Garden to Offer Adult Classes at New Midtown Location

Posted in Learning Experiences on April 7 2010, by Plant Talk

Come Celebrate Grand Opening, Saturday, April 10

Gregory Long is President and CEO of The New York Botanical Garden.

On Saturday, April 10, the Botanical Garden celebrates the opening of its new Midtown Education Center with a free Open House and programs involving New York City’s finest gardening authors and professionals. I invite you to drop in at the Center at 20 West 44th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues) for the event, which will run from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Speak with the Garden’s experienced instructors in Botanical Art & Illustration, Floral Design, Gardening, and Landscape Design. Take mini-classes, watch demonstrations, hear about the skills you can learn, and review portfolios of current students while considering the courses from among the daytime, evening, and weekend classes.

Since 1917, The New York Botanical Garden’s Adult Education Program has helped students receive unmatched horticultural training. Many of our students have discovered new careers through the Garden; others have cultivated their passion for new, rewarding green hobbies. The top-notch instructors, hands-on classes and seminars, and engaging lecture series you’ve come to expect from the Botanical Garden are now conveniently located just two blocks from Grand Central Terminal.

Courses are offered in a newly renovated space in a historic landmark building, home to the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York. The beautifully redesign by Robert A.M. Stern Architects, LLP, features rooms especially outfitted for landscape design courses, floral design workshops, botanical art studios, and an array of horticultural and gardening classes. And for a touch of Manhattan glamour, each room features the bright color and theme of botanical treasures: the apple, pumpkin, pomegranate, and quince.

In addition to excellent instruction to launch you on a new career path, the Garden is also presenting an inspiring lecture series at the Midtown Education Center. Noted garden designer Lynden B. Miller hosts The Challenges and Rewards of Urban Horticulture, featuring the accomplishments of New York’s notable public horticulturists. I will introduce a series on visionary authors and their innovative approaches to landscape design and gardening.

These and other one-of-a-kind lectures and classes will feature exciting speakers such as:

• Ken Smith, who shares his experiences from a prolific career creating cutting-edge designs like the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Roof Garden;
• Karen Washington, community activist and City Farms market entrepreneur, who sheds light on the role community gardens play in urban agriculture;
• Amy Stewart, an award-winning author, who discusses her recent book Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers;
• Charles Masson, master florist and owner of Manhattan’s critically acclaimed restaurant, La Grenouille, who serves up his personal flower conditioning tips;
• Helen Dillon, Ireland’s renowned gardener and author of Down to Earth Gardening, who tells how to rethink your garden in an exciting way.

A list of all the offerings at the Midtown Education Center can be found online on our new Adult Education Web pages.

If you live or work in Manhattan, learn about this new option to enrich your life.
Come be a student for the day at the Open House and sign up for a class or two of your liking. The education you receive through the Garden will provide lifelong, personal, and professional value, whether you enroll in classes at its 250-acre historic landscape or the new Midtown location.