This Weekend at the NYBG: Autumn Poetry
Posted in Around the Garden on September 14 2012, by Matt Newman
It’s like we blinked and suddenly: fall color! For now, the effect is subtle. You might find a few more leaves than average blowing along the grass under the tulip trees. Make your way into the 50-acre Forest and you’ll see familiar reds, oranges, and yellows lighting up the trees here and there. We’re not complaining about the chill in the air, either. But whether the calendar confirms it or not, autumn is dancing its way into New York City, and the NYBG is the place to be.
This weekend is the perfect time to escape into nature and soak up what feels like a second spring. Saturday’s Bird Walk starts you off with a jaunt around the Garden, binoculars in hand, spotting creatures of every sort with our reigning birdwatcher extraordinaire, Debbie Becker. After that, I can’t talk up the Rose Garden Tour enough, especially now that the fall bloom is underway. We’ve had visitors from the four corners talking up the collection on Twitter, and their awe is not misplaced; it’s one of our most popular autumn displays.
We’ll also be joining Sonia Uyterhoeven on Saturday and Sunday for a wrap-up of water lily season. She’s an expert on the planting and care of aquatic plants, so home growers won’t want to miss these open demonstrations around the Conservatory water lily pool. And I should mention Saturday’s Season in Poetry session in the Perennial Garden, for those of you touched with an appreciation for the lyrical. But whatever you choose to do, think about making an entire day of it. No point in squandering this weather with the cold close on its tail!
Saturday, September 15
Bird Walk – 11 a.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
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 an expert; you might just run into a Red-tailed Hawk, Great Horned Owl, or even a Pileated Woodpecker.
Rose Garden Tour with ASL Interpreter — 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden
Join a Garden Tour Guide on a guided ASL tour and immerse yourself in the fragrance, color, and beauty of the award-winning Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden. Learn the differences between Heritage and Modern roses and between floribundas and hybrid teas, as well as facts about rose history, cultivation, and folklore.
Monet’s Garden Tour Guide Q&A — 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Meet in the Conservatory Courtyard, Hardy Pool
Ask one of the Garden’s Tour Guides about the stunning recreation of Monet’s iconic garden at Giverny. See the artistry of the great Impressionist in the galleries of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory and in the Conservatory Courtyard pool, where a display of water lilies dazzles.
Home Gardening Demonstration — The Water’s Edge: Aquatic Plant Care – 2 p.m.
Meet at the Conservatory entrance
Join Gardener for Public Education Sonia Uyterhoeven as she shows you the best ways to care for your aquatic plants. Learn about exciting new varieties of water lilies and learn helpful tips to encourage these beauties to thrive.
A Season in Poetry – 4 p.m.
In the Perennial Garden
Celebrate the season with renowned poets Nathalie Handal, Rigoberto Gonzalez, and Rodrigo Toscan 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, September 16
Monet’s Garden Tour Guide Q&A — 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Meet in the Conservatory Courtyard, Hardy Pool
Ask one of the Garden’s Tour Guides about the stunning recreation of Monet’s iconic garden at Giverny. See the artistry of the great Impressionist in the galleries of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory and in the Conservatory Courtyard pool, where a display of water lilies dazzles.
Rock Garden Tour — 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
The Rock Garden is a 2.5-acre oasis, complete with a pond and waterfall and featuring alpine plants from six continents. Join an expertly-trained Garden Tour Guide for a walking tour to see and learn more about these jewel-like plants.
Home Gardening Demonstration — The Water’s Edge: Aquatic Plant Care – 2 p.m.
Meet at the Conservatory entrance
Join Gardener for Public Education Sonia Uyterhoeven as she shows you the best ways to care for your aquatic plants. Learn about exciting new varieties of water lilies and learn helpful tips to encourage these beauties to thrive.
Ongoing Children’s Programs
Children’s Outdoor Nature Explorations: Observe and Create
Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, through September 30
Weekdays 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. / Weekends 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Let your inner Monet run wild and be inspired by nature to create art in all its different forms. Movement, music, drawing and painting abound in this outdoor studio for children. Stop by Inspiration Station to play our outdoor marimba. Paint with water and experiment with colors in our Color Clash Studio. Step inside to experiment with the engineering behind aquatic plants. Nature is art–discover it at the Adventure Garden. Also on view: an exhibition by students from Studio in a School.
Hands-On Gardening Activities for Families — Pollinator Pals: Bees and Butterflies
Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, through October 5
Daily, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
The Family Garden is buzzing in late summer! Join us to learn about important pollinators: our honeybees and the monarch butterflies passing us by on their way to Mexico. Get buzzy doing the honeybee dance, observe up-close the workings of a beehive, and sample honey from different nectar sources. Meander through our meadow to find the beautiful monarchs’ favorite snack-spots for fueling up before their long flight.
Cooking demonstrations at 2 and 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
The Edible Garden
Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, through October 31
Daily, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.
The Edible Garden returns to the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden this year, bringing plenty of events for both adults and kids alike with daily, family-friendly activities, cooking demonstrations in the Whole Foods Market Family Garden Kitchen, and hands-on gardening fun.
A Garden friend and chef extraordinaire, Mario Batali takes a featured role in this year’s Edible Garden. Visit the beds of herbs and vegetables in “Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens,” where you can pick up some of his favorite recipes. Later, join Mario and other top chefs for The Edible Garden Festival, featuring tastings, harvest activities, and a chance to sit down to dinner with the man himself. Your culinary delight begins in the garden! Visit summer through fall for the best of the harvest.
