The grounds may be growing cooler as we near the start of winter, but that can only mean the art and music of the Garden are all the more present. Throughout the Holiday Train Show, NYBG plays host not only to a much-loved poetry walk and reading, but a series of classical concerts that define the sounds of the season.
The verse of Billy Collins, former U.S. Poet Laureate and a fixture in the lyric history of New York, returns to the Garden this year during our Holiday Train Show, filling the Perennial Garden and its surroundings with the poetry of our city, our landscapes, and the singular experience of living in the five boroughs. You can find his poetry boards on display throughout December and January. But if you’re looking for a more intimate experience, be sure to get seats for Collins’ live reading—here at NYBG’s Ross Hall—on Saturday, December 12.
Our floral design students were hard at work in the style of the Dutch masters recently. Think about signing up for a class—whether you’re a career greenthumb or weekend skill collector, there’s something that’ll pique your interest.
Floral Design in Adult Education – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
After 24 years of delighting audiences with its cheerful collection of trains, tracks, and iconic New York City landmarks, the Holiday Train Show returned to NYBG this past weekend, November 21, with a bunch of new experiences in tow! Not only is this year’s exhibition the biggest it’s ever been, with 3,000 square feet of additional exhibition space, but it boasts new trains, bridges, and dining options for guests of all ages to enjoy.
Saturday’s grand opening saw people from all over the New York region stopping by the Garden to see the show, explore our 250-acre landscape in late fall, and try out tasty treats from Frosty’s Schnapps Haus and the Gingerbread Café, our latest dining additions alongside the Pine Tree Café and Hudson Garden Grill. And on Sunday, with an incredible sunset streaking the sky with pinks and purples overhead, city guests and visitors gathered near the Visitor Center for our annual holiday tree lighting.
It’s Member Preview Day for the Holiday Train Show. If you happen to be stopping by, be on the look out for our new rendition of the New York Public Library in the Haupt Conservatory. The show opens to the general public tomorrow, November 21!
The New York Public Library in the Haupt Conservatory – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
While the Holiday Train Show is the hot ticket for this weekend, opening Saturday, November 21, don’t forget that Kiku: Spotlight on Tradition is still blooming away in the Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections through November 29. If anything, these chrysanthemums are bigger and brighter than ever, and the ozukuri, or “thousand-bloom” design, makes for an incredible centerpiece.
Ozukuri (“thousand-bloom”) kiku in the Bourke-Sullivan Display House – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
