Are your bulbs tucked in for their long winter's nap?

The Gardens of Baghdad

We know how plants and gardens revive stressed-out New Yorkers. Just imagine what they can do for war-weary Iraqis. There's a story in Sunday's New York Times about the resurgence of gardening, especially topiaries, in Baghdad. As Muhi Mohammed Hussein, the man shown here manicuring the eagle in front of his home, explained, "Iraq has suffered for a long time, so now I'm trying to give a smile back to Iraq with beautiful plants." Another gardener noted that taking care of his garden allowed him to forget the war. His "refuge from violence" isn't quite so well maintained now. "When the situation is good, you're too busy with work," he said, an observation many New Yorkers can agree with.

Not your Typical Bar Arrangement

This summer we did a wedding at the Lighthouse at Chelsea Piers, a beautiful event space right smack on the Hudson River. Some couples come in with only a hazy idea of what they want. Not so Adam and Laura. This has to be the first time our crew assignments included a designated fish wrangler.

New Bus Stop Bench

We're still amazed that someone managed to run off with our old bus stop bench -- it weighed a ton. And even after the city finally put in a bench, people would still come into the shop asking why we stopped putting out our bench. So here's our new contribution to everyone's comfort . A friend of the shop dragged in a dreary bench missing several slats. We birched it up, gave it a zippy coat of paint, and added a lock for good measure.

Eat your Vegetables, Drink your Flowers?

A story in this week's New York Times dining section headlined How to Sip a Flower Garden led us to wonder whether we should add a bartender to the staff. As visitors to the store know, we do enjoy the occasional cocktail hour. We hadn't realized that this is the summer of the floral cocktail; that flowers are being "deployed as much for their delicate flavors as their visual appeal." The cocktail shown is flavored with elderflower liqueur and, as readers of our 4th of July post will spot, garnished with a nasturtium bloom

One of the Creatures of Gotham Gardens

Remember the old song Froggy went a-courtin'? This froggy went a-hitch-hikin' and arrived in the shop over a year ago hidden in a plant shipment.  A Cuban tree frog, his is considered an invasive species. Even if he could be released into the wild, New York winters would not be to his liking. He's grown considerably in the warmth and humidity of his own terrarium (complete with pool), feasting happily on crickets. Given tree frogs are nocturnal, we were delighted to find him awake and willing to pose. Meanwhile, the song has been covered by everyone from Bruce Springsteen to Bob Dylan to Elvis Presley. We especially like this version by everyone's favorite frog, Kermit.

Monsoon Summer

We got off to a late start planting our window boxes this spring. For a time, all we had was bare dirt as customers bought the plants we had planned on planting. But thanks to New York City's second rainiest summer (which August may push into the record book), the window boxes have more than made up for lost time. On the left you can see our crop of Swiss chard, more than overdue for harvesting. Alocasias, the elephant-ear plants on the right, have overshadowed a nasturium vine but are bringing much delight to passers-by.

Double-Duty Containers

We originally got these lanterns to use, well, as lanterns. Then we thought, what a great idea for a gift. The recipient gets to enjoy a gorgeous arrangement, then gets a delightful lantern to enjoy on the terrace or in the park. We only have a few left.

The Most Plant-Friendly Voice in Britain Chosen

You've got to love those garden-loving Brits. This spring the Royal Horticultural Society's garden at Wisley held auditions to find "the most plant-friendly voice" in Britain. Ten finalists, reflecting a range of voices, were chosen and their recorded voices played through headphones attached to the pots of tomato plants. The winner? Sarah Darwin, a botanist at the Natural History Museum and Charles' great-great-granddaughter. Appropriately enough, she read a selection from On the Origin of Species. During the month-long, her tomato plant grew 1.6 cm higher (nearly 2/3") than the next contender.

Colin Crosbie, Garden Superintendent and curator for ‘The Voice of Wisley’ experiment said, "There is something wonderfully pleasing about a plant responding to a story about how its kind came into being."

Given the influence of British TV on the U.S., can "American Plant Idol" be far behind?

Nasturtiums: A Charmer with Many Virtues

Nasturtiums are one of those garden stalwarts that always seem to bring out smiles. How can you not love a plant with so many virtues? Nasturtiums are fast growers. Low maintenance. ("Benign neglect" is often prescribed in gardening books.) The colorful flowers bloom all summer long. Even the leaves are cheery, nearly round and reminiscent of tiny lily pads. Thomas Jefferson included nasturtiums in the kitchen garden at Monticello for the peppery zest both leaves and blossoms add to salads. The writer of one herbal helpfully noted that, should one run out of capers, pickled nasturtium seeds are an excellent substitute. Enjoy them scampering up a trellis or cascading from a windowbox this holiday weekend, knowing that, in the Victorian language of flowers, nasturtiums signify patriotism.

