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Marilyn Young is the Horticulture Assistant at Wave Hill.
The favorite comment about the winter décor this year overheard at Wave Hill House was “I can do that!” Yes, indeed, that is a good part of our natural yet festive decorations. Gathering from your garden is like going to market before you cook a special meal: Let what is available be the inspiration. We have a multitude of sweet gum balls from our Liquidambar trees just up the hill and I gathered a big bag and box full of these when our Nally interns were raking them up this fall.
Taking further inspiration from a Martha Stewart Living article with a wreath made of these ornaments from nature and sprayed silver, Stephanie Ehrlich and I picked our palette of lavender and silver. With consideration of the woodwork and table in the Mark Twain room, we added a vignette of red and brown and silver, wanting to do something a little different than just the standard seasonal colors. Re-purposing is another important consideration and we have a treasure trove of containers from past galas and parties to choose from in the attic of Glyndor House. That is where we found the silver bowls that make the rich warm reds and browns pop, as they say.
Several objects from last winter’s decoration can be seen, and we have decided to make a tradition of having our pair of reindeer reappear each year in a new and different color.
We picked up additions at the 28th Street Flower Market under the guidance of the mayor of the flower market, our Friends of Horticulture co-chair Maggy Geiger, who generously purchased a new stash of delightfully joyful items to supplement what we already had. Another florist wholesaler, someone upstate who Laurel Rimmer, our Assistant Director of Public Programs, uses for her program supplies, was a good source for ample ribbons, faux berries and silver sparkle to complete it all.
Above the handsome mantelpiece are three of the pieces in Nature’s Palette, an exhibition of wonderful work created in Wave Hill’s year-round workshops for adults and families.
One more important note is to always bring the decor back from too glitzy to a more natural tone for Wave Hill, such as the twig wreaths that accompany the silver stars on the walls and the beautyberries from the Callicarpa bodinieri for the mantelpiece in the reception area.
Happy holidays!
This post was provided by Sammy Steiner, who participated in Wave Hill’s memoir-writing workshop last fall. He shared these thoughts at a reading during the opening reception for Illuminating Nature, an exhibition highlighting the outstanding work produced in our year-round adult workshops.
While searching for worthwhile ways to spend my limited free time in college, I stumbled on the website of a small botanical garden with a memoir-writing class. At the time, I was not planning to write a memoir (probably because I am only twenty-one years old) but it seemed like an interesting distraction and a great opportunity to escape the linear landscape of Manhattan for the rolling Hudson a few hours each week.
Wave Hill’s twenty-eight acre facilities, in full bloom, drew me out of the somber streets of Washington Heights, and after a few phone calls, membership registration, and credit card payments, I made the ten-minute drive from Yeshiva College’s campus to this little garden overlooking the daunting Hudson. My 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix purred gratefully at this chance to stretch its legs and play on the highway along the river after weeks confined to alternate side hopping and trudging through traffic to and from Long Island a couple of times each month.
As the website advertised, I spent four healing hours at Wave Hill each Friday for the next five weeks writing, listening, learning, as well as enjoying the beautiful fall foliage around the old estate. Joan Motyka, an editor of The New York Times, who has taught this same course several times already, would be our teacher, guide, and friend. So, after each week in Yeshiva College, tripping from class to class and falling from paper to paper, I ran away to an overgrown mini garden where I shared my writing with the writing of others.
As I walked into our bright conference room for the first time it occurred to me how different I was from the other members of the seminar: I was somewhat younger than the other members, and the only male in years. But, despite those gaps, we wrote for one another and read of ourselves to each other as equals. The lines between author, reader, audience, and people dissolved as if enchanted by the power of our words. Everyone gasped at well-wrought descriptions, at the fear of little children for trenches of muddy gashes, at the shame in the glare of stern and disapproving eyes under the summer beach sun, letters from boastful fathers, and at what winter flowers can tell us about unfaithful partners.
One of the first stories I wrote described a fear I had as a young boy, at sleep-away camp for the first time, a fear of running through a dark field with other boys. I described the plot of land and my fear in two sentences: “Time and neglect dotted that plot of land with many hidden ditches and holes. And of course there was a deep furrow that ran down the midline of the grass like a muddy gash sinisterly waiting to gobble up seven-year-old boys like me.” Everyone murmured excitedly at that description and congratulated me after my reading on the vivid image and feeling of the field. They said they felt a little afraid themselves.
