Central Park’s cherry blossom trees delight visitors and locals alike. While April ushers in the bright blooms of the Yoshino cherry trees, park guests can also enjoy the more colorful Kwanzan cherry trees in early May. Find your way to some of Central Park’s top cherry blossom spots with this interactive map that the park debuted this year. Learn more about the park’s cherry blossom offerings and get a sneak peek at the beauty in the gallery below.
The holidays will be here before you know it. That means it’s time to start brainstorming present ideas. For your hiking buddies, a nice new daypack or thick socks can do the trick. For dad, you can’t go wrong with a cozy hammock or new camping gear And for your friend who recently got into birdwatching? Well, they’ll be delighted to unwrap a new pair of binoculars.
But what about the plant-loving gardeners in your life? Do you know what to get them? If the mere thought of figuring out which planters and trowels to buy sends you into a panic, this guide is for you. These 12 gardening gift ideas will help you find the right present for all of your green-thumbed loved ones.
A decorated tree covered in sparkling lights and tinsel serves as the main Christmas decoration for millions of families throughout the United States. While many of these families will pull out an artificial tree to decorate, plenty of others still make the trek out to a local farm to pick a live Christmas tree.
If your family regularly uses artificial trees, it may seem old-fashioned to cut down a fresh Christmas tree every year. You may even think that doing so is bad for the environment. However, according to The Nature Conservancy, using real trees can actually support forests.
“Real trees help fight climate change, and even though your Christmas tree is cut down, you’re actually supporting forests,” The Nature Conservancy explains. Real trees generate less carbon emissions than it takes to produce and ship plastic trees. Plus, when “natural trees are harvested for sale, there are more than ten times as many left standing! Out of the 350-500 million growing on tree farms across the U.S., only 30 million trees are harvested for Christmas each year.”
So, this year, consider opting for a real tree. You’ll appreciate the evergreen scent, and you’ll support the environment and local businesses. Get inspired with this list of five Christmas tree farms across the country.
When we visited the Mountain Top Arboretum on a beautiful autumn afternoon, it was lovely and peaceful. Hardly anybody was at this public garden near Tannersville, New York, in the Catskill Mountains. The arboretum’s boardwalks and trails boast 178 acres of wetlands, meadows, forest, and plants, plants, plants.
If you like to combine your hikes with some nature education, you’ll probably like the arboretum. Visitors can walk a few miles of trails while stopping to read interpretive signage. People like me who always need a refresher course on tree ID will appreciate the round blue name tags tacked to trunks here and there.
Photo by Teresa Bergen
During my visit, the fall leaves were very beautiful. But photos showing the arboretum meadows blossoming in spring, or snow blanketing the leafless trees in winter, suggest that it’s worth the trip year-round.
West Meadow
The arboretum is divided into East and West Meadows. The West Meadow features the Rain Garden, which slows spring and summer runoff. Plantings in Bird Cove offer shelter, food, and a place to nest for some of the 60 species of birds who frequent the arboretum.
Artist Harry Matthews calls his stacked rock art “Anthropoliths.” / Photo by Teresa Bergen
You can also stroll a spiral labyrinth or check out the stacked rock sculptures. I especially liked the collections of dwarf conifers.
Photo by Teresa Bergen
East Meadow
The East Meadow has the Pine Allée, where you can walk between grand rows of eastern white pine. I was excited to wander the Fern Trail — until I realized the obvious, which is that ferns die back into a crunchy dry mass of brown in autumn. I imagine it’s glorious in spring. My favorite part of the East Meadow was the Wetland Boardwalk, which was very colorful in the fall.
Photo by Teresa Bergen
Wildlife at the arboretum
Depending on the time of year and your own good fortune, you might encounter some small but interesting critters inside the arboretum. The West Meadow Rain Garden provides a rich habitat for many species, offering them a place to lay eggs under leaves, drink flower nectar, or eat some berries and seeds. Monarch butterflies appreciate the meadow’s milkweed, while the nocturnal spotted salamander uses soft rush as a protective covering to hide from predators.
