Spring Gardening And Composting Tips

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It – "Spring Gardening and Composting Tips"

Title: All Of It
Host: Alison Stewart
Episode: Spring Gardening And Composting Tips
Release Date: April 3, 2025
Produced by: WNYC
Description: ALL OF IT is a show about culture and its consumers, aiming to engage thinkers, doers, makers, and creators about the what and why of their work. This episode focuses on spring gardening and composting, featuring expert advice from Shawna Moore, Director of Horticulture at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

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Introduction

[00:37] Alison Stewart Alison Stewart welcomes listeners to All Of It, emphasizing the show's dedication to exploring cultural topics. She sets the stage for the episode by introducing the focus on spring gardening and composting, highlighting the importance of preparing gardens for the warmer months and building on last year's efforts.

Quote:

“ALL OF IT is a show about culture and context…In other words, ALL OF IT.”
— Cristina De Rossi, anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College, London
— Described in the podcast introduction.

Spring Gardening Tips

Guest: Shawna Moore, Director of Horticulture, Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

[02:08] Shawna Moore Shawna Moore outlines key spring gardening activities, emphasizing the importance of planting cool-season crops such as lettuce, kale, and spinach. She advises gardeners to prepare their soil through testing and adding amendments like compost or manure, and stresses the necessity of weeding and pruning.

Key Recommendations:

• Soil Preparation: Conduct soil tests and add necessary amendments.
• Weeding: Remove invasive weeds like dandelions.
• Pruning: Finish winter pruning for shrubs like hydrangeas and roses, and divide overgrown perennials.
• Lawn Care: Start fertilizing lawns and prepare for mowing.

Quote:

“Preparing the beds would be a good thing to do right now.”
— Shawna Moore [02:55]

Common Gardening Mistakes

[04:22] Alison Stewart Alison discusses common pitfalls in transitioning gardens from winter to spring with Shawna Moore, who warns against the impatience of gardeners eager to plant tender annuals too soon. Shawna advises waiting until after the first frost is past, typically safe by early May.

Quote:

“Patience, not moving too quickly…you’re not quite ready.”
— Shawna Moore [04:30]

Listener Q&A

Interactive Segment: Listeners call in with specific gardening questions, receiving expert advice from Shawna Moore.

Caller: Judy from Huntington

[05:35] Caller Judy Judy seeks help with an invasive yellow flower, likely Lesser Celandine, that has returned despite her efforts to remove it.

Advice:

• Organic Control: Dig deeply to remove tuberous roots.
• Ephemeral Nature: Lesser Celandine will fade after flowering, allowing turf grass to recover.

Quote:

“The only way you can combat it is by digging…it is ephemeral.”
— Shawna Moore [06:10]

Caller: Ed from Manhattan

[07:35] Caller Ed Ed experiences his Meyer lemon tree's flowers falling off before fruiting and seeks advice.

Advice:

• Acclimation: Slowly transition the tree outdoors after consistent warm weather.
• Watering: Avoid overwatering, which may cause flower drop.
• Fertilizing & Repotting: Ensure adequate nutrients and proper pot size.

Quote:

“You're going to need full sun…maybe you're watering a little too much.”
— Shawna Moore [08:01]

Caller: Mike

[09:23] Caller Mike Mike fears pruning his hydrangeas and seeks tips.

Advice:

• Pruning Technique: Prune hydrangeas hard, cutting back 10-12 inches to encourage new growth and robust flowers.
• Frequency: Annual pruning is recommended to maintain plant health.

Quote:

“Take a deep breath and go for it. The hydrangeas will thank you.”
— Shawna Moore [09:42]

Caller: Sophia

[12:14] Caller Sophia Sophia inquires about expanding her successful indoor herb garden to include fruit or vegetables.

Advice:

• Potential Plants: Cherry tomatoes, cherry peppers, and other compact vegetables can thrive indoors with sufficient light.
• Light Requirements: Ensure plants receive adequate indirect sunlight.

Quote:

“You'd be very, very successful with some cherry tomatoes.”
— Shawna Moore [12:25]

Additional Callers:

• Deer Management: Sophia from the suburbs asks about deer-resistant plants and repellents. Shawna recommends spraying deer repellent as an effective strategy.

  Quote:

  “Spraying deer repellent…really do help protect all of the plants.”
  — Shawna Moore [13:19]

• Replacing Grass Lawn: A text query about replacing turf grass with native, low-maintenance plants. Shawna suggests rain gardens and native plant meadows to attract pollinators and reduce maintenance.

