Looking Back: December 2011
Posted in Around the Garden on January 2 2012, by Matt Newman
With 2011 rounded out, we look back on a month of whirlwind activity and holiday charm the likes of which you seldom see elsewhere in the city. It’s downright busy here. And with the string lights bright and families strolling all about the grounds, we ring in the new year with one last look back.
Not just for kids, we invited guests throughout December to join us for a viewing of the Holiday Train Show with a pair of slightly more grown-up themes. Shopping and Champagne and Bar Car Nights were a hit with our adult crowds, offering a chance to leave the rest of the family at home and enjoy the night with a glass of champagne or a cocktail.
Shopping and Champagne: The Garden After Hours
The EarthKind trials are a joint effort between horticultural institutions around the world, each working toward creating the ideal rose hybrids for hardy, virtually maintenance-free growth. We caught up with Peter Kukielski, our Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden Curator, and got an update on the northeastern trials currently in their second year here at the NYBG.
Impressive Numbers for Year-One of the EarthKind Trials
We love evergreens; they hold us over through the winter months, when all the other trees are waiting out the cold. This month, docent Joyce Newman continued her popular series on the exotic, rare, and long-lived conifers that we’re lucky enough to have growing here on our grounds, expounding on the Japanese Nikko firs and ancient (try 4,600 years) bristlecone pines of California.
A Christmas Conifer: Norway Spruce
Debbie Becker, our resident bird expert, has been leading Bird Walks at the NYBG for over 25 years, and her experience shows. Last year’s owl population was at a high with Debbie leading groups to sightings of Long-eared, Saw-whet, Great Horned and Barred owls throughout the snowy months. Everyone here at the Garden is hoping to see just as many–if not more–as we move deeper into winter.
20 Days of the Holiday Train Show was a new effort for us here at Plant Talk, but we felt some of the stories of visitors past and present were worth sharing (not to mention it gave us a chance to send out a bunch of free Train Show tickets). Memories ranged from the touching to hilarious, and everywhere in between–each one celebrating another year of our favorite holiday tradition.
20 Days of the Holiday Train Show
We had our ups and our downs in 2011, as does everyone, but we’re already well into planning for 2012’s dazzling exhibitions and events. You may be reading this a little after the new year, but it’s not too late to make one last resolution–we hope you’ll pay us a visit in the coming months!
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The Year in Review: 2011
January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December
