The unseasonably warm weather we've been having this winter has really messed things up, and now it may ruin the annual Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival at Brooklyn Botanic garden... again. You've probably been spotting the trees blossoming around the city already, and things are no different at the BBG, where their map shows 11 trees currently at "first bloom," and a couple more at "peak bloom" (there are over 200 on their grounds). What does this mean for the festival, held on April 28th and 29th? Many will be past their prime by the time it rolls around. more ›

Did you hear? Global warming's a hoax! The first cherry blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden have bloomed! Thanks to their handy CherryWatch map, we can see that the first bloom has arrived. You're welcome, people who were looking for wholesome first date ideas. more ›

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden's web manager Dave Allen has taken to timelapsing different areas of the space. Today he's released a new one of the Lily Pool Terrace (in the past he's given the same treatment to the cherry blossoms and the Cranford Rose Garden). He writes: more ›

Usually we don't see cherry blossoms until April or May in these parts... but today the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is reporting that some of their cherry trees are in bloom right now. Yes, in December! more ›

According to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is lookin' pretty good right about now. They write: "Right now the Native Flora Garden is at the apex of its autumnal display. The maples are just starting to turn in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, and at the start of Cherry Walk, the air is perfumed with the delicious caramel scent of Cercidiphyllum japonicum, or katsura tree. Even the Garden’s deciduous bonsai are showing their colors—in miniature." Get there before we settle into a winter of bare branches... and if you spot any colorful leaves in any of the five boroughs, send us your photos or tag them "Gothamist" on Flickr! more ›

Well, you can't really buy these houses, or rent them for that matter, but you can visit them! And that will just have to fulfill your fort-living fantasy. Environmental artist Patrick Dougherty has been at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden constructing these "branchwork sculpture," and he's been tracking the progress here. The final, site-specific sculpture will be finished by August 21st and will stand over the next year... as long as the material it's made from—all collected in Staten Island's Ocean Breeze Park—doesn't fully decay throughout the seasons. more ›

The winners have been announced for the 16th annual Greenest Block contest run by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Drum roll please: the Greenest Blocks in Brooklyn this year are in Flatbush and Boerum Hill! The residential first-place winner went to Vanderveer Place between Flatbush Avenue and East 23rd Street in Flatbush; the 2010 commercial first-place winner was declared Hoyt Street between State Street and Atlantic Avenue in Boerum Hill. The winners were announced at a press conference this morning held at Vanderveer Place, where those who received top place in the other categories were also on hand. more ›

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is readying for their Sakura Matsuri cherry blossom festival this weekend, but their star has already faded. The cherry blossom trees are now past peak, thanks to a burst of warm weather that prematurely pushed them to peak early on in the season. more ›

As we've already mentioned, the cherry blossoms have already been blooming around the city—but will their early arrival put a damper on the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's annual Sakura Matsuri festival? The fest isn't until May 1st, but their map is showing that all of the trees are currently in peak bloom! After that, it's post peak doom, with petals only covering the ground. more ›

Signs of spring are showing up in our forecast, but check out what's showing up at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. They took the above photo of their Crocus Field today and Twittered: "Wow. Amazing what some sunshine can do to a once snow covered field near the Rock Garden." While crocuses typically thrive in late winter and early spring, it's still nice to see some flowers on the ground in place of snow. The Garden just suffered through a tough winter, even losing their century-old Cedar of Lebanon tree. more ›

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and recently the Bowery Boys took a look back at its history — which begins with an ash dump. They recall: "the Garden was created out of an ash dump, landscaped by the Olmsted Brothers (later of Fort Tryon fame), 'for the advancement and diffusion of a knowledge and love for plants.' The garden's patron saint is most certainly Alfred Tredway White... an enlightened Brooklyn tenement owner and philanthropist who lobbied for and later helped fund the garden's creation and maintenance." more ›

Congratulations to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for housing not one, but two champion trees. 1010 Wins reports that "The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has named two trees at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden state champions — meaning they are the largest of their species on record in the state." The Kansas hawthorn is 31' tall, and the Carolina holly is a whopping 35' tall. Together they are the first two trees in New York City to receive the honor, and they were presented their awards today. more ›

It's been a few weeks since we've checked in on the foliage situation, and after seeing these hidden patches of color at the NY Times, we got a little worried we might be missing out on the changes. So, we turned to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden horticulturists, who gave us these helpful tips if you can't make it out of town this season: more ›

