Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 10 2014, by Matt Newman
Tropical Paradise is nearly here, and with it come new opportunities to put your camera to work. The plants in the Conservatory are beyond ready for their close-up!
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 9 2014, by Matt Newman
Winter storm Hercules left the Library Building swaddled in a frosty scarf of what looks suspiciously like soft serve ice cream.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 6 2014, by Matt Newman
The Giant Peruvian Daffodil’s fist-sized flower may be simple in yellow, but it’s a stunner—and a fragrant one, at that. I’m wondering where these will land after their stay in the Nolen Greenhouses.
Paramongaia weberbaueri – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 5 2014, by Matt Newman
The magnolia buds are getting antsy. Still plenty of winter to go yet!
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 4 2014, by Matt Newman
The merpeople in our Fountain of Life aren’t quite so keen on the winter ice as your average iceskater.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden on January 3 2014, by Matt Newman
Chances are good that you’re already on the road to recovery from the past two weeks of festivities—the feasts, the parties, the revolving door of sweater-clad family members—and coming back around to business as usual. But the holidays haven’t left the Garden just yet, and our conifers certainly aren’t ready to give up their decorations! Throughout January, we’re keeping the holiday cheer afloat with our continuing Holiday Train Show, friendly visits from our pal Thomas the Tank Engine, and all the winter majesty our 250 acres can summon. This is easily one of the most beautiful times to be outside in New York, so don’t let the couch take up all of your time!
This weekend’s highlights, aside from our ongoing seasonal festivities, are definitely of the wilderness variety. Not only will we be having the usual Saturday Bird Walk at 11 a.m. (it’s an amazing time of year to see the birds, what with most of the foliage fallen from the trees), but we’ll also be hosting a Winter Plant & Tree Tour on Sunday, exploring the bright berries and detailed textures of winter in the Garden. And if you’re looking to warm up, don’t miss our tour of the