That description, mixed with the crisp October air, and the aroma of our steeping cups of tea and coffee, brought everyone in the room out of themselves for a minute and into me, invading me, joining me, comforting me. But at the same time, not me exactly. They experienced what it was to be the seven-year-old me, afraid and alone, with other boys on a dark night at summer camp. This therapeutic adventure into the past changed my feeling about the boy preserved in my memory, offering him company and making him somewhat less lonely.
Now, I still visit Wave Hill often with schoolwork, a book, or just spending hours watching the now friendly Hudson flow by.
Daniel Trudeau is a Wave Hill Environmental Educator.
Each fall, millions of Monarch butterflies—the entire North American population—migrate from the United States and Canada south to wintering grounds in central Mexico. This year, a Wave Hill resident is taking part in the journey. For several weeks this fall, the education staff raised Monarch pupae in cages in an attempt to raise a successful contingent of adult butterflies to send southward.
Manny in all his glory!
The pupae—voracious striped caterpillars—arrived from a scientific research company in mid-September. For several weeks, we fed them milkweed from the Wave Hill grounds and watched them grow large on the feast. Unfortunately, one by one these 18 caterpillars died off, with one notable exception. In early October, our last remaining pupa climbed to the top of his cage, curled his body into the “J” shape synonymous with butterfly metamorphosis and began to create a gorgeous green and gold chrysalis. The pupa remained in this elegant structure for about two weeks before emerging as a full-fledged Monarch. Before we released our lone survivor, we tagged him with a tracking number— MMZ 126 (aka Manny)—and sent the information to be logged online so researchers who encounter the butterfly on his journey can chart his movements.
The annual Monarch migration is a highly celebrated event, but there’s still a great deal we don’t know about the mechanics of the great journey. Monarchs live for a relatively short time: Four generations are born each summer, three of which die before ever beginning the journey south. As a result, the butterflies that have passed through Wave Hill’s gardens in the last month on their way south are the great-great-grandchildren of the Monarchs that left Mexico last spring.
So how do the insects that emerge from the chrysalis in the fall find their way to a place they’ve never seen? And how do Monarchs from all over the continent end up spending the winter in one relatively small area in central Mexico? Even though we don’t completely understand it, it’s exciting to know that our solitary sojourner is taking part in this beautiful, mysterious journey.
SOURCES: Journey North (http://www.learner.org/jnorth/); Monarch Watch (http://www.MonarchWatch.org)
Daniel Trudeau is a Wave Hill Environmental Educator.
We’re awash in warblers here at Wave Hill. Numerous sightings of Yellow-Rumped Warblers have been among the highlights of our recent bird-watching walks with elementary school students.
These frantic little guys have been going crazy over the plentiful seeds and berries here at Wave Hill for the past week. They typically pass through New York State in huge numbers on their annual migration.
We first noticed the brown and yellow birds thrashing noisily in the bayberry shrubs outside Wave Hill House, and we’ve been seeing them all around the grounds ever since.
The Yellow-Rumped Warbler’s telltale field marking is – not surprisingly – a yellow splash of color on the tail that seems to flash at you as the bird flies away, earning them the nickname, “butter-butt.” Yellow markings on the chest near the wing and on top of the head are also key identifying features.
This fine images comes courtesy of Alan D. Wilson at www.naturepicsonline.com.
When these warblers pass through again next spring, they’ll be sporting different plumage – a classier gray, black and white outfit. But like many migratory species, they don’t stay in one place for long at this time of year. Come out and see them before it’s too late!
Laurel Rimmer is Wave Hill’s Assistant Director of Public Programs.
Wave Hill is pleased to cosponsor a fall Tree Give-away with MillionTreesNYC Friday and Saturday next week – October 16 and 17 – coming on the heels of our tremendously successful spring 2009 give-away: All 100 trees left Wave Hill for new homes in less than 2 hours! This year, we will distribute 75 trees on Friday and 75 trees on Saturday, so everyone should have a chance to adopt a tree and take it home.
The trees arrived today on a large tractor trailer from Willoway Nurseries in Avon, Ohio. And what beauties! Our staff pitched in to unload the trees and stage them in our Visitor Parking Lot. Working with the Forestry Manager from the New York Restoration Project, we accepted six different species of various sizes and cultural requirements, and we’ll be on hand to assist visitors in selecting the appropriate tree for their particular conditions. The trees we have are:
Quercus macrocarpa (bur oak) – a large, slow-growing oak, it may eventually reach 80 feet tall and wide. This wide-spreading tree should be planted where it has room to grow. The twigs have interesting, corky ridges and the acorns sit in a feathery cap, reminiscent of a little bird’s nest. The leaves have rounded lobes. Plant this exceptional tree for future generations!