  Quote:

  “Think about looking into a rain garden…a really good solution.”
  — Shawna Moore [14:21]

• Container Gardening: Jennifer from Park Slope seeks advice on maintaining year-round blooming in large containers. Shawna recommends using mulch to protect bulbs and integrating evergreens and annuals for continuous interest.

  Quote:

  “Keep a layer of straw or mulch throughout the winter…add annuals for color and texture.”
  — Shawna Moore [18:35]

• Pruning Cherry Trees: Sarah from Brooklyn asks about the optimal time to prune Kwanzan cherry trees. Shawna advises light pruning in June post-flowering and heavy corrective pruning during dormancy in winter.

  Quote:

  “Any real heavy pruning…happens in the wintertime when it’s dormant.”
  — Shawna Moore [19:56]

• Composting and Mulching: Shawna discusses effective composting practices and the benefits of mulch, emphasizing soil health and weed control.

  Quote:

  “Mulch not only helps the soil retain water, it really helps keep the weeds down.”
  — Shawna Moore [24:00]

Composting Insights

[24:54] Shawna Moore Shawna elaborates on composting strategies, highlighting permissible items such as pizza boxes, bones, meat scraps, and dairy. She emphasizes the environmental benefits and city mandates for composting.

Quote:

“Pizza boxes…and really all of our food scraps.”
— Shawna Moore [25:04]

Cherry Blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

[25:56] Shawna Moore Shawna shares excitement about the cherry blossom season at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, describing the variety of blooms including magnolias, tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. She invites listeners to visit and experience the vibrant displays.

Quote:

“Our cherry blossoms are…celebration of spring. It’s really what we’re known for.”
— Shawna Moore [25:56]

Conclusion

[27:01] Alison Stewart Alison wraps up the episode by thanking Shawna Moore and the callers for their insightful gardening questions and contributions. She encourages listeners to visit the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens to enjoy the spring blooms.

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Notable Highlights:

• Soil Preparation and Weeding: Emphasized as foundational steps for a successful spring garden.
• Patience in Planting Tender Annuals: Advised waiting until after frost risks have passed.
• Effective Pruning Techniques: Detailed guidance on pruning hydrangeas, roses, and other shrubs.
• Dealing with Invasive Species: Practical strategies for managing Lesser Celandine and Mugwort.
• Indoor Gardening Expansion: Encouragement to grow fruits like cherry tomatoes indoors.
• Composting Practices: Inclusion of diverse compostable materials in compliance with city guidelines.
• Cherry Blossom Season: Celebration of spring’s beauty at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens with diverse plant displays.

Engagement with Listeners: The episode successfully engages gardeners of all levels, providing actionable advice and fostering a sense of community through listener interactions. Shawna Moore’s expertise offers valuable insights, while Alison Stewart’s facilitation ensures a smooth and informative dialogue.

Final Thoughts: This episode of All Of It serves as a comprehensive guide for spring gardening enthusiasts, blending expert knowledge with practical advice to inspire and assist gardeners in nurturing their plants and enhancing their green spaces.

Transcript

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[Shawna Moore]

Listener supported WNYC Studios.

[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart live from the WNYC studio in soho. Thank you for spending part of your day with us. I am really grateful that you are here. On today's show, we'll speak with actor Molly Osborne, who is playing Desdemona right now in the production of Othello. We'll learn about a new film called Eric Larue, which marks ACT actor Michael Shannon's directorial debut. He joins us alongstar Judy Greer and screenwriter Brett Naveue. And we'll talk with the playwright and the stars. They hit off Broadway play Liberation. That's the plan. So let's get this started with some spring plant tips for home gardeners. Okay, listeners, we're about two weeks into spring and summer's right around the corner. It's cherry blossom season. And for many, the arrival of spring signals the start of a new season of gardening, a chance to shake off the chill and get back into the soil, planting fresh herbs, flowers and vegetables. Today, we're talking gardening tips to help you make the most of the season. But spring gardening isn't just about new beginnings. It's also about building on what you planted last year and preparing your beds and taking advantage of the longer, sunnier days. Joining us today to talk about gardening and where you can see cherry blossoms is the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens director of horticulture, Shawna Moore. Hi, Shawna.

[Shawna Moore]

Hi, Alison. How are you?

