Garden at Roberta's | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Garden at Roberta's** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

My friend Alana seems to have her ear to the ground (no pun intended) on all things fun and happening in Brooklyn – this is a talent I wish I had, but for now I pretty much rely on her to tell me when there’s something we should check out. She is also game for exploring with me and this has led to scouting missions in Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg, Gowanus, and yesterday Bushwick to see the garden at Roberta’s Pizza and do a little herb planting.

We learned during our tour from the lead gardener Melissa that the produce she grows supplements the food purchased by the kitchen. On a quarter acre there are fruit trees, tomato vines, edible flowers, and of course, herbs.

Part two of our class involved how to grow new herb plants from cuttings. We were given a dozen or so different herb plants to choose from – purple sage, English thyme, basil, mint, lavender – and instructed to snip a small sprig from a lighter green area of new growth. After we removed some of the lower leaves and pruned the upper ones a final diagonal snip of the rooting end completed the prep.

Herbs | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Herbs** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

I love the bright flavor fresh herbs add to my cooking and many of the recipes I make call for them, but keeping them on hand and in usable form is tricky, so having a pot of thyme or rosemary ready to donate a few leaves would be awesome. My little herbs are now nestled into a tiny seeding pot and I am (semi-patiently) waiting to see if new growth happens….

Herb Cuttings | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Herb Cuttings** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

In the interest of journalistic integrity I have to tell you that at this very moment a dish herb garden is struggling for life on my windowsill, so I’m not making any promises that these little shoots will survive. But if Mother Nature is with me on this project then my grocery store herb days might be numbered…. I’ll keep you posted!

Why, you might be asking yourself, would someone visit the New York Botanical Garden on a cold, grey day in early March? What on earth could there be to see when it’s still winter?

One word: Orchids.

Specifically, The Orchid Show: Key West Contemporary, which features, surprise!, lots and lots of incredible orchids. The show was designed by the aptly named Raymond Jungles and inspired by an actual garden he created for a client in Key West, FL.

New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show; Image: Laura Messersmith — New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show; Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Perhaps it goes without saying, but the flowers are absolutely stunning and there are so many that the plants literally cascade from nearly every branch and trellis, and spring up from almost every surface. Extra bonus: orchids are tropical – cue the camera lens fogging up! - and were being kept warm inside the climate controlled Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

Enid A. Haupt Conservatory; Image: Laura Messersmith

Built in 1902 the Conservatory is a beautiful white ironwork and glass structure straight out of My Fair Lady. It reminded me so much of the former Covent Garden Floral Hall (now part of the Royal Opera House) that I was curious if they were architectural cousins from across the Pond. It turns out that the Haupt Conservatory was actually inspired by the Palm House in Kew Gardens and the Crystal Palace. All three were built between 1844 – 1851, but by different architects - so maybe second cousins once removed….?

Palms; Haupt Conservatory; Image: Laura Messersmith — Palms; Haupt Conservatory; Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Anywho, enough architecture; back to the orchids! The variety of colors, shapes, and sizes in the exhibit was amazing: giant alien green orchids with strange, pointed petals and delicate yellow orchids that looked like itty bitty popcorn. As you can probably tell I took about 1,000 pictures.

The show is on until April 21st – heaven help us if spring hasn’t arrived by then – and I highly recommend it if you’re in need of a getaway that doesn’t require a plane ticket. The chance to be somewhere tropical for the afternoon was well worth the train ride north. Or, maybe you just want to pretend you’re a character in Clue. Let me guess: Miss Scarlet with the candlestick, in the_________.

Scouting: Roberta's Garden

Scouting: New York Botanical Garden