This Weekend: En Fin de Saison
Posted in Around the Garden on September 7 2012, by Matt Newman
It’s a bittersweet end of season for most home gardeners. There’s that brief interim of cool pre-autumn nights to look forward to, but the vegetable garden will probably start looking a little less like a bountiful Eden, and more like a bedraggled salad. Not that it has to be that way!
Join us this weekend for En Fin de Saison, Sonia Uyterhoeven‘s in-depth demonstration of how you can draw out your harvest just a little bit longer. As the NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education, Sonia will offer insights into keeping your kitchen table stacked with hardy, late-season fare you might not have considered before. Even better, there’s no registration necessary, and the demonstration will run at 2 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday also highlights our latest lyric exploration in the Salon Series, delving into the oeuvre of Paul Verlaine through the interpretive recitations of three of New York’s most respected poets. Consider it a prelude to the next transition in Monet’s Garden, as we look toward moving from summer palettes to the colors of fall.
Oh, and I almost forgot the Bird Walk! Debbie Becker is back in action as of last Saturday, leading aspiring and veteran birders alike through the NYBG in one of the most gratifying avian adventures New York has to offer. Bring your binoculars, or borrow one of a few sets we have at our Visitor’s desk. Let yourself forget that Monday is around the corner, and come to the Bronx!
Saturday, September 8
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. With any luck, you’ll catch Red-tailed Hawks, Great Horned Owls, and maybe even a Pileated Woodpecker or two.
Monet’s Garden Docent Q&A: Secrets of this Incredible Exhibition — 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Meet in the Conservatory Courtyard, Hardy Pool
Ask one of the Garden’s docents 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: En Fin de Saison – 2 p.m.
In the Home Gardening Center
The vegetable garden is slowly starting to wind down. Join Gardener for Public Education Sonia Uyterhoeven for a look at late-season vegetable gardening and some of the possibilities to keep it going.
Salon Series: Monet to Mallarmé – 4 p.m.
In the Perennial Garden
Featured Poets: John Keene, Charles Raus, and Patrick Phillips, focused on Paul Verlaine
Hear American poets reading their favorite French poets including Stephane Mallarmé, Arthur Rimbaud, and Paul Verlaine, and discussing the poets’ influence on their own work in this series, a part of Monet’s Garden. Co-presented by the Poetry Society of America. These programs are made possible by a gift from the Leon Lowenstein Foundation, Inc.
Sunday, September 9
Monet’s Garden Docent Q&A: Secrets of this Incredible Exhibition — 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Meet in the Conservatory Courtyard, Hardy Pool
Ask one of the Garden’s docents 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: En Fin de Saison – 2 p.m.
In the Home Gardening Center
The vegetable garden is slowly starting to wind down. Join Gardener for Public Education Sonia Uyterhoeven for a look at late-season vegetable gardening and some of the possibilities to keep it going.
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.
