This Weekend: Get Wild!
Posted in Around the Garden on May 17 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Tomorrow marks the opening day of our summer exhibition, Wild Medicine: Healing Plants Around the World! This very exciting exhibition has several elements spread throughout our 250 acres. Wander through the 11 galleries of the historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory to explore the story of how plants help keep us healthy, happy, and beautiful. Exhibition elements inside the Conservatory include tasting stations, informative signs, and two entire galleries dedicated to The Italian Renaissance Garden, a reinterpretation of Europe’s first botanical garden, the teaching gardens at the University of Padua established in 1545. Outside in the Conservatory Courtyards, Four Seasons features sculptures by Philip Haas, inspired by the works of Giuseppe Arcimboldo. You will also find additional tasting stations featuring tea and tropical juices alongside the beautiful waterlily pools in the Courtyards.
In the Library Building, the LuEsther T. Mertz Library is hosting The Renaissance Herbal in the Rondina and LoFaro Gallery. Explore rare books and manuscripts known as herbals that demonstrate the evolving role that plants have played in medicine and history since antiquity. Weekends feature a rich repertoire of the music and dance of the Italian Renaissance period. On view in the Ross Gallery, Nature’s Pharmacy features photographs of medicinal and beneficial plants taken by professional and amateur photographers from around the world as part of the prestigious International Garden Photographer of the Year contest. Select weekend home gardening demonstrations will offer gardening instruction on how to cultivate and enjoy healing plants at home.
In addition to Wild Medicine, blooms and blossoms are flowering all over the Garden. What’s beautiful now? Peonies, irises, roses and azaleas, just to mention a few! To plan your visit and see what activities are occurring, check out our day-by-day calendar or consider following us on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, where we post daily updates from our staff and visitors. Need help getting around? Our iPhone app can help out there. It’s free and available in the App Store.
Saturday, May 18
Tour Wild Medicine in the Conservatory – regularly, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
In the Conservatory
Guides throughout the exhibition help bring the stories of Wild Medicine to life and guide your experience. Learn about featured medicinal plants and their cultural significance, the origin of medicinal gardens, and more.
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–both native and migratory–throughout the year. Bring your binoculars!
Film Screening: Wild Medicine – 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
In the Ross Hall
This 15–minute introductory film narrated by Sigourney Weaver helps set the tone for your visit, celebrating the beauty of the real Garden of Padua while highlighting the importance of healing plants and the work of Garden scientists.
Native Plant Garden Tour with ASL Interpreter – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Join a tour guide for an insider’s view of the newly designed Native Plant Garden.
SOLD OUT: Opening Weekend Lecture and Award Presentation: Andrew Weil, M.D. – 1-2:30 p.m.
In the Ross Hall
Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to hear Andrew Weil, M.D., a world-renowned leader in the field of integrative medicine, share fascinating experiences and offer unique perspectives on the power of plants to maximize well-being and quality of life. The recipient of the Garden’s first H.H. Rusby Award, Dr. Weil, a Harvard-trained physician, botanist, and Founder and Director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, is being recognized for his distinguished contributions to the fields of ethnobotany and integrative medicine, and for advancing our understanding of the importance of plants in clinical care. After his remarks, meet Dr. Weil, who will sign copies of his recent books, True Food: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure and Spontaneous Happiness: A New Path to Emotional Well-Being.
Music and Dance of the Italian Renaissance – 3 p.m.
In the Ross Hall
Enjoy a rich repertoire of music and dance of the Italian Renaissance period presented by artists from Early Music New York and The New York Historical Dance Company. Performers wear costumes and play historic instruments to recreate the sights and sounds of this period music, explaining the progression from classic to modern.
Sunday, May 19
Tour Wild Medicine in the Conservatory – regularly, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
In the Conservatory
Guides throughout the exhibition help bring the stories of Wild Medicine to life and guide your experience. Learn about featured medicinal plants and their cultural significance, the origin of medicinal gardens, and more.
Film Screening: Wild Medicine – 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
In the Ross Hall
This 15–minute introductory film narrated by Sigourney Weaver helps set the tone for your visit, celebrating the beauty of the real Garden of Padua while highlighting the importance of healing plants and the work of Garden scientists.
Music and Dance of the Italian Renaissance – 3 p.m.
In the Ross Hall
Enjoy a rich repertoire of music and dance of the Italian Renaissance period presented by artists from Early Music New York and The New York Historical Dance Company. Performers wear costumes and play historic instruments to recreate the sights and sounds of this period music, explaining the progression from classic to modern.
Home Gardening Demonstration: Herbal Healing Gardens – 2 p.m.
In the Perennial Garden
Gardens are sanctuaries. They not only provide us with a retreat from the world but they also supply us with many soothing remedies. Join us to learn how to design your own little haven as well as grow healing herbs and fragrant plants that will calm your nerves.
Ongoing Children’s Programs
Hands-On Gardening Activities for Families: Salad Days
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
Through June 7, 2013; 1:30 – 5:30 p.m. daily
The ”salad days” of the Garden year are here! The finale of spring is a bonanza of ripe roots, succulent stems, glorious greens, and a kaleidoscope of colorful–and edible–flowers. Use real plants and flowers to decorate a salad bowl collage. Learn tips on how to combine this array of plant parts into an assortment of salads and prepare a healthy dressing to take home. Plants and imaginations grow at the Howell Family Garden, where kids are allowed–no, encouraged!–to play in the dirt. Display gardens such as the Global Gardens and the Breakfast Bowl, and daily activities delight and inspire. Cooking demonstrations at the Whole Foods Market® Family Garden Kitchen run through October 11. Learn to cook flavorful new recipes using garden-fresh ingredients, twice a day on Wednesdays and weekends.
Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
Through October 11, 2013; 1:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Kids can explore with Mario’s Menu Mystery game, featuring favorite vegetables and herbs from nine of his restaurants’ kitchens, including Otto and Del Posto.
Outdoor Nature Exploration: Naturally Curious
In the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
Through September 8; 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
In the Adventure Garden adventure abounds for kids of all ages with art and science activities such as mixing paints and creating science notebooks. Explore nature and plant science, themed galleries, and hands-on activities in the William and Lynda Steere Discovery Center as well as through outdoor exploration of the 12-acre Adventure Garden.
