green bean plants, so they tend to flop over. If you like your garden to be neat, just put stakes around the edges of the beds, then let the plants lean on one or two courses of string tied to the stakes.

I also must mention animals: Soybeans are dessert to rabbits and deer. If either of these animals are present and can get into your garden, forget about growing soybeans — unless you want to grow them as a trap crop to keep either of these creatures from feeding on other plants.

THE HARVEST
Harvest edamame pods when they are fully plump and still bright green. As with limas and some other beans, edamame must be cooked before they’re fit to eat.

Steam or boil them in their pods for about eight minutes before eating.

Cooled pods gladly release their beans when gently squeezed between your fingers. If you harvest more than you can eat fresh, pack excess cooked pods into bags and into your freezer. When you’re ready to eat them, put the beans in a pot with an inch or two of water and boil for five minutes.

The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY is hosting a free 25th Anniversary Celebration on May 16, 4:00 – 8:30 p.m. Lots of interesting-sounding science going on here. (As I’ve said before, no relation to this Cary.)

Here’s email from Pam Freeman:

“Join us for a family-friendly evening of science demonstrations, lab
tours, and folk music!

“At 7pm, we will host the kick-off event for the Millbrook Book Festival:

“A nature and science writing panel featuring New York Times reporter
Andy Revkin

4:00 – 6:00 p.m. Lab Tours, Poster Session, and Science Demonstrations

Have you ever wondered what happens in the Cary Institute’s Plant
Science Building? Now is your chance to find out! In addition to viewing
research posters and participating in hands-on demonstrations, visitors
can tour select labs to see science in action.

“PSB Lobby Activities
What Lives in the Water: This display will encourage visitors to explore
aquatic ecology, including microscopic organisms that many of us
overlook. Cary Institute educators will help guests identify
invertebrates and learn about insect life cycles.

“Invasive Species in the Hudson River Valley: Are you curious about the
types of invasive species that are impacting the Hudson Valley Region?
Learn more about Cary Institute research on zebra mussels, water
chestnut, and earthworms.

4:15 p.m. Lab Tours Begin

”(1) The Strayer Lab: Researchers in the Strayer Lab focus on aquatic
ecology. Observe local fish in our aquaria and learn about aquatic
sampling techniques, including how to use a dissecting microscope. Did
you ever wonder how you age a clam? During a hands-on experiment,
participants will learn how to cut, stain, and count clam rings.

”(2) The Analytical Lab: Chemical analysis is a crucial part of many
ecological research projects. Lab staff will give tours of the Rachel L.
Carson Analytical Facility, including demonstrations of high-tech
instruments used to process ecological samples. Learn how, why, and what
kinds of samples we analyze. There will also be a hands-on pH
demonstration for children.

”(3) The Weathers Lab: In certain ecosystems, fog is an important source
of water, sulfur, and nitrogen. The Weathers Lab is interested in how
fog distribution impacts ecosystems. Learn about several current
projects and techniques used to collect fog.

”(4) The Ostfeld Lab: Lyme disease occurrence is connected to ecosystem
variables, such as small mammal populations, tick presence, and acorn
abundance. Investigate ticks up close and personal with a dissecting
scope and learn how to identify different tree seeds.

”(5) The Groffman Lab: Soil is full of living organisms that consume and
release important greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, methane,
and nitrous oxide. Learn about how soil microbial activity influences
the Earth’s atmosphere while observing gas chromatograph readings.

4:15 p.m. Weather Station Tour

“The Cary Institute’s weather station is constantly gathering data about
climatic conditions, such as temperature and rainfall. This information
is essential to tracking environmental change and supporting onsite
research projects. Explore the facility with Environmental Monitoring
Program Manager Vicky Kelly.

6:00 p.m. Reception in the Auditorium Lobby

Enjoy refreshments while viewing research posters and listening to
Bindlestick Bill’s folk-infusion.

7:00 – 8:30 p.m. The Uncertain Journey Toward 6 Billion: Communicating
Ecology on a
Crowding Planet

Featured guest Andy Revkin and a panel of Cary Institute staff will
address the importance of engaging individuals in ecological thinking.
Mr. Revkin will draw from his popular New York Times blog, Dot Earth,
which can be viewed online at http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/”

Don Dembowski emailed with details about the big plant sale and free garden fair at Lyndhurst on Saturday:

“Saturday, May 10, three plant societies will host a plant sale. The Hudson Valley Rock Garden Society will offer low-growing perennials, as well as troughs planted with hardy alpines. Members of the society will have hard-to-find offerings – dwarf Solomon’s seal and double Trillium grandiflorum.

“The Taconic Gardeners’ Club will have ferns for the woodland. The Garden Club of Irvington-on-Hudson will have scented geraniums and unusual coleus among other selections. Well-grown tomato plants, peppers and other vegetables will be offered, and there will be seed planting for children.

“Tour the Lyndhurst gardens and receive great tips from the gardeners that tend them.
The sale is 10AM to 2PM, free admission to the greenhouse. Lyndhurst, 635 South Broadway, Tarrytown. (914) 631-4481.”

Here’s email from Mary Legrand of the Pound Ridge Garden Club about a free flower show at Lasdon Park in Somers. It’s the same weekend as the great plant sale there.

“The Ninth District of the Federated Garden Clubs of New York State. Inc. will hold a Standard Flower Show at Lasdon Park and Arboretum on Route 35 in Somers, New York on May 16, 17 and 18, 2008.

“The title of the show is WELCOME ABOARD THE “HOGWARTS EXPRESS”. The show will be open to the public on Friday, May 16th from 2:00 pm until 3:30 pm, on Saturday from 10:00 am until 3:30 pm and on Sunday from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm.

“A Friends of Lasdon plant sale will also be held on Saturday, May 16. The show and plant sale are free with any donations going to the Conservatory Project at Lasdon Park and Arboretum.

“The Federated Garden Clubs of New York State is a member of National Garden Club, Inc. For more information contact Stephanie Susetka, 646-853-4402.”