LaGuardia Corner Garden - Community Gardening in NY at its best. Open to the public.

Another snow storm

2017-02-10Karin Kiontke

Yesterday, we got about 10 inches of snow. This came almost as a surprise after a spring-like day with a high of 60ºF.

In the morning, the snow was coming down pretty hard, but three gardeners got busy with the shovels and the salt-spreader.

Clearing the path

The heavy snow weighed down a cypress to the ground

Let’s hope that our bees survive this capricious weather. Photo: Sara Jones.

Looks like the birds are fine. There are still some rosehips and berries for the robins and starlings, and the sparrows are resourceful city birds. There was a large flock near the fence, dashing back and forth between the safety of the garden and a trash can where someone had tossed some bread. And pretty soon, all of this snow will be gone again. Rain is in the forecast for the weekend.

Plant profile: Italian arum

2017-02-05Karin Kiontke

Most plants from temperate regions die back in fall and grow again in spring. Not so the Italian arum (Arum italicum). This plant is currently nice and green.

Italian Arum on January 24 2017.

If it does not get too cold, these attractive leaves will survive the winter.

As the name suggests, this plant comes from Europe and is native to Italy, but also to other countries, like England and the Netherlands. It was introduced to America as an ornamental and grows well in the shade. We got an Italian arum several years ago at the plant sale of the Rock Garden Society and planted it under the apple tree.

Last year, our Italian arum bloomed at the end of May. Like other species in the arum family, the small flowers are arranged on a finger-like “spadix” that is ensheathed by a light green leaf, the “spathe”.

The flowers of our Italian arum on May 20 2016.

when the flowers are pollinated, the spathe dries up and the flowers develop into berries. These begin to turn bright red in July. By this time, all leaves of the plant have died back. This is nice, because they make room for hostas, ferns and coleus. The berries are popular with birds like robins. Mammals, including people, should not eat them, though. Like the rest of the plant, these pretty berries are poisonous.

The fruits on July 26 (left) and August 5 (right) 2016.

After the berries are gone, the Italium arum is invisible until new leaves begin to emerge in fall.

New leaves on October 8 2016.

Come December, not much else is green under the apple tree.

First blooms of the year

2017-01-26Karin Kiontke

January is unseasonably warm. This weeks nor’easter brought rain instead of a blizzard (not that we mind…). The mild weather has coaxed the first flowers out of the ground. Spring is coming!

snowdrops

Helleborus in our neighbor garden, the “Time Landscape”

First snow of the year

2017-01-10Karin Kiontke

The year was not yet a week old when we got the first serious snow in New York. It was light and fluffy snow that transformed the garden into a fairyland.

3 inches at least

light and fluffy

While the garden is sleeping under its white blanket, we need to get to work with the shovels. The sidewalk along the garden needs to be cleared of snow to comply with NYC law and to make it safe for our neighbors.

the snow-team of week one 2017

Now, just a few days later, most of the snow is gone and the forecast promises near 60ºF for the next days. But the winter is not yet over.

Fairytale garden (with the art of Rudolf Leitner-Gründberg)

I would like to use this opportunity to wish all of our friends and visitors and all gardeners a happy and peaceful year 2017!

Late November, still blooming

2016-12-01Karin Kiontke

At the end of November, tulip and daffodil bulbs are in the ground, the hibiscus and the passion flower went indoors and the squirrels have collected ample stashes (I unearthed lots of peanuts when I planted my tulips).

However, we did not yet get any frost and there are still flowers to be found. Here are some pictures:

Lavender dream rose; a spider plant, usually a weed, now a welcome bit of color; one of the many yellow native Asteracae; a salvia.

The common mallow (Malva sylvestris); feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium); Alyssum, and a dahlia flower.

Rhoma’s peach drift is putting on a late fall show; the coral bark maple tree shows golden leaves; this anemone looks almost like arranged in a wintery bouquet.

This week, we also got some much needed rain, while the temperatures were in the upper 50s. I checked on the garden and found the roses to look pretty in the rain.

Roses in the rain

There is a poem by Herrmann Hesse, beautifully set to song by Richard Strauss, that came to my mind. It was written for Fall in Germany, where during Hesse’s time, September must have looked like October or early November in 2016 New York. Here is an English translation:

September

The garden mourns,

Cool rain sinks into the flowers.

The summer shivers

quietly awaiting his end.

Golden leaves drop one by one,

from the tall acacia tree.

Summer smiles surprised and faint

at the dying garden dream.

For a long while he pauses
beside the roses, yearning for rest.
Slowly he closes
his large weary eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Der Garten trauert,
kühl sinkt in die Blumen der Regen.
Der Sommer schauert
still seinem Ende entgegen.

Golden tropft Blatt um Blatt
nieder vom hohen Akazienbaum.
Sommer lächelt erstaunt und matt
in den sterbenden Gartentraum.

Lange noch bei den Rosen
bleibt er stehen, sehnt sich nach Ruh.
Langsam tut er die großen
müdgewordnen Augen zu.