From WCC:

“Betsy Stern of Edgemont, New York, chair of the Westchester Community College Foundation’s board, was named Nonprofit Board Member of the Year by the Association of Development Officers (ADO).

“This national organization held the  event at the Doubletree Hotel in Tarrytown recently in order to honor those involved in the development field.

As Shirley Phillips, Vice President of External Affairs and Executive Director of the Westchester Community College Foundation says, “Betsy’s accomplishments are extraordinary…she worked to establish the college’s volunteer corps.

Long associated with the  Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, Texas, Betsy was instrumental in the formation of the first affiliate  of this entity at the college. Our Native Plant Center is now thriving in Valhalla.”

Pictured in the photograph are Diane Tabakman and Alison Paul (ADO co-presidents); Betsy Stern; Shirley Phillips, Vice President of External Affairs and Executive Director of the Foundation; and Andy Spano, Westchester County Executive (left to right).

John Suskewich, book manager for Shop in the Garden at the NY Botanical Garden, has a great blog post today on the in-house Plant Talk blog.

He reviews 9 for ’09 — nine new and soon-to-be published titles.

The Shop in the Garden was recently called “the most intelligently run shop for garden books in America,” by the Financial Times of London.

Here’s a link.

To see other reviews by John, click on the category Shop/Book Reviews.

Feb. 28
Bronx: The Orchid Show: Brazilian Modern. Feb. 28-April 12. In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. $20, $18 seniors and students, $7 children. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. New York Botanical Garden, 200th Street and Kazimiroff Boulevard.  718-817-8700.

Yorktown Heights: Cold Frame Construction. Topic: learn how to build a cold frame so you can start your growing season early.  Registration. Free. 10 a.m.-noon. Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center, 1275 Hanover St.  914-962-2368.

March 1
Croton-on-Hudson: Saw Mill River Audubon Sanctuary Workday: Vine Cutting at Graff Sanctuary. For ages 8 and older. Bring loppers or pruning shears and wear suitable gloves and footwear. Registration. Free. 9 a.m. Graff Nature Sanctuary, Furnace Dock Road.  914-666-6503. Read more of this entry »

Just got an email from Nancy Inzinna at the Native Plant Center, about a 2-day extension for ordering:

“2009 Plant Pre-Sale Huge Success!
Many have phoned in asking for an extension.
The Pre-Sale will be extended 2 days only.
Our 10th Anniversary goal is to get as many natives into the community as possible.
Mail in your order by February 25 and you’ll be enjoying your natives in two months!”

Go to nativeplantcenter.org to see photos, order forms etc.

This year, the annual orchid show at the New York Botanical Garden will have a distinctly Brazilian flavor.

“The Orchid Show: Brazilian Modern” will feature thousands of vibrant orchids set into a contemporary Brazilian garden designed by Miami-based landscape architect Raymond Jungles.

The show opens Saturday in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the largest Victorian-style glasshouse in the country, and runs through April 12.

The show drew nearly 100,000 visitors last year.

Phalaenopsis orchids displayed among palm trees in the reflecting pool of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. (Credit: Robert Benson):

From Bedford Audubon:

“PROGRAMS SPONSORED BY BEDFORD AUDUBON SOCIETY
MARCH 2009

“Reading the Forested Landscape With Terrestrial Ecologist Tom Wessels
Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
Katonah Memorial House, 71 Bedford Road, Katonah.
“It is wonderful to know nature through one-on-one encounters with other organisms, but it is perhaps more empowering to gain a fuller understanding of the patterns that have shaped its landscapes… Reading the landscape is not just about identifying landscape patterns; more importantly, it is an interactive narrative that involves humans and nature.” Tom Wessels (1997).
This program is based on Tom’s book, Reading the Forested Landscape, A Natural History of New England. It introduces people to approaches used to interpret a forest’s history while wandering through it. Using evidence such as the shapes of trees, scars on their trunks, the pattern of decay in stumps, the construction of stone walls, and the lay of the land, it is possible to unravel complex stories etched into our forested landscape. This process could easily be called “forest forensics” since it is quite similar to interpreting a crime scene.

A note from George Shakespear of Saw Mill River Audubon:

“For nature lovers and birders who can’t wait for spring to come, this presentation on the status of bluebirds in New York should be a treat.

“Our presenter, John Rogers, is a recognized expert on the Eastern Bluebird and its status in New York State. He is an experienced and much enjoyed presenter for audiences of both adults and children. John co-founded the New York State Bluebird Society and has maintained a trail of hundreds of bluebird nest boxes for decades what have fledged more than 11,000 young bluebirds. He currently monitors 250 bluebird boxes along a 50-mile stretch in Central New York. John has received several honors for his work, including two conservation awards from the North American Bluebird Society and the Bluebird Conservation Award from the Audubon Society of New York State.

“The presentation is co-sponsored by the Ossining Public Library and Saw Mill River Audubon.

Details from the flyer:

Saturday, Feb. 28th at 2:30pm
in the Budarz Theater
OSSINING PUBLIC LIBRARY  |  53 Croton Avenue, Ossining, NY  |  914-941-2416  |  www.OssiningLibrary.org

at 12:30pm, Build Your Own Bluebird Box!
Registration is limited!  •  Please call 941-2416, ext. 337

From Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills:

News from Pam Freeman at the Cary Institute:

“The events below are free and open to the public.

“They will be held in the Cary Institute’s auditorium, at 2801 Sharon Turnpike (Rt. 44) in Millbrook, N.Y. For more information, contact Pamela Freeman at freeman@ecostudies.org

More Than a Beast, but Much Less Than an Angel

Friday, February 27th at 7:00 p.m.
Burning fossil fuels. Creating sprawling cities. Growing chemical-dependent crops. Humans are driving global environmental change. Join Dr. William H. Schlesinger, president of the Cary Institute, for a lecture on critical and effective steps that the Obama administration can take to improve the global environment.

I was at the NY Botanical Garden yesterday for the American Gardening Series Lectures on beneficial insects and container gardening and wandered over to the perennial beds to look for any signs of life.

Snowdrops!

And daffodils beginning to emerge:

I’ve also begun to bring up pots of forced bulbs from the basement — they went down for a “cooling-off” period in mid-November. My basement is unheated, with a few old dirt-floor rooms that bulbs seem to like. Here’s a link to my “How to Force Bulbs” post from last fall, with more photos.

I just wrap them in plastic shopping bags and put them in the dark.

As you can see, these Spanish bluebells are up and growing (this was a couple of weeks ago):

Tulips:

Daffodils:

And how the pots look today:

Nice and green and healthy looking. But I was hoping for flowers by now — let’s give them another week.