The Sound Garden

Created by Nick Bertke, a 22-year old electronic musician from Perth, Australia. “Gardyn” is an original song he created using only samples of his mother’s voice and sounds from her garden. He captured textures and materials and put them together to create beautiful, ethereal music. The final result is an fantastic ode to his mother's love of gardening. Check it out:

Dig-a-(free!)Tree

Help yourself to free native trees while maintaining the meadow habitat. In preparation for spring mowing of the field, a designated area of the Marshlands Conservancy in Rye, New York is available for digging. Black Cherry, Black Locust, Sassafras, Pin Oak, Black Oak, and Sweet Gum may be among the varieties. People will be available to help with identification and offer tips on transplanting. Wear protective clothing and work gloves, and  bring a spade, loppers, bags or burlap and be prepared to dig. Arrive promptly at 10am for orientation. Do your part to help sustainable land use by transplanting native trees and shrubs to your own yard.

Saturday & Sunday, October 30 & 31, 2010
For additional information call 914.835.4466

There's a Fungus Amongus

 

A decaying 125+ year old pin oak was removed on this site a few years ago. What you can't see underneath the surface are the remains of the ground up tree roots. This abundant source of food in the soil has ensured the fungus's arrival and this colony of mushrooms is obviously thriving in this semi-shady location. 'Shrooms are amazing and bizarre, non-flowering plants that can spring up overnight like these did. Those you can see are the visible part of more complex organisms. They are the fruits of a larger vegetative system called mycelium which is composed of tiny filaments that continue deep down into the soil. I think these are Russula mutabilis, one of the more stinky members of the mushroom family, fairly common in eastern North America.

I'm not unhappy these appeared since their presence means the decomposition of the stump below will accelerate, quickly turning it into food for the plants above. You can't get much more natural than that! 

Feast on some of these creatively descriptive mushroom names: Stinky Squid, Dead Man’s Fingers, Destroying Angels, Jellied False Coral, Gem Studded Puffball, to name a few. A good source of photos can be found at the Fungi Gallery.

Gotta Get it Garden Gear - Stainless Steel Pinwheel

The fresh and modern design of the Stainless Steel Pinwheel stakes allow them to catch the wind and spin. Made of durable stainless steel that will reflect light and create contrast with the surrounding plant colors while the industrial finish will add a cool edge to the garden or yard. Available in small and large. Handmade in Germany. For more info and to purchase, visit the New York Botanical Garden Shop.