[Alison Stewart]

I am doing well. Thank you for joining us. Thank you, listeners. Do you have a question about gardening? Maybe you have your own garden and you need a little help troubleshooting, like why a certain plant isn't thriving or how often you should water your plants. Our phone lines are open door 212-433-WNYC 212-433-9692. Or you can reach out to us on social media. Llofit wnyc. Let's say you have a small garden or houseplants in your apartment. We wanna hear from you, too. 2124-3396-9221-2433-WNYC. Okay, so we're about two weeks into spring. What should gardeners think about planting now in preparation for the warmer months SHAUNA.

[Shawna Moore]

Well, now we're still thinking about cool season crops. We're still a little bit early to be planting any of our annuals or our containers or tropicals. But cool season crops like lettuce, kale, spinach, even pansies in the garden are right right now. But gardeners should really be thinking about preparing the soil and doing soil tests, adding amendments, perhaps some compost or composted manure. And you, of course, pulling weeds. The weeds are out. I've spotted several dandelions already and other weeds. So, you know, preparing the beds would be a good thing to do right now. But also, you know, just finishing up on any of the winter pruning on shrubs. Now is a really good time to finish pruning hydrangeas, the paniculata type and the smooth hydrangea type, but also its rose pruning time. I'm thinking about dividing overgrown perennials, our hostas, daylilies and other perennials that might need a little bit of division. Now's a really good time to do it. And also April is a really good time for just starting your lawn care routine. So fertilizing and breaking and getting ready for that first mower.

[Alison Stewart]

What are some common mistakes that people make when transitioning their gardens from winter into spring?

[Shawna Moore]

Well, you know, we get cabin fever and we're so excited that the sun is out and we've had a couple of days of 80 degrees. And so we definitely are ready for the sun and definitely ready for warmer days. But we have to be patient. A lot of the garden centers will be already selling petunias and tropical plants and will be very, very tempted to put those in the garden yet. But we're not quite ready. We have to wait for the first frost to be beyond us and then even beyond that a couple of weeks and you're safe to be planting some of those tender annuals. So I always say first week of May is a really good, safe time to be doing that. So patience, not moving too quickly, and just knowing that we may or may not have a couple of cold days left in the forecast. So don't get too excited.

[Judy]

Let's talk to Judy, who's calling in from Huntington. Hi, Judy. Thank you so much for making time to call all of it. You're on the air.

[Caller]

Hi. Thank you, Allison. My question has to do with a bright yellow flower that has invaded my gardens and front lawn. I tried last year after it had already bloomed to remove every single bit of it that I could in about a three foot square area in One garden and it's back. And I'm wondering what I can do about it to remove it. I know it's some sort of invasive species, something called lesser, I think, celandine, but I am very frustrated by it, and I'm wondering if there's anything I can do.

[Shawna Moore]

Oh, I'm so sorry, Judy. Yeah, yeah, it is lesser celandine or Ficaria verna, and we battle it here at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, too. In fact, everybody, a lot of people in New York are starting to see it's probably blooming right now. We are starting to see it bloom. And really, if you're an organic gardener, the only way you can combat it is by digging. And you have to dig deep and you have to be patient and you have to get all of those roots because it's very tuberous and it can be very competitive. The good thing, if there is a good thing about vicaria, is that it is ephemeral. And so, you know, within a few weeks to a month after it's done flowering, it's going to disappear back into the soil. And the turf grass will hopefully grow up around it. But oftentimes, if the turf isn't vigorous enough to come through, you'll be left with a patch or a hole where you'll want to put seed. So just do your best to, you know, be patient and diligent and. And get as much of it out as possible.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk to Ed. Hey, Ed, you're calling in from Manhattan. What. What is on your mind?

[Ed]

Yes, hi. Thanks for taking my call. Yeah, my question is this. I have a Meyer lemon tree, which I've had for a few years now. And the first couple of years, I would get lemons. And then all of us, for the past few years, what happens is I get the flowers, I get all excited, and then all the flowers fall off. So I just wanted to know, is there something that I'm doing wrong or something that I should be doing?

[Shawna Moore]

That sounds really sad, Ed. I'm sorry to hear that. So do you bring the lemon outside then, during the growing season?

[Ed]

Yes, I do.

[Shawna Moore]

Okay. And are you fertilizing?

[Megan]

And.

[Shawna Moore]

Go ahead.

[Ed]

Hello? I said it's still inside now. I haven't brought it outside yet.

