Happy Mother’s Day!

Karin Kiontke

What a glorious day it is today! The sun is shining, the sky is blue, it is gently warm and the roses are blooming.

The lovely weather arrived yesterday after a week of rain. This rain was actually greatly appreciated since we still have issues with our water system. And see just how lovely the irises look with rain drops on their petals!

Yesterday was sunny and breezy. We had organized a little crafts workshop in the garden to make mother’s day cards with pressed flower petals.

The wind made this project a little challenging. Dried flower petals are very light and fly off so easily. But our visitors managed well. Several kids came with their moms and dads, and even the littlest ones made lovely cards with a bit of help. I hope they all had fun, I did!

This card with petals of our variegated tree peony was made by a young mom to be: she expects her first baby in a few months. We wish her the best of luck!

A new composter

Karin Kiontke

Many years ago, we got our first compost tumbler. It served us well for a long time, turning plant clippings and weeds into valuable fertilizer for our garden. Unfortunately, over time, the good old thing became harder and harder to turn. None of us is getting any younger or stronger, thus, this year, it was time for a replacement. We had good experience with the Mantis brand of tumblers that have a crank for easy turning and a larger capacity.

This Sunday it was time to put the new Mantis together. Sophia and Gio did the honors.

The only problem with the assembly was the strong wind that at one point made the screws and washers fly

After moving the tumbler to its new spot, it got its inaugural fill and is now ready for business. Thank you Sophia and Gio!

Otherwise: Spring is progressing very fast, almost too fast to enjoy it properly: Just a few days ago, the apple blossoms were so dense that one could hardly see any leaf or stem. Tulips were blooming in many colors. Now, both are already fading.

Instead, the tree peonies and the early irises are in full bloom. Soon, it will be time for roses.

Easter Weekend with Pottery

Karin Kiontke

The last weekend was quite busy for the garden. For one thing, the weather was warm and sunny. Tulips were bursting with colors and the crab apple tree was in full bloom.

We were also treated to a very special “event”. Our beloved former chair Barbara Cahn, who passed away suddenly two years ago was a professional potter with a very unique style. Many gardeners and friends bemoaned that they had missed the opportunity to acquire one of Barbara’s beautiful pieces while she was alive.

This weekend, everyone had their chance. Barbara’s husband and two of her nieces and family generously gave away pottery from Barbara’s inventory to everyone who wanted a piece. They reasoned that every bowl, cup, plate and tray would be better off in someones home where it could be loved and admired than boxed up in storage.

Thank you very much, we were so grateful for this opportunity!

The garden at night

Karin Kiontke

Last night, I went to the garden after dark. Bags with weeds and plant clippings had to be brought to the curb for compost collection the next morning. I walked around to find out what I could see at this time of the night.
It never gets dark in New York City. There are enough street lamps, illuminated store fronts, office windows lit day and night and car headlights to illuminate every corner of the city and drown out all but the brightest stars. This is a problem for moths and other nocturnal insects and for migrating songbirds who get confused by all the light sources they mistake for the moon. And still: the garden looks magically transformed at night. Tulips and daffodils glow like lanterns and the stalks of last year’s sunflowers look like foreign objects.
I was reminded of the photographer George Hirose, who specializes in night photography and came to LaGuardia Corner Garden many years ago to take photos for a series called “Midnight in the People’s Garden”. I wonder what is going on with him and if he is still walking around the city with his camera at night.

All trees need pruning

Karin Kiontke

An old pine tree grows in the part of the garden that we call “North Garden”. This tree may have been there from the very beginning. Few of us would know. Over the years, the lower branches of the pine died off, and its south-facing side grew more vigorously than the other sides. Thus, this tree needed some TLC.

We hired Tony to prune our pine professionally. He did a wonderful job and was also very careful not to step on the flowers that are starting to come up everywhere now. They will get more sunlight now, too.

When we were inspecting the tree to see where Tony should prune, he pointed out little holes all over the bark. While he explained to us, that these holes were made by a woodpecker, a beautiful male of just this species, the yellow bellied sapsucker, hopped on a branch in front of us. He briefly looked at what was going on and left before we could take a picture. Therefore, I stole one from the internet. The bird was really this colorful!

Holes in the tree bark made by the yellow bellied sapsucker, who is seen on the right (from All About Birds).

What else is new… Today, Jeff continued to work on our water system since he noticed a substantial leak last week. This time, he opened the manhole cover to get a better look. Hopefully, all is well now. We do not want our precious water (of drinking quality, like everywhere in NYC) to seep unused into the ground.

Spring bulbs continue to pop up. In addition to daffodils, there are hyacinths, tulips and the large “summer snowflake” that actually blooms in April and not in July.

We will resume our official open hours next weekend. One of our gardeners will be there to greet guests and answer questions from 2-6 PM, weather permitting as always.