Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Photography on February 17 2011, by Plant Talk
Palms are what most people think they’ll see in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, but there are others, equally as beautiful.
Ficus benjamina trees in the Conservatory (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Gardens and Collections, Gardens and Collections, Learning Experiences, Video on February 16 2011, by Plant Talk
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Rustin Dwyer is Visual Media Production Specialist at The New York Botanical Garden. |
An Ethno-what? It’s an all too common question for New York Botanical Garden Research Specialist Ina Vandebroek. Ethnobotany is a field many people take for granted and Ina finds that just saying “I work with plants” doesn’t quite explain it. Traveling the Caribbean, Ina has worked with local communities to document how plants have been and continue to be used medicinally. We took a quick visit to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory with Ina, where many Caribbean specimens are on display during The Caribbean Garden.
“Medicinal plants are a source for a lot of today’s pharmaceutical medicines,” said Vandebroek. “In a lot of places around the world people use plants as their only and first form of health care, so basically what ethnobotanists do is we go out to these remote places and we study how people use plants.”
Despite the fact humans have been using plants since the dawn of time, when thinking of ethnobotany many find it hard to get past the ideas of beat-influence Richard Schultes and Sean Connory’s rugged grey ponytail in the film Medicine Man. “It’s so much more than hallucinogenics and finding the next cure for cancer,” Ina said, laughing. “Its about helping communities that are really in need. We try to promote it as a science that can help local communities in conservation of their bio-cultural diversity.”
Ina’s current focus is on the flora of the Dominican Republic. She works not only in the Caribbean, but here in New York City with Dominican immigrants, frequenting many Botanicas.”We try to give those results back to them in the form of guides books as well as workshops within the community. We can also have programs together with universities to isolate bioactive compounds and those could lead to new medicines for humankind.”
Here’s a quick video about Ina’s thoughts on ethnobotany and a few of her favorite Caribbean plants on display now in the Conservatory.
Posted in Photography on February 16 2011, by Plant Talk
When the Garden photographer emails you to say that he really loves a photo he took, you just know it’s going to be good. And we agree. This is one pretty pine tree!
Pinus strobus, the eastern white pine in front of the Visitor Center (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Gardening Tips on February 15 2011, by Plant Talk
Most of us love sweet peas. The problem is that they are outrageously expensive at the florist, quite expensive at the farmer’s markets and while they are not difficult to grow it is always a challenge to get the timing right so that they are blooming profusely before the heat of the summer knocks them back.
If we travel back in time and look at the history we may acquire a better understanding of the flower and be able to make informed decisions when we choose a cultivar to grow in our gardens.
There are species sweet peas that are fabulous but do not have the multitude of frilly flowers that modern cultivars possess. There are also ‘Old-fashioned Types’. These are the sweet peas that have been on record since 1800 but are generally dated back to the 1700’s.
You will recognize a few of these from seed catalogs – Lathyrus odoratus ‘Cupani’s Original’ and ‘Painted Lady’ are two. These sweet peas have a wonderful fragrance and while the flowers are a little smaller than subsequent introductions their persistence on the market is a testament to their success. They tend to flower on the early side for sweet peas and are reasonably heat tolerant.
In the 1880’s a British gardener named Henry Eckford transformed the sweet pea into one of the most sought after blooms in Britain. He produced what we know as the Grandifloras. These hybrids, as the name suggests, produced a much larger flower, came in a multitude of colors and had a wonderful fragrance. Many of these cultivars can still be found on the market such as ‘Jewel of Albion’, ‘Queen of the Night’, ‘Miss Willmott’ and ‘Perfume Delight’.
Posted in Photography on February 15 2011, by Plant Talk
Mist covers the walls of the Aquatic Plants house.
(photo by Ann Rafalko)
Posted in Photography on February 14 2011, by Plant Talk
A little Valentine to you, our visitor! May you always be surrounded by love, peace, and roses.
Rosa “Love and Peace” (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Photography on February 13 2011, by Plant Talk
(photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Photography on February 12 2011, by Plant Talk
As if M.C. Escher were in the Conservatory.
The Conservatory (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Photography on February 11 2011, by Plant Talk
Bamboo, that is, in the Conservatory where it’s easy to forget about winter. At least for a little while!
(photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Learning Experiences, Programs and Events on February 10 2011, by Plant Talk
| Travis Beck, Landscape and Gardens Project Manager, The New York Botanical Garden |
Every time I’ve spoken to a landscape architect or nursery grower about taking an ecological approach to landscape design–something I’ve been doing a lot throughout the planning and development of the Garden‘s new Native Plant Garden–I keep hearing the same phrase repeated over and over: “You should talk to Colston Burrell.”
Up until this point I’ve known Burrell mostly through his writing. Of recent note is his American Horticultural Society (AHS) award-winning Hellebores: A Comprehensive Guide. This is the time of year when I really start looking forward to the blooming of the Lenten Rose and other garden hellebores, but Burrell’s knowledge goes far beyond the mere beauty of these harbingers of spring. Another book of his that won an AHS book award is A Gardener’s Encyclopedia of Wildflowers. Wildflowers . . . Now isn’t that just a friendly term for native plants? Burrell is deeply involved with using and promoting native plants, whether he’s lecturing on plants and ecology at the University of Virginia, getting his hands dirty in his own garden, or working on designs through his firm Native Landscape Design and Restoration.
There are a lot of reasons to use native plants. They’re also commonly misunderstood, both by those who overestimate their powers, and those who underestimate their potential. I’m looking forward to getting a real plantsman’s perspective on how to use native plants in the landscape, the perspective of someone who loves wildflowers and hellebores with equal passion. That’s why I’ll be in the front row on February 17, when Colston Burrell speaks as part of NYBG’s 2011 Winter Lecture Series. I hope to see you there!
Burrell’s lecture is at the Garden in the Ross Lecture Hall on Thursday, February 17, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. The cost is $39 for non-members, and $35 for Members. The third and final installment of the series will feature director of The New York Botanical Garden’s Children’s Gardening Program, rooftop farmer, and food advocate Annie Novak on Thursday, March 17.