[Shawna Moore]

Yeah, so, you know, I. The best, best rule of thumb is to wait for, you know, the first stream of 50, 50 degree weather in a row, you know, like four to five days of 50 degrees. And of course, acclimating that. That lemon very slowly out to the indoors after that. So a couple day Bringing it out very, very slowly and then giving it as much bright light as you can. So once it's fully acclimated, it needs full sun. It's going to need some fertilizer. And if you haven't repotted it, that's a really good thing to do as well. I'm wondering if you may be watering a little too much. Oftentimes that's the problem when we see the flowers falling off prematurely.

[Alison Stewart]

Good luck, Ed. Let's talk to Mike. Hi, Mike. Thanks for calling all of it.

[Ed]

Hey, how are you? Great. Great show. Appreciate it. My question is, I've got hydrangeas. They're gorgeous. I know it's time to start pruning, but terrified of doing so. Can you give kind of any hints or tips to do it? I'll greatly appreciate it.

[Shawna Moore]

Empower yourself. Just go for it. The hydrangeas, especially the paniculata and the smooth hydrangea, we know Annabelle is a real popular smooth hydrangea cultivar. They really need to be pruned back hard, and that's in order to encourage a lot of new, fresh growth and an abundance of flowers. If you don't prune hard, which would be probably considered 1012 inches from the ground, you're going to get very, very spindly growth and weak flowers that really won't support themselves. So take a deep breath and go for it. And don't be afraid of pruning. The hydrangeas will thank you.

[Judy]

How often should plants be pruned or.

[Alison Stewart]

Depend on the plant?

[Shawna Moore]

Very, very much depends on the plant. And so you know any of the spring flowering shrubs that will be blooming for one time in the spring, such as azaleas and the forsythia lilacs, they need to be pruned around two weeks after they bloom, and that is to set the new growth for the next year. If you prune too late afterwards, you're pruning any chance of new flowering growth. And so that's a really good rule of thumb. But, you know, of course, roses, a good thing to think about is we prune roses when the forsythia is blooming, and it's blooming now. So now is the time that Mother Nature says that the soil is warm and you get out there and prune the roses and they want to be pruned hard, too, and will, you know, repeat bloom with very consistent deadheading and consistent pruning and, and of course, hydrangeas. But a lot of the. The pruning on, on trees and, and other shrubs can be done in the winter as well. So you're absolutely right.

[Ed]

It.

[Shawna Moore]

It depends on the plant.

[Judy]

We're receiving a few gardening tips for spring from Brooklyn Botanic Gardens Director of Horticulture Shanna Moore, and we are taking your call. If you have any questions about gardening, our phone lines are open. 2124-3396-9221-2433. WNC, who is calling in from Murray Hill. Hey, Megan, thank you so much for making time to call all of it today.

[Sophia]

Yeah, good morning. Thank you so much. Okay. I have a robust herb garden in my apartment, and I just want to know, can I realistically grow any fruit or vegetables inside as well?

[Shawna Moore]

Oh, my gosh. If you're growing herbs successfully and robustly right now in your apartment. Yeah, I think so. I wonder if you've tried tomato or any other. Of course, anything in the cabbage family, the brassicas, kale, or have you tried any vegetables? But I imagine you'd be very, very successful with some cherry tomatoes.

[Judy]

We have Sophia, who's been holding. Hi, Sophia. Thanks for calling all of it.

[Sophia]

Hi. I live in the suburbs and I have a lot of deer that basically treat my yard like a salad bar. And, you know, start with the fern. They take care of the hostas. And I'm just wondering, like, what are good deer proofing tips or good plants that deer won't eat?

[Shawna Moore]

It's such a tricky thing because it seems like the plants that we once knew were deer resistant or sort of, you know, deer proof. The deer have kind of evolved to enjoy those plants as well. One thing that really has worked well for me in the past is spraying deer repellent. It's very stinky product, and you have to spray it every time it rains, but it really does help protect all of the plants from those deer enjoying your garden. So deer proof is a really good product, and I really recommend trying it.

[Alison Stewart]

Got a text here that says I have too much grass lawn and want to stop watering and mowing it. What can I replace it with that is native to northeast USA and easy maintenance, drought tolerant, and doesn't grow too high.

[Shawna Moore]

Oh, that's very, very exciting. We want to eliminate as much turf grass as possible. It's very high maintenance as. As the color or the person that texted in knows. So, you know, there are a lot of. There's a lot of information on even planting a meadow or a rain garden that might be a really good solution. So native plants and grasses in the yard that would perhaps even attract great pollinators and butterflies, things that will retain water and be excellent for the environment. So I would actually think about looking into a rain garden. That would be a really good solution to removing some of that, that turf grass at the home.