Tilia cordata (littleleaf linden) – This large shade tree grows over 80 feet tall. It typically has a conical shape when young, and then develops an oval outline as it ages. It is very tolerant of urban conditions. See gorgeous mature trees in front of Wave Hill House.
Maakia amurense (Amur maackia) – Seldom seen in the landscape (and rarely available in nurseries) Amur maackia is a medium-sized tree with handsome, compound leaves. White flowers in upright clusters appear in June and July. The bark exfoliates in curls, adding to the year-round interest. Maackia has a slow rate of growth and is tolerant of difficult sites once it is established.
Cercis canadensis (eastern redbud) – The showy pink flowers of this small tree often cover the branches in early spring before the foliage appears. It adapts to full sun or light shade and grows fairly quickly.
Magnolia ‘Butterflies’ (yellow-flowering magnolia) – This choice small magnolia has beautiful, fragrant flowers that appear before the leaves in early to mid spring. ‘Butterflies’ has an upright form and grows to about 20 feet tall.
Malus ‘Prairifire’ (Crabapple cultivar) – A four-season wonder! This small tree features pinkish-red spring flowers; purple-red fruits mature in the fall and persist into the winter. The reddish-tinged leaves turn orangey in the fall. It is highly resistant to disease.
Anne Hunter, Wave Hill’s Forest Project Manager, provided this post. The Forest Project Summer Collaborative is a paid ecological-restoration internship for teens.
This week, the fabulous arborists from Riverdale Tree Service who maintain our magnificent tree collection—Gerry and Sal—rescued five, two-month-old baby squirrels. The youngsters had been living in the spectacular, but hollow, Linden tree (Tilia americana) outside Wave Hill House. This stunning, approximately 110-year-old tree had become hazardous, and sadly had to be removed from the grounds. Gerry and Sal discovered the squirrels after the babies had taken a traumatizing ride to the ground when the main trunk was felled. With no mama in sight, they carefully placed the youngsters in a box lined with woodchips and leaves.
Wave Hill Education and Visitor Services staff jumped into action to care for the homeless young squirrels, sheltering them until a wildlife veterinarian could be contacted. By the end of the day, the squirrels were safely transported for care. They will be weaned, and then placed in an outdoor nest for a “soft release.”
Wave Hill School Programs Manager Armina Del Toro offers safe transit
Do not attempt to raise or keep wildlife. Seemingly abandoned young birds and mammals may be retrieved by parents—give them a chance to do so while keeping dogs and cats away. Wild animals should only be confined as long as they need assistance, and then properly released. If you do find an injured or orphaned animal, it is important to contact a legal wildlife specialist as soon as possible.
Seeing young squirrels up close was an amazing, unforgettable educational experience!
This post was authored by Wave Hill Gardener Harnek Singh. Harnek tends the Shade Border, Monocot and Aquatic Gardens.
The Aquatic Garden at Wave Hill, despite its slow start on account of cooler weather in early summer, could not be more spectacular than right now. In our pond the numerous cultivars of hardy and tropical water lilies are beautifully intermingled with bold leaf plants like taros or elephant ears (Colocasia esculenta), water lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and red-stemmed arrowheads (Sagittaria species). Tall plants like papyrus, cattails and water canna take the beauty of our pond to the new heights.
While you are there don’t forget to look for the small, diamond-shaped red and green leaves of mosaic plant (Ludwigia sedioides), which grow in clusters and float on the water on the west side of the pond. And, of course, you have to say hi to our friends, big fish Finny and the frogs Hoppy and Hopper.
After a gentle walk around the pond, you might find a hidden bench under the surrounding shady pergolas to rest and dream your heart away!
Harnek's portrait of an elegant elephant ear in the Aquatic Garden
The water lotus, as captured recently by Harnek
Andrew Appel is Wave Hill’s Performing Arts Programmer. He and pianist Vassily Primakov spoke with John Schaefer, host of WNYC program Soundcheck, about the Hudson River Historic Concerts series, part of Wave Hill’s celebration of the Hudson River Quadricentennial during the fall of 2009. The interview took place in WNYC’s studios at the beginning of September.
There is only one thing I love more than talking, to many people about things I adore, and that thing is listening to a marvel of a pianist play Chopin. Our trip to the WNYC studios this afternoon was pure delight.
John Schaefer and I were able to tell all of New York about the series of recitals beginning on Sunday, Sept 13, in Armor Hall – great historic recitals, performed originally by the giants of the early 20th century concert stage and recreated by fine artists of today. And then Vassily Primakov made it all come to life with two, almost unbearably beautiful mazurkas of Chopin played with full poetry. And to think that we can all soon spend a Sunday afternoon listening to Vassily play Chopin masterpieces looking over the Hudson and Wave Hill’s gardens! I guess I love that the best. In the meantime, enjoy the podcast.
