In The New York Times:

Anne Raver on building a greenhouse of her very own.

Stephen Orr on winter bloomers in the garden.

Draconian cuts in the proposed state budget for botanical gardens and zoos.

Except for my rapidly shrinking pile of firewood, it’s kind of nice to have a cold, snowy winter again.

There really isn’t anything I can do outside in the way of yard work or gardening in all this snow and ice, so I might as well just relax and enjoy myself indoors.

It’s been a great year for the plow guy btw.

Remember that snow is the best mulch and winter protector around. Somewhere under this pile of snow are two marginally hardy beautyberry shrubs I planted last fall. They will probably be fine now.

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The NY Botanical Garden is holding another career night for anyone thinking about a career switch to something in horticulture. Here are the details:

“Career Information Session
Landscape Design & Horticulture
Wednesday, January 28, 6–8 p.m.

“Tomorrow’s careers start at The New York Botanical Garden. Don’t miss this FREE Career Information Session. Explore green careers, speak with program instructors, and hear former students discuss how NYBG Certificate programs paved the way to their new professions. Read more of this entry »

Perennials
• Before ordering seeds of new plants, check the hardiness zone and the dimensions of the plant at maturity. Hardiness zone maps are published in many catalogs and garden magazines. The zones are being revised because of climate change.

Flowers
• All-America Selections of seeds are featured in seed catalogs and can be recognized by the red-white-and-blue shield displayed by their descriptive names. These seeds have been tested and judged for more than two years before winning this honor.
• Seeds to start now: long-season annuals such as snapdragons, impatiens, petunias and geraniums and early blooming plants such as pansies. Read more of this entry »

For more than 75 years, the prestigious All-America Selections committee has conducted nationwide trials to pick the best new plants for home gardeners.

In some years (1954 and 1976), the committee only names one winner. Other years (1934) have brought as many as 32 great new flowers and vegetables.

For 2009, the committee has chosen four winners: Viola ‘Rain Blue and Purple,’ Eggplant ‘Gretel,’ Melon ‘Lambkin’ and Squash ‘Honey Bear.’ Over the next month, we’ll look at each of the winners, starting with this handsome new viola, the only flower chosen this year.

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Here’s a press release from Katy Keiffer on the Winter Antiques Show. I’ve been a few times and Barbara’s stuff is always exquisite. The whole show is top-notch, almost museum-quality furnishings. Barbara lives in Katonah.

The show runs from Jan. 23 to Feb. 1 at the Park Avenue Armory at E. 67th Street.

Here’s Katy:

“Spring comes to the Winter Antiques Show with
Barbara Israel Garden Antiques.

“As the sole Garden Ornament dealer at the Winter Antiques Show, Barbara Israel occupies a very special niche. Always an innovator in her booth design, this year Israel is bringing a dark, dramatic mood to the show, in contrast to her usual sunny garden exterior. Inspired by a stay in a mansion house on a recent trip to Scotland, Barbara has borrowed the aspect of looking from the inside of the hallway to the moonlit garden outside the house where spotlights outlined historic stone objects. The paradox is that the interior and the exterior of the booth are reversed to achieve the full effect. Read more of this entry »

Jan. 25
Somers: “Houseplants for Winter Botanical Beauty Indoors.” Speaker: Tolly Beck. Free. 2-3 p.m. Lasdon Park and Arboretum, Route 35. 914-864-7267.

Feb. 3
Tuckahoe: “Gardens of Italy.” Speaker: Vicky Sturner. Presented by Boulder Ledge Garden Club of Bronxville. $25, $20 seniors, free students with ID. 7 p.m. Westchester Italian Cultural Center, Depot Square. 914-771-8700.

Feb. 4
Bronxville: Bronx River-Sound Shore Audubon Society. Speaker: Al Krauter, owner of Sprainbrook Nurseries. Topic: learn why and how to practice organic gardening. Free. 7:30 p.m. Bronxville Public Library, 201 Pondfield Road. 914-834-5203. Read more of this entry »

From Brad Gurr, a certified arborist with SavATree in Ossining:

“Pruning Shrubs Part I

“Landscapes make our houses into homes. Trees and shrubs not only contribute pleasant feelings to our surroundings they add up to 15% to the value of your property.

“It often takes several years for newly planted shrubs to establish.Then before you know it they are on their way to becoming leggy overgrown monsters. Read more of this entry »

Myra Marsocci, the owner of Shades of Green in Mohegan Lake (formerly downtown Peekskill), has put together an ambitious lecture series for the winter.

It is a four-part series: Nutrition and Health, Garden Design, Horticulture, and Green Energy. The organic lawn care talk that was scheduled for yesterday was postponed because of the inauguration. I’ll post a sub date when I get it from Myra. Here’s the rest:

Date: Wed. January 28th
Classes
The Importance of Eating Local Foods: Nutrition and Health Series
10:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. Maryanne Hedrick will demonstrate
the environmental and nutritional benefits of local food for you and your
community. We will also be tasting a selection of seasonal local
produce, meats and cheeses prepared by CIA instructor and sommelier
Raimundo Gaby. NHLF1 fee: $20.00 Shades of Green, Inc. 1949 East Main Street,
Mohegan Lake, NY 10547 914-526-8470 www.sogreen.biz Read more of this entry »

From the Nursery Mgt and Production newsletter:

“Last week, Ball Horticultural Co. unveiled its new brand, Darwin Perennials. The brand includes bareroot and liners previously available from Darwin Plants as well as Ball proprietary seed and vegetative varieties. The brand will appear on plants in the North American market. The first catalog from Darwin Perennials will be available June 2009. Ball acquired Darwin Plants in Nov. 2007.”