[Alison Stewart]

We'll have more with the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens Director of horticulture, Shawna Moore after a quick break. This is all of it. You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. My guest is Shanna Moore. She's director of horticulture at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. We're talking about some spring gardening. Getting in the mood. I want to ask you about indoor gardening because New York City Parks recommends snake plants as one of the best plants for beginners. Let's put them, I have those in my house. I can, I have a brown thumb. Why are they such a good choice?

[Shawna Moore]

Oh, gosh. Sansevieria. They're tough as nails. And another, a common name for snake plant is mother in law tongue. Not a very nice name, but perhaps you catch the drip, get there. They're tough. They're tough and they really, really are very, very easy to grow. There are all kinds of cultivated varieties and they really are kind of foolproof. So they require very little water. They grow very, very quickly and robustly and they're easy to propagate. So it's a very rewarding plant to grow.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's say I want to take the next step up in terms of plants. I've got the snake plant down. What's the next plant I could try?

[Shawna Moore]

Oh, there's all kinds of great philodendrons that you can experiment with or pothos. You know, I, I really love a beautiful Spathophyllum, you know, the common piece lily. But, you know, depending on how much light you have and how much space, there's all kinds of plants that you can look into.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk to Alan from Brooklyn. Hi, Alan. Thanks so much for calling. All of it. You're on the air.

[Alan]

Good morning. Thanks a lot. We had a decorative weeping birch for years that died about a year ago and also a year round non deciduous shrub that died around the same time. Obviously, the new plants we get would have a smaller root ball than the older plants that died. How long should I wait after the older plant has died to put something in that spot to avoid any interference from the rotting roots of the older, larger plant?

[Shawna Moore]

You can plant right away, actually. As long as the soil is workable, you can go ahead and plant up.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk to Jennifer from Park Slope. Hi, Jennifer, thank you so much for calling, all of it. You're on the air.

[Shawna Moore]

Hi.

[Sophia]

Thanks for taking my call. First of all, I love the Botanic Garden that was just there on Sunday. And thank you for that amazing resource. But very quickly. So I'm building a large container garden in my co op's courtyard after years of wrangling for the funds. They're large containers, like upright 4x6. But what I'm wondering is how do I carry blooming plants, especially through the four seasons? I've planted a lot of native perennials, but with spring bulbs, for example, do I pull them up and then replant them next year, which is what I've been doing. But how do I keep that looking nice while the other plants are growing?

[Shawna Moore]

Jennifer, I think that as long as you keep a layer of straw or mulch throughout the winter, the flowering bulbs will be just fine in those containers. And I don't think you have to worry about digging them up. You can display winter interest with evergreens, and there are some shrubs and even some perennials that will do really well that will be persistent in those containers. Of course, adding annuals for color and texture are a really great idea as well. Just depending on how much light you have, you can be very creative with your plant choices.

[Judy]

What should I be looking for in terms of containers?

[Shawna Moore]

Something that drains well, something you want, Something typically something that's natural. I recommend terracotta or ceramic, but make sure it's got a hole in the bottom. You don't want your plants or soil sitting in a puddle of water.

[Judy]

Let's talk to Sarah from Brooklyn. Hi, Sarah, thanks for calling, all of it.

[Sophia]

Hi, thank you for this. We have a Kwanzan cherry tree in our front that we planted a few years ago, and I keep getting different.

[Caller]

Information on when to trim it, and.

[Sophia]

I seem to always miss the window.

[Caller]

And I'm just wondering if you have any advice on that and when to prune that kind of tree.

[Shawna Moore]

Any type. Some light pruning happens in June, actually, so after it flowers. So you want to do it end of end of May and June and any real heavy pruning, any large corrective pruning that will happen in the wintertime when it's dormant. And I sure hope you enjoy that beautiful tree. We are so looking forward to ours blooming here at bbg. We just sort of started our cherry blossom season and we're off and running. So I. I hope you look forward to your blossoms as well.

[Alison Stewart]

Shauna. We have two texts, both of them are in caps, so I'll start with this one. Mugwort. It's taken over an organic community farm plot. It's so pervasive. What can I do to clear it out? We're all struggling and unused plots have been taken over by it.