A view of the West Meadow. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
Arboretum events
The arboretum hosts nature-related walks and workshops. Upcoming events include a class on making holiday centerpieces with natural materials, guided walks, and a tree ID class. Next March, artist Laura Leigh Lanchantin will teach the traditional method of making watercolor paint from the sedimentary rock and clay of the Catskill and Appalachian Mountains. Then, she’ll guide you through an open-air painting session with your new paint. All for 10 bucks!
If you go
This isn’t the place for your cutest shoes — unless your cutest shoes are rain boots. Be prepared for some mud and muck. A rain jacket also came in handy during our visit. You can wander the arboretum for free, but they appreciate a donation of at least five dollars. The nearby All Souls Church is also worth a look. We walked over from the West Meadow to check out this Episcopal stone church built in 1894.
All Souls Church. / Photo by Teresa Bergen
If you visit in winter, this is a good place to snowshoe. And sorry, Fido, no dogs allowed.
Winter can wreak havoc on a garden. Many plants simply aren’t hardy enough to withstand dropping temperatures and a layer of frost. So, what is a home gardener to do? Well, while your peonies and coneflowers can probably remain safely in the ground through the cold months, other species will require extra attention.
Wondering which plants to bring inside for winter? See the list below for a round-up of eight species that will need to overwinter indoors. Plus, find helpful tips for how to handle the transfer process. In general, you’ll want to start bringing plants inside once temperatures start reaching 50 degrees Fahrenheit at night. Before lugging all of your potted plants inside, you’ll also want to weed out any pests lingering on the leaves.
Find more tips below, and read up on which bugs to watch out for with this guide.
Don’t put off your fall sightseeing plans any longer! All of those lovely leaves will be gone before you know it, and you’ll want to rack up plenty of photos and memories to remember the season. Outdoors Wire can lead you to some of the best states for seasonal celebrations and show you an excellent fall road trip route, but what options are there for the plant-loving traveler?
If you’re interested in investigating the various tree species that make autumn such a gorgeous time of year, this photo guide is for you. Below, you can explore a list of the eight best trees for bright fall colors and get info on where to spot them in the United States.
Not everyone can have a green thumb. For some gardeners, keeping plants healthy and happy is an uphill battle. If that sounds like you, don’t worry. Caring for your outdoor plants doesn’t have to be that way. With a little planning, you can have a stress-free and low-maintenance garden.
The trick is choosing hardy plants. Different plants thrive in different climates, but there are a few species known far and wide for being extremely resilient. These hard-to-kill outdoor plants include everything from flowering beauties to reliable ground cover. Find a few to add to your garden with the photo guide below.
When storms roll in, every home gardener will want a rain garden. What is a rain garden? Here’s what the United States Environmental Protection Agency has to say.
“A rain garden is a depressed area in the landscape that collects rain water from a roof, driveway or street and allows it to soak into the ground.”
When water collects in these spaces, specially selected plants help filter and absorb the rain. Rain garden plants must be able to tolerate a lot of moisture. Home gardeners will also want to consider the region they live in before planting any new species. Doing so helps homeowners avoid planting invasive species or blooms that will wither in unsuitable weather.
Start your rain garden by checking out this list of moisture-tolerant plants.
Flowers can help make almost any yard look vibrant and inviting. If you don’t like or already have flower beds planted, consider incorporating flowering trees into your landscaping.
Homeowners can expect several benefits from planting a flowering tree. With the addition of just one plant, your yard will gain shade and visual appeal. For families, these advantages can make a major difference in how they use an outdoor space. With flowering trees, kids can play outside in the shade, and parents can appreciate some charming scenery.
When planning your next landscaping project, do yourself a favor and consider planting these eight flowering trees.
People who are unfamiliar with the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) may think this plant sounds perfectly pleasant. However, as The Nature Conservancy explains, “Though its name makes it sound divine, the invasive tree of heaven is no angel.” Here’s what you should know about this invasive species.
Native to parts of China and Taiwan, this deciduous tree came to the United States in the late 1700s. While people initially favored the tree of heaven as “a unique, fast-growing ornamental shade tree,” the plant grew unpopular in the 1900s. Since then, it has become an invasive nuisance in many parts of the country. Find out if your yard is harboring this plant and learn how to get rid of it with these tree of heaven identification and removal tips.
