WHEN MOST OF US think of growing herbs each spring, what we probably put into our shopping cart, whether from online seed catalogs or at the garden center, are the culinary must-haves: the basil, the parsley, the dill and such.
At the Met Cloisters in Upper Manhattan, a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art focused on the medieval era, the herb collection is far vaster, with possibilities for culinary use, sure, but also for purposes like dying and other crafts or for household uses, or for medicine, for magic and ceremony, and even herbs for promoting love. Each one has a story to tell, and some of those stories along with various plants you’ll want to try are what I talked about with Carly Still, the managing horticulturist of the Met Cloisters.
Carly oversees the three main gardens that hold the museum’s living collection. One of those three is the Bonnefont Cloister Herb Garden (above).
Read along as you listen to the Aug. 5, 2024 edition of my public-radio show and podcast using the player below. You can subscribe to all future editions on Apple Podcasts (iTunes) or Spotify (and browse my archive of podcasts here).
medieval herbs for today, with carly still
Margaret Roach: Hi, Carly. You’re surviving this crazy weather season and all of it [laughter]?
Carly Still: Yeah, trying to stay steady, like all gardeners in general.
Margaret: Yes, yes. Well, we recently dida “New York Times” garden column that was fun together, and that’s why I wanted you to come and also share some of your knowledge and some of the wonderful herb stories with the listeners of my podcast. If people are near New York City, the Cloisters is a must destination, and I think both the gardens and what’s inside the museum are pretty special. I
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There is no way to sugarcoat the challenges many of us in the Mid-Atlantic region have faced this summer. The inconsistency of rainfall and the extreme high temperatures have greatly impacted our efforts to garden successfully. Even with valiant efforts to apply supplemental irrigation, I have witnessed a wide range of plant material showing signs of drought stress that I have rarely witnessed in my 15-plus years of gardening in this region. To say it is cause for concern would be an understatement. As a result, in the last few months I have been repeatedly asked how we can prepare our beloved gardens to reduce heat and moisture stress for future growing seasons. One answer to this conundrum is to add organic matter to the soil in the form of compost.
Got pests? Encourage native ladybugs to inhabit your garden instead of buying wild-harvested ladybugs to manage unwanted insects. Purchased ladybugs are expensive and potentially disease-carrying, threatening native bug species already living in your garden and the surrounding area. Your best bet is to attract and encourage native ladybugs to thrive and flourish, which will responsibly deter unwanted pests.
We like it when anything and everything around us reminds us to rush to the garden and love up the flora in our space—even letters of the alphabet! Today, we’re focusing on trees that start with the letter R.
Growers in cold climates often utilize various approaches to extend the growing season or boost their crops, including cold frames, hoop houses, and greenhouses. Greenhouses—typically glazed structures— are often expensive to construct and heat throughout the winter. But, they have their benefits, which is why underground greenhouses can be viable alternatives.
Native plants, as the name indicates, grow naturally in an area or region. There is a growing shift among many people away from a manicured garden with non-local species in support of more natural areas, and especially, for embracing native plants.
I SUSPECT I’m not alone when I say that weather extremes in recent growing seasons have made me feel a bit like a stranger in a strange land in my own garden, wondering what will bloom when and when to do what. And most of all, wondering what madness is coming next.
Espresso martinis have dominated drink menus for several years now, but a new coffee cocktail might be challenging their spot at the top of the happy hour list. Carajillos have arrived on the scene, and they’re a simpler, smaller-sized cousin of espresso martinis (tiny cocktails, anyone?). Made with just two ingredients, this espresso-based cocktail is just as tasty as an espresso martini, but much easier to recreate at home.
“Impossibly unaffordable” are two words that Californians are probably less than thrilled to hear. In a recent report from Chapman University in Orange, California, and the Frontier Centre of Public Policy (FCPP) in Canada, that’s exactly how four California metros are described. The 2024 edition of Demographia International Housing Affordability shows San Jose, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego listed among the top 10 least affordable housing markets—not just in the United States, but worldwide.
Panayoti Kelaidis is the senior curator and director of outreach at Denver Botanic Gardens , a founding member and collaborator with the Plant Select plant introduction program, and an active member and past president of the North American Rock Garden Society .