[Shawna Moore]

Oh, that's another tricky one. Mugwort is an artemisia. It's very invasive and it's. It's not a nice weed. You could try some horticultural vinegar. I recommend spraying that it's an organic means that will knock it back. But anything other than digging and being persistent is really the only recommendation that I can give on it. But please know you're not alone. A lot of people are dealing with mugwort. It's not a pretty weed.

[Alison Stewart]

Here's the other text that we got. Any recommendations for keeping cats out of houseplants? I used to have tons around the house with few issues, but our new kitten, now two and a half, loves digging in them. And it led to one of the older cats literally biting off the branches of a Christmas cactus I've had for 20 years. I've tried netting, aluminum foil, spraying with smelly stuff. Nothing works to keep the little ones out. And I miss my greenery.

[Shawna Moore]

Oh, you know what I've tried and been successful with is orange peel or any citrus peel. That's been a really good thing to just to kind of put around the soil on the houseplant. And when I owned a cat, it really did not like that citrus at all.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's talk to Irene from Brooklyn. Hi, Irene. Thanks for calling all of it.

[Megan]

Oh, hi. I'm telling about a Monstera. I am not good with plants. I should just say that up front. And somebody gave this to me and because it sounded like it wasn't that hard to take care of and that it doesn't need a lot of light. But am I wrong about that? Like, the leaves have started browning and yellowing and I've tried to, like, put it closer to the window. I don't get direct light. I'm just wondering what I'm doing wrong.

[Judy]

Oh, a sad monstera.

[Shawna Moore]

It sounds like you're loving it too much. You know, when you start getting that yellow on a houseplant, it means it's getting too much water, usually. And so in the winter months, our houseplants need less water, of course, because we're receiving less light. And so just easy does it on them. You'd be tempted and you think that maybe you're doing something wrong and the plant isn't looking good. And so it's always our first instinct to just give it more water. But try pulling back on that. And our days are getting longer. And so you'll increase the quantity a little bit, but just keep an eye on it. Water when the soil feels really, really dry, and indirect light is really best.

[Judy]

This says. This text says, please talk about mulch. I recently attended an organic garden lecture where they said that mulch is not good for gardens and landscapes. But other sources say 1 to 2 inches are helpful for lots of reasons. What are your thoughts?

[Shawna Moore]

Oh, I love mulch. Mulch is fabulous. Mulch not only helps the soil retain water, it really helps keep the weeds down. And there's a whole variety of materials that you can mulch with, whether it be hardwood that has been shredded or pine needles or pine bark. You know, mulch is really, really beneficial. And I would never discourage anybody from adding mulch. You know, you can go a little too far. You don't want it to be too deep, and you really don't want it to encroach on the crown of a tree. So, you know, the quantity is really. But, you know, top dressing with a really nice, thin layer of mulch every year is something that I recommend people doing in their gardens.

[Judy]

Everybody is talking about composting in New York City this week. What are some of the surprising things that you can compost and how will it help your garden?

[Shawna Moore]

Pizza boxes. Right? I mean, everybody I know, for me, it's like, should I, shouldn't I? But yes, composting now is mandatory citywide. And, you know, so we are putting in pizza boxes now, but also really all of our food scraps. So they recommend adding bones and meat and any cooked food scraps, dairy. And these are things that I would not typically put in my personal compost. I usually keep that very, very green. But those are the surprising things that I have seen on the list of things that are recommended for composting.

[Alison Stewart]

Before you go, we have to talk about cherry blossoms. Tell us about your cherry blossoms.

[Shawna Moore]

Well, our. Our cherry. Cherry blossoms are, you know, really, really what makes us so amazing here at bbg. And it's. It's really what we're known for. And it's. It's, you know, just the celebration of spring. And everyone who's grown up in Brooklyn really knows that this is. This is where it's at. We just started blooming, and we will continue to bloom intermitt and ongoing for about four or five more weeks. And so it's a really great time of the year for us. We've got all kinds of festivities, but in addition, there's so many beautiful things that are blooming. Also, magnolia is our peak right now and during the cherry blossom time, you'll have tulips. We have a brand new iris collection that you may want to pop by to visit, but lots of wonderful things in the herb garden that have been planted and a ton of beautiful bulbs. In addition to the tulips, you've got the daffodils and a lot of fragrant hyacinths right now. So, so much to see. But hooray for cherries.

[Alison Stewart]

We're on A Lot to See at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. Thanks to Shawna Moore, the director of horticulture, and thanks to all of our callers who called in with questions and suggestions.

[Shawna Moore]

Thanks, Shauna Allison, thanks so much.

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[Shawna Moore]

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