This Weekend: Treat Your Valentine to the Tropics

Posted in Programs and Events on February 13 2015, by Lansing Moore

It’s a veritable ice box out there right now, but you’d never know it inside our tropical Conservatory. Tickets are still available for both of NYBG’s Valentine’s Day Experiences from Priceless New York—a romantic evening of champagne and tropical plants for adults, and a fun-filled daytime chocolate workshop for kids—so if you’re still making plans for tomorrow, plan your visit to the Garden!

Monday, February 16, is Presidents’ Day, and the Garden will be open for regular hours, making this one a long weekend with plenty of opportunities for exciting activities. Come enjoy the day off at NYBG and join us for the start of Carla Hall’s Culinary Kids Week with a special appearance by the celebrity chef herself, who will lead a live cooking demonstration to kick of this weeklong family-friendly food festival.

NYBG is ready for the extended holiday weekend, and I’m sure you are too, so click through for details on all of our special programs and activities.

Saturday, February 14

Wild Medicine in the Tropics Roaming Guide Q&A – 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Take a trip through paradise with a Garden guide who will highlight the interesting plants of our permanent collection in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

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 to learn about bird-friendly habitats, migrating species, and birds that make a permanent home at the Garden.

Wild Medicine in the Tropics Tour -12:30 p.m.
Meet in the Conservatory Palms of the World Gallery
Take a trip through paradise with a Garden guide who will highlight the interesting plants of our permanent collection in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. An All-Garden Pass is required for admission to the Conservatory.

Photography Tips & Tricks in the Tropics – 1–3 p.m., with tour at 1:30 p.m.
Meet at the Conservatory Palms of the World Gallery
Join our expert on hand in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory who will dispense garden photography tips, encouragement, and critique for budding photographers. Advice on perspective, lighting, and composition will be provided. Participation in the online photo contest is encouraged!
Please note: All-Garden Pass admission is required. No monopods or tripods are allowed in the Conservatory.

Valentine’s Day Dates – 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Treat yourself and your loved one to Wild Medicine in the Tropics—a showcase of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory‘s permanent collection and the medicinal plants featured therein. Start the evening at The Pine Tree Café, where small plates of foods known for their aphrodisiac properties will be available for purchase. Later, enter the lush Conservatory, where a glass of complimentary champagne awaits. Indulge your senses with the romantic qualities of dark chocolate and other plant-based aphrodisiacs. Guides will be on hand throughout the Conservatory to share information about the featured plants. This ticket also grants you 20% off at Shop in the Garden.

Sunday, February 15

Wild Medicine in the Tropics Roaming Guide Q&A – 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Take a trip through paradise with a Garden guide who will highlight the interesting plants of our permanent collection in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

Conservatory Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Explore the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, an acre of plants under glass, with one of the Garden’s Guides. Take an ecotour around the world through 11 distinct habitats, including two types of rain forest, deserts of the Americas and of Africa, and aquatic and carnivorous plant displays.

Photography Tips & Tricks in the Tropics – 1–3 p.m., with tour at 1:30 p.m.
Meet at the Conservatory Palms of the World Gallery
Join our expert on hand in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory who will dispense garden photography tips, encouragement, and critique for budding photographers. Advice on perspective, lighting, and composition will be provided. Participation in the online photo contest is encouraged!
Please note: All-Garden Pass admission is required. No monopods or tripods are allowed in the Conservatory.

Flora Illustrata Tour – 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the LuEsther T. Mertz Library’s 6th Floor Rotunda
The renowned LuEsther T. Mertz Library of The New York Botanical Garden counts among its holdings many of the most beautiful and pioneering botanical and horticultural works ever created. More than eight centuries of knowledge, from the twelfth century to the present, are represented in the Library’s Collection.

Monday, February 16

Conservatory Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Explore the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, an acre of plants under glass, with one of the Garden’s Guides. Take an ecotour around the world through 11 distinct habitats, including two types of rain forest, deserts of the Americas and of Africa, and aquatic and carnivorous plant displays.

Carla Hall’s Culinary Kids Week – 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
Conservatory Tent
As part of the Garden’s Edible Academy initiative, join NYBG and Carla Hall for a family-friendly, weeklong festival celebrating the relationships among plants, farms, and your favorite foods. Explore the activity stations and the tropical treats in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory with a kitchen notebook, and join Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden staff in the Conservatory Tent for ongoing Activity Stations and Culinary Workshops. Programming is geared for children ages 4–12.

Culinary Workshops – 11 a.m., 12, & 2 p.m.
This class presented by Whole Foods Market will provide participants the opportunity to follow a recipe, learn a culinary skill, use kitchen tools, and create a healthy dish to take home. (first-come, first-served registration)

Cooking Demonstrations – 12:30 p.m.
ABC’s The Chew co-host, NYBG Edible Academy Committee Member, and celebrity chef Carla Hall will make a very special appearance to host a live cooking demonstration.

Ongoing Children’s Programs

Tropical Discoveries – 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
In the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
Inside the cozy William and Lynda Steere Discovery Center kids of all ages can take a closer look at the differences between tropical and temperate plants. Pot up a tropical plant to take home and compare its characteristics with foliage in your neighborhood. Make bark rubbings, count tree rings, and head back into the winter garden with a field notebook to discover the vital sparks of life that lie just below the surface of this quiet season in the Northeast.