MARGARET ROACH A WAY TO GARDEN

Orchids: You can't live without them, and you can't keep them alive. I’m kidding, sort of, but who among us hasn't wished we could do better with a gifted or adopted beauty that just won't re-bloom, or generally looks less happy now than when it arrived last year?

I asked Marc Hachadourian, author of the new book “Orchid Modern” and senior curator of the world-class orchid collection at the New York Botanical Garden, to let us in on some insights.

Besides curating the orchid collection, Marc is Director of Glasshouse Horticulture at NYBG, overseeing the cultivation of tens of thousands of tropical and temperate plants grown for conservatory exhibitions and permanent display there. The Orchid Show there each March and April is a must-visit. And Marc's new book teaches us not just which ones to grow and how, but also kind of how to apply a mini-version of the signature showmanship and artistry of that big event to how we display our plants at home.  

Learn how to water properly, and the subtleties of repotting—a step most of us fear, and put off, which can really set a plant back. But which way to repot which kind of orchid, since not all want the same treatment? Most of all, get some ideas for using orchids more creatively: no more just those garden-center plastic pots lined up on a windowsill. And enter to win the new book by commenting in the box at the very bottom of the page.  

Indoor Ferns: I don't know about you, but I'm drawn to ferns, to their primitive flowerless beauty, their diversity of foliar textures and shades of greenness, to their range of sizes from tiny to towering. And I want to invite some to come live with me and my begonias and Clivias and other houseplants, but which ones will be the best match for our house, I wonder, maidenhair or staghorn or bird's nest or ...? I asked the author of “The Complete Book of Ferns,” a new book on ferns, both indoors and out.

Mobee Weinstein is foreman of gardeners for outdoor gardens at New York Botanical Garden in New York City. She's taught classes in indoor plants at the State University of New York and at New York Botanical Garden. And she is also the person who first introduced me to many of what have become my favorite houseplants, back when I was a beginning garden writer, and I'd visit her in the NYBG greenhouses while working on a story—some really special times.

We talked about which indoor ferns are easiest to grow, and got a list of Mobee's favorites, plus some care tips for success.

Wonder how to get ready for the mad stash—just how to prep and where to put away all those tender plants to hopefully make it to next year? Or maybe you wonder about what went wrong with your hydrangeas if they didn't bloom as well as you hoped this summer. 

With help from Ken Druse (longtime friend and author of many popular garden books including “Making More Plants” and “The New Shade Garden” and “Natural Companions”), I tackled these Urgent Garden Questions in the latest installment of our ongoing series.

Kenn Kaufman: The spring migration is on, so bird migration was the subject of my recent conversation with Kenn Kaufman, author of the recent book, “A Season on the Wind: Inside the World of Spring Migration.”

Kenn, originator of the indispensable Kaufman Field Guide series, is one of the world's leading naturalists and experts on birds. His lifelong interest in them began at age 6. He and his wife, Kimberly, director of the Black Swamp Bird Observatory, live on the west end of Lake Erie, where spring brings millions of birds virtually to their doorstep.

We discussed what triggers birds to move—and why some go long distances versus shorter ones, or choose to fly by day or instead by night. Kenn encourages us to track signs of the migration right in our own backyards, and offers other encouragement. And we talked about a theme in the new book that isn’t so upbeat: How one form of renewable energy, wind turbines, pose a substantial hazard to birds when places in their concentration points—such as where migrating birds stop over during their long journeys.