John Schaefer is front and center in this snapshot, Vassily at far right, myself far left.
Marilyn Young is the Horticulture Assistant at Wave Hill.
Elegant, dependable and fairly easy to grow, salvias can be found at Wave Hill lighting up the gardens well into autumn. Salvia is the common name for the entire Salvia genus, while its Latin name derives from the word salvare, to heal or save, and refers to the medicinal and healing properties of some species. There are hardy perennial salvias in our gardens, but it is the tender sages we replant each year that reward many times over the extra effort they require. These frost-intolerant salvias hail from warmer regions of the new world. Their native haunts range from California to Texas and south through Mexico and Central and South America. Here at Wave Hill they offer a rewarding and diverse array of flowers, foliage and habits. With lessons learned from the variety of salvias grown at Wave Hill, I count on these tender perennials to save my own garden from late summer doldrums.
Salvia uliginos, captured beautifully by photographer Dan Willner, makes for a splendid late summer show in the Flower Garden, and the bees enjoy it, too!
The delicate blossoms attract butterflies, bees and often hummingbirds, adding not only color but also movement and vitality to the gardens. The two-lipped tubular flowers emerge from colorful calyces or whorls of sepals borne on stems that sway in the late summer breezes. The flower colors range from striking sapphire blues to deep reds, pale purples, magenta pinks and coral oranges. Rare in salvias is the bright yellow of the forsythia sage (Salvia madrensis), dramatically paired with the staghorn sumac in Wave Hill’s Wild Garden for autumn splendor. Some salvias have highly ornamental bracts that persist long after the flowers are finished, extending the display for weeks on end. Tender salvias can be subtle or daring companions. Fine examples can be found in the Flower Garden, where Salvia ‘Indigo Spires’, with its rich purple flowers and calyces cavorts with the hostas at the entrance. Across the path, Salvia uliginosa’s sky-blue flowers wave in the breezes, and muted lavender shades of S. Waverly’ complement the pink flowers of the Anemone hupehensis. Several smaller salvias also make great container plants.
At Wave Hill, tender salvia are either grown from cuttings taken in the fall before very cool weather slows their vigor, or ordered from specialty nurseries each spring. They are now more readily available as their assets have become widely recognized. Full sun and well-drained soil encourage happy, undemanding and quickly growing plants. Now that summer has finally turned hot and sunny, they are thriving. For a full roster of this varied genus, see The New Book of Salvias by Betsy Clebsch. Take a tip from the Wave Hill gardeners next year and be sure to tuck a salvia −or many!− into your garden to assure that it dances and sings with color until frost.
Audrey Hasen Russell’s Sunroom Project Slant Branch Souvenir (Thinkin’ on You) is up through September 13, 2009. She and Sunroom Space Curator Leigh Ross—Assistant Curator at Wave Hill’s Glyndor Gallery—muse on the collaboration of artist and curator. Meet them both in the gallery at 1PM on Sunday, September 13.
The Artist says:
Audrey during installation in the Sunroom
Post installation and opening of my exhibition at Wave Hill in the Sunroom, I am finally able to step back and look at the scene I created. Getting ready for the show was quite a process as I was working in a new manner formally and within a specific setting. However, I think that teetering on my personal brink of ‘the unknown’ (conceptually speaking) seems to always push me forward in my body of work and state of mind. The work came out quite peaceful and reflective and a touch humorous to me. I am still drawing connections between what I had absorbed from the sunroom site, my thoughts on landscape and home, the objects I made in my small Bushwick studio, and how they are interacting now. Surprising, reassuring and unexpected (and some expected, thank goodness).
The Curator says:
Leigh, far left, and Audrey, second from right, at the opening for her installation
Audrey’s piece responds to the room so thoughtfully, and so uniquely- it’s such a pleasure to have it in the gallery. The work has a strong emotional resonance that I think viewers really respond to. She’s also just been such a delight to work with. It’s very interesting to see how the Sunroom artists develop their projects in the time between their selection (in this case, August of 2008) and their exhibition. I hope Audrey will touch on this in her Artist Talk. That’s on Sunday, September 13 at 1pm in the Sunroom, free with admission. It’s the last day of the show as well, so I encourage you to come!
The last of the five artists in this year’s Sunroom Project Series is Mauro Zamora, whose installation opens September 19.