What is that?

Think of a fern and this probably isn't the image that springs to mind. The hapu'u, a tree fern native to Hawaii, sends forth giant fronds. The fuzzy brown stuff is pulu, a wool-like fiber once used for stuffing pillows and mattresses. We once had a bride who saw this and immediately cancelled her order for a regular bouquet. Ferns, of course, have ancient roots and it's takes little imagination to picture the hapu'u's ancestor in prehistoric times. We were reminded of this link at the opening night of the World Science Festival where we had the opportunity to meet Frans Lanting, one of the world's premiere nature photographers. His lyrical multimedia exploration of natural life on earth, LIFE: A Journey Through Time, set to music by Philip Glass, traces the evolution of life on earth. As life emerged from the sea, club moss and ferns were the first plants to take root. Like horse shoe crabs, which haven't changed in 150 million years, Lanting photographed the hapu'u as a way of "seeing the past in the present." 

Cutting the stem revealed this delicate pattern.

Portrait of Ephemeral Beauty

There's something to appreciate in every stage of a blossom's life. Yet occasionally the beauty revealed in details isn't revealed to us until the very end.

How Much is that Doggy in the Window?

Might this be the perfect gift for a dog-loving, eco-aware mom who lives in a building that doesn't allow pets? The adorable "Recycled Rover" is made from braided and twisted newspaper with a wooden nose and eyes. To give you an idea of size, here's Rover with Clementine the Westie. Unlike Clementine, Rover doesn't need walks or baths and sits still for photos.

Gotham Gardens at Horticultural Society of New York Gala

Our table card used this image with the headline, What kind of tropical isle has gems like these?

This Side of Paradise, the theme of this year's Horticultural Society of New York gala, led us to conclude that while many consider sand, sun and ocean to be their idea of Eden, when it comes to eternity, we actually prefer the best New York City offers. Yet how to boil all of that down to a centerpiece? Now that's a challenge. George Balanchine's three-act ballet, Jewels, sprang to mind. Hmmm. A ballet -- that could stand for all the fabulous cultural offerings of the city and we do adore the New York City Ballet company. And not just any masterpiece but one inspired by a visit to Van Cleef & Arpels with each act symbolizing diamonds, rubies or emeralds. Talk about the kind of shopping excursion one could develop some serious fantasies about. Here's how we reprised it in our window.

Satisfy your Sweet Tooth for a Good Cause

Sunday, May 3rd from 12 to 5 p.m., stop by the shop, buy a delicious cupcake or cookie and help support Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Gotham Gardens is pleased to participate in this first nationwide grass-roots bake-a-thon to raise money for breast cancer research. Who knows? While you're here, you might just find the perfect gift for Mother's Day. Want to know more? Check out Bake for Hope here or on Facebook.

The Glories of Spring

Spring brings with it some of the year's most gorgeous blooms and blossoms. Plump peonies. Astonishing anemones. Luscious lilacs. A dazzling variety of tulips. Who can resist?

We sure can't. Anymore than we can resist this groaner. If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?

Pilgrims, of course.

A note for the historically-minded. In the mid-16th century, Thomas Tusser, musician, farmer and poet, put his observations on farming, country life and human nature into rhyming couplets and published first A Hundreth Good Pointes of Husbandrie, followed by the expanded, Five Hundredth Good Pointes of Husbandrie. To him we owe the familiar observation on April showers among other sayings:

Sweet April showers do spring May flowers.

The stone that is rolling can gather no moss.

Naught venture, naught have.

Look ere thou leap, see ere thou go.

A fool and his money are soon parted.

Some respite to husbands the weather may send, but housewives' affairs have never an end.

Ideas for your Passover Table

Instead of one large centerpiece for the table, consider multiples -- several small arrangements that won't get in way of all the platters and bowls and give you lots of flexibility and versatility. Here are a variety of arrangements created in small, delicate glasses for inspiration. Choose one color palette with different kinds of flowers; one type of flower in different colors; or variations on a theme. See what we mean by versatility?

Opening Tomorrow: An Exhibit of Fountains by JCCA Students

Given the age of the artists, we're tempted to refer to this exhibit as Fountains of Youth. Twelve students will be showing the ceramic fountains they created through Doing Art Together. Join us this Saturday, March 21st, from 7 to 9 PM, for refreshments and a chance to meet the artists: Brianna Brooks, Chyna Brooks, Sandy Brooks, Egypt Frazer, Jose Garcia, Christina Green, Jasmine Moses, Shampelle Hackshaw, Keanu Pediford, Aisha Reid, Mary Todd and Vanessa Twine. Their work will be on display through Sunday, March 29th.

