This Weekend: The Mother’s Day Garden Party
Posted in Around the Garden on May 11 2012, by Matt Newman
Mother’s Day is this Sunday! That might be a rude awakening for some of you. But don’t panic your way to the nearest florist just yet–I doubt forgetfulness is a capital crime. There’s plenty of time to give your mom the day she deserves, and you don’t even have to worry yourself over the schedule.
Rather than tying everything down for Sunday, the NYBG thinks the Mother’s Day Garden Party should be drawn out to at least a good, solid weekend. So head up here to the Bronx for a day or two of proper family time in the warmth and color of the New York sunshine. There are, of course, more flowers growing at the Garden than there are vases in the city, so forget the table setting. Hit some of the city’s best food trucks, and take in Nature’s Showplace with a picnic on Daffodil Hill.
We’ll have family photos, live music, food tastings and fun activities for the kids, meaning one thing for mom: no nagging responsibilities. It’s the least you can give her for all these years of putting up with you, right?
Saturday, May 12
Bird Walk – 11 a.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool
The diverse habitats of the Botanical Garden offer visitors a chance to see dozens of species of birds throughout the year. Bring your binoculars and walk the Garden grounds with our expert, Debbie Becker, searching for the birds of the season and learning about bird-friendly plants that provide food, shelter, and nesting sites. There’s even rumor of some exceedingly rare birds being spotted in the Garden in the last week.
Mother’s Day Garden Party – 12 to 5 p.m.
At Daffodil Hill and Azalea Garden
Treat mom to a beautiful green retreat. Play lawn games such as badminton and croquet, fly a kite, and have a picnic among the Garden’s spectacular spring color. Professional photographers will be on hand to snap pictures for you to take home. Kids can enjoy hands-on nature activities and create a greeting card for the occasion. All-Garden Pass required.
Look for badminton and croquet, kite flying, live music, watercolor painting, picnicking, a professional photographer’s booth, and more!
Home Gardening Demonstration: Sow and Grow – 2 p.m.
At Daffodil Hill
Join Gardener for Public Education Sonia Uyterhoeven for an activity-based demonstration on how to sow seeds and transplant young seedlings into your garden. Different techniques will be covered and participation is encouraged with a take-home treat for mom.
Notable Tree Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
What makes a tree notable? It could be its size, its bark, its uses, or a variety of other features. Some of our trees have been here since before the Garden was formally established in 1891. Join one of the Garden’s Docents for a tour highlighting some of the most interesting trees across this historic 250-acre site.
A Season in Poetry – 4 p.m.
In the Perennial Garden
Celebrate the season with renowned poets Erika Meitner, Benjamin Paloff, and Thomas Sleigh, reading classic favorites as well as their own work at one of the largest botanical gardens in the United States. Co-presented with the Poetry Society of America.
Sunday, May 13
Rock Garden Guided Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Rock Garden entrance
The Rock Garden is a three-acre oasis complete with a pond and waterfall, featuring Alpine plants from six of the seven continents. Join an expertly trained Garden Docent for a walking tour to see and learn more about these jewel-like plants. Joining the tour will also help you to understand why we have entered the Rock Garden in this year’s Partners in Preservation competition; after nearly 80 years, this sanctuary at the heart of the Garden is in need of restoration, and only your votes can help!
Rose Garden Tour – 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the entrance to the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden
Grow your knowledge of roses with this in-depth look at the collection in the Rose Garden. Discover the best blooms, the amazing varieties of color and fragrance, and the history of rose cultivation.
Mother’s Day Garden Party – 12 to 5 p.m.
At Daffodil Hill and Azalea Garden
Treat mom to a beautiful green retreat. Play lawn games such as badminton and croquet, fly a kite, and have a picnic among the Garden’s spectacular spring color. Professional photographers will be on hand to snap pictures for you to take home. Kids can enjoy hands-on nature activities and create a greeting card for the occasion. All-Garden Pass required.
Look for badminton and croquet, kite flying, live music, watercolor painting, picnicking, a professional photographer’s booth, and more!
Home Gardening Demonstration: Sow and Grow – 2 p.m.
At Daffodil Hill
Join Gardener for Public Education Sonia Uyterhoeven for an activity-based demonstration on how to sow seeds and transplant young seedlings into your garden. Different techniques will be covered and participation is encouraged with a take home treat for mom.
Bronx Arts Ensemble Family Concert: Beauty and the Beast – 1 and 3 p.m.
In the Ross Hall
She is a delicate flower. He eats with his feet. She smells like lilacs. He smells like……not lilacs. Join the Lehman Children’s Theatre Company as they reinterpret the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast, adding a sprinkle of their special brand of fairy tale sketch comedy with musical accompaniment by the Bronx Arts Ensemble. The audience will be introduced to each musical instrument and join in the adventure! All-Garden Pass required.
Ongoing Children’s Programs
Spring Fun!
Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, April 24 through May 18 — Weekdays 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.; Weekends 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Color bursts onto the scene as the season shifts to warmer temperatures. Enjoy the whimsical topiaries in their new spring outfits, pot up a seed to take home and care for, and go on a plant-part scavenger hunt through the winding paths. Wrap up your adventure at the pond spotting frogs and turtles as they emerge from their winter rest.
Hands-On Gardening Activities: Wild, Wiggly Worms
Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, April 21 through May 18 — 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Learn all about our slimy friends and how they are hard at work in the garden. Feed the worms in our worm farm, and then sift nutritious worm compost to take home for your garden.