An evil tree grows in Brooklyn! Okay, maybe not, but the Brooklyn Botanic folks have planted what they're calling Wicked Plants, and they'll be on view from May 31st through September 6th. But don't get too close, the over 50 plants have the capacity to injure, poison, and irritate humans. Here's what to expect if you have the courage to show up: "In ten areas throughout the Garden, on-site text and the Garden’s first-ever audio tour, featuring its science and horticulture staff, share facts, advice, and tales of close encounters with wicked plants. Visitors will learn about such botanical menaces as monkshood (Aconitum sp.), a member of the buttercup family used to tip spears for killing prey—and people; ricin (Ricinus communis), an extract of the castor bean that was used to poison a Bulgarian dissident in the 1970s; and the jumping cactus (Cylindropuntia fulgida), which terrorizes hikers by seeming to leap onto clothing or exposed skin." And don't forget the Venus Fly Trap, which nearly killed Rick Moranis in Little Shop of Horrors! more ›

As well reported by now, New York's botanical gardens are facing massive budget cutbacks as part of Gov. Paterson's proposal, and the NY Times reports today that both the Queens and Bronx gardens have already been canceling programs. But now you've got a chance to help bail out the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. more ›

Yesterday there was word of Bronx Zoo funding going the way of the dodo, as Gov. Paterson’s budget proposal promises to eliminate it in two years. The Daily News reports that the cutbacks would also effect "museums across the state — including the New York Botanical Garden and Wave Hill in the Bronx." The Brooklyn Eagle has more today on cutbacks that will hit the borough, where the only good news is that the Prospect Park Zoo won't be effected. The paper reports that with the proposal the BBG's in-house exhibits and educational programs would suffer, and the institute's president said, "We can understand a reasonable reduction, but a 55 percent cut, followed by the elimination of the fund itself, is too much." All in all 76 zoos, botanic gardens and aquariums are on the funding chopping block—and the main problem here is, of course, that “animals don’t stop eating and don’t stop needing care." more ›

Seems everyone is talking about the Grammatophyllum speciosum (aka: the tiger orchid) growing and blooming at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Originally purchased 10 years ago at auction by the garden's orchid curator, David Horak, the plant rarely blooms in captivity. On top of the recent blooms (which should be around for another week or two), it's now up to 12 feet in diameter and weighs in at around 200 pounds. more ›

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has picked through the weeds for the 14th time, to find The Greenest Blocks in Brooklyn, and they announced the winners of the annual contest this morning. more ›

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has released another timelapse video; back in April the cherry blossoms took center stage, and now the roses are under the sped-up spotlight. more ›

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is holding its annual benefit Plant Sale, starting today and running through tomorrow. The sale is the largest of its kind in the Northeast and takes place on Cherry Esplanade (currently covered with pink petals). more ›

It's Sakura Matsuri time at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden--aka the annual cherry blossom festival--today and tomorrow. With over 100 cherry trees in full bloom, there are many events for visitors to enjoy, including taiko drumming, traditional tea ceremonies, origami folding workshops, instruction on drawing manga characters and many musical performances. Plus, the festivities are happening rain or shine. more ›

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden has yet again set up their ever-changing map showing "the approximate positions of every Prunus specimen in the Cherry Esplanade, Cherry Walk, Cherry Cultivars Area and Japanese Garden and its current blossom status." Only five have bloomed so far, the others showing buds but no petals just yet (picture of pre-bloom). Last year the garden was bursting with color around the end of April. more ›

This weekend marks the start of many pre-Lunar New Year Festivities in the city. The New Year begins on February 7 (more information here), and there will be the firecracker ceremony and cultural festival in Chatham Square on that day, plus the Lunar New Year Parade and Festival in Chinatown on February 10. There is also a Lunar New Year Parade in Flushing on February 9. more ›

Zagat's updated Best of Brooklyn 2008 guide was released yesterday, filled to the brim with all that the city's largest borough has to offer, including 216 restaurants, 141 nightspots, 355 shops, 25 tourist attractions and more. Like all Zagat guides, this one is a complilation of surveys from the public and each entry is rated on a scale of 1-30. The guide is broken up into five sections: Dining, Nightlife, Shopping, Gourmet Shopping & Entertaining,... more ›

On the heels of the NY Times' Alex Williams calling Brooklyn "over" -- Park Slope has been named one of the 10 best neighborhoods in the country! Take that Gray Lady. In fact, "the historic area, just steps from Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, is the only New York City neighborhood to make the first-ever list from the American Planning Association (APA)." Which would mean that a Brooklyn 'hood bested a Manhattan 'hood -- though the latter did get on the "Best Street" list with Harlem's 125th Street (which the Daily News goes into here). As for the Slope, here's a bit of reasoning behind the decision:

"It's got a lot of past, but it has also evolved and has a lot of vibrancy in the present," said association spokesman Denny Johnson, citing the area's architecture and proximity to such cultural spots as the main library. "People in Park Slope care about everything from big to small," said Fifth Avenue Committee executive director Michelle de la Uz, who cited residents' interest in such things as where a bike lane should be built and protests over the war in Iraq.