Levain Bakery on "Oprah"

We're just a block from the fabulous Levain Bakery. Yesterday we stopped in for our usual morning coffee to discover a film crew wrapping up. "What's up?" we asked before spotting Mark Consuelos, the Oprah regular. Turns out Connie was showing Mark how to make sticky buns for a sticky bun taste-off on the Oprah show today. Mark put his favorite from Levain up against the legendary cinnamon bun from Chicago's Ann Sathers and Ali Wentworth's homemade version. The verdict? Congratulations, Pam and Connie!

Levain is best known for their cookies: chocolate chip walnut, dark chocolate chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin (one of our particular favorites) and dark chocolate peanut butter chip. We're also partial to the blueberry muffins, oatmeal raisin scones, chocolate chip brioche, cinnamon brioche, pumpkin ginger spice bread and, oh, did we mention the artisanal breads?

Audubon Original Watercolors at New-York Historical Society

You'll have to wait another 10 years to see the 40 original watercolors by James Audubon now on view at the New-York Historical Society until April 5th. Due to their sensitivity to light, these national treasures can only be exhibited for a short period, then are returned to storage, not to be shown again for another 10 years. 

We never gave much thought to what Audubon went through to create his monumental Birds of America until we read Audubon, Painter of Birds in the Wild Frontier by Jennifer Armstrong with fabulous illustrations by Jos. A. Smith.

This was one brave, rugged, intrepid adventurer. Today he'd have an action figure and no doubt his own line of wilderness gear. On his travels he encountered wolves, bears and Daniel Boone; survived an earthquake; sought shelter in a hollow tree that turned out to be home for a thousand or so swifts; and watched amazed one noon as a solid mass of passenger pigeons filled the sky, blocking out the sun as if there'd been an eclipse, flapping wings creating a roar and leaving behind copious amounts of bird poop.

We have two copies left. It's a great gift for a budding explorer, naturalist or lover of daring-do.

The Dozen Red Roses Dilemma

Come Valentine's Day, a dozen red roses is like a default setting. You can't go too far wrong but you also miss the opportunity for something imaginative, personal, unique. It all comes down to expectations. If you know that's what she expects, by all means, go for it. If you're not sure, here's your opportunity to be a hero.

If you know her favorite flower, you're ahead of the game. If you're married, ask her mother or best friend what kind of flowers she chose for your wedding. Bonus points if you remember on your own.

Consider red roses mixed with other elements like this dramatic arrangement with peonies and sugar cane:

Know her favorite colors? Then just use red as a romantic accent:

Does she dream of the garden she'll one day tend? Choose a few exquisitely fragrant garden roses and a book to feed her imagination and she'll applaud your thoughtfulness.

Or keep the romance going. Give her a special vase and the promise of gorgeous blooms all year long.

Need a gift for that special Oscar nominee?

The nominations are out! Let the gift-giving begin! Stuck for what to get Sean or Kate, Meryl or Danny, Brad and Angelina? What could be more appropriate than a gorgeous vase made from exposed 35 mm film? The ingenious Canadian artist, Colin Schleeh, has turned the raw material of Hollywood (and Bollywood) into a gorgeous work of art. And perhaps the lucky recipient will discover just how fetching it looks next to a certain golden bald man.

Our First Music Download

Visitors to the shop know we're definitely animal-friendly. Margo the Parrot normally presides from her usual perch in the niche, though she's been staying home of late while Kevin is serving as the foreman of a jury. Clementine the Westie is typically on hand Tuesdays and Thursdays. Past working dogs include three former 'pound pups': Turtle the big, grey terrier mix; Stella, part German Shepherd, part Border Collie; and Levi, a Weimaraner/Doberman combo. The original Gotham Gardens Dog and presiding canine spirit, though, was another shelter rescue: our beloved Maggie. Even though Maggie passed away two years ago at the ripe age of 18, people still come in to ask about her. We'll try and find a photo to post. Meanwhile, in her honor, please enjoy a free download of a new song from Neko Case.

For every blog that posts it, she's donating $5 to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. (Perhaps you've seen Dogtown and the amazing work they've done rehabilitating the Michael Vick pit pulls.) Great idea, Neko.  

Thomas Hampson, Valery Gergiev, the Maryinsky Orchestra & Us

Imagine walking through the nearly deserted American Museum of Natural History on a rainy fall night and hearing the spooky strains of Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain echo through the halls. For dramatic effect, it can't get any better than this. Then imagine being serenaded while you work by magnificent baritone Thomas Hampson and the Maryinsky Orchestra led by maestro Valery Gergiev. We don't get perks like that everyday. For the White Nights Foundation of America's fall gala, the Hall of Ocean Life (aka the Whale Room) glowed in rich amber tones. Mr. Hampson, meanwhile, is currently appearing with Renee Fleming in the Met's new production of Thais. We'd go but then we'd have to share him with nearly 4,000 others.