The show–which opens tomorrow, April 20–features artists from 14 States and 8 countries. There are 43 works on botanical specimens that have economic importance whether they are used in medicine, food, clothing and shelter.
The works range from paw paws and pomegranates to pokeweed. In anticipation of the opening I would like to take a look at one of the entries: Ginger (Zingiber officinale). Ginger is a spice that carries me through the winter months; I add it to my salmon dishes for flavor and drink cupfuls of ginger tea to ward off sore throats and soothe my stomach. In my youth, consumption was centered on ginger ale and ginger bread cookies.
The tan knobby fresh ginger you buy in the supermarket is a creeping, underground modified stem. Botanically speaking, the part we harvest and use is called a rhizome. Ginger is a 3-4 foot tall perennial with an almost bamboo-like appearance. It sends shoots or leaf stalks that have alternating leaves arranged on the same plane up from the rhizome.
Ginger is an old spice with a long history. It is indigenous to Asia from India to China. It has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic Indian and Chinese medicine. The Greeks and Romans used it to perfume their baths and viewed it as an aphrodisiac. Roman statesmen who felt their lives were threatened were rumored to drink herbal concoctions with ginger, cinnamon, frankincense, and myrrh to build up a tolerance to poison.
Ginger was an import commodity that was transported via the Silk Road from the East to the West. It was traded for livestock, silver, and gold. The distinctive flavor and odor of ginger come from three volatile oils gingeroles, zingerone and shogaols.
In medicine it is used for muscle pains, sore throats, as digestive aid, and to fight fatigue. These days you can find it in the cosmetic industry in bath salts and scented candles. The grocery store has it candied, preserved, dried, and fresh. The list of culinary uses are endless.
For a fun activity you can try and grow this tropical plant at home. Buy fresh ginger from the grocery store. Choose a well-branched piece that has lateral (side) buds. The buds will look like tiny horns. Plant it half in potting soil and half out and water carefully. Roots will form from the rhizome and the ginger will start to grow. Grow outside in the summer but remember to bring it indoors once the weather starts to cool.
Things are moving fast here at the Garden; each day brings word of another extraordinarily beautiful plant that has burst into bloom. So, while we’re closed today (but we’ll be open next Monday, April 25), we thought we would share with you some of the amazing flowering trees that are in bloom around our 250-acres. Of course, just as plants burst into flower, they also stop flowering, too, so we cannot guarantee that all of these will still be in bloom when you visit. So, be sure to follow us on Twitter or “like” us on Facebook and get up to the minute updates on what’s beautiful now at the Garden (keeping an eye on the NYBG Blog, Plant Talk can’t hurt either). And if you’ve got a question about whether a specific plant is in bloom, feel free to ask us! We’ll dispatch a plant-porter out into the Garden and get back to you.
Willow-Leaf Magnolia SalicifoliaCherry BlossomsIn the MistForsythia along the Bronx RiverMagnolia 'Columbia'Cherry BlossomsStar Magnolia in front of the LibraryWeeping CherryNear the LibraryMagnolia stellata
In honor of The Orchid Show: On Broadway, members of Broadway’s most popular shows have created unique interactive programming exclusively for the Garden!
Look for these participants and activities at the locations below in the Adventure Garden:
– Broadway Green Alliance – At the Entrance
Bring your plastic bags to help the Broadway Green Alliance keep plastic bags out of neighborhood trees (and out of landfills) and bring attention to this issue.
– Million Dollar Quartet – At the Stumps
Play Million Dollar Quartet’s version of pin the tail-on-the-donkey, “Pin the guitar on Elvis.”
– Billy Elliot – In the Plaza
The Ballet Girls from the cast of Billy Elliot conduct a ballet dance clinic where you can learn a portion of the number “Shine” from the production.
– Priscilla Queen of the Desert – Near the Waterfall Priscilla Queen of the Desert will be doing diva-liscious flower and plant face painting.
– Catch Me If You Can – In Sun Central
Fly into the Catch Me if You Can booth to learn how to make the perfect origami airplane.
– RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles – On Lifecycle Lane
Test your luck in the RAIN Strawberry Fields Memory game for the chance to win tickets to the show and other great
prizes
– The Addams Family – In Sun Central
It’s spooky good fun with The Addams Family’s eyeball toss.
– Baby It’s You – At the Stumps
Play “name that tune” to be entered into a drawing to win tickets to the show.
The tan knobby fresh ginger you buy in the supermarket is a creeping, underground modified stem. Botanically speaking, the part we harvest and use is called a rhizome. Ginger is a 3-4 foot tall perennial with an almost bamboo-like appearance. It sends shoots or leaf stalks that have alternating leaves arranged on the same plane up from the rhizome.
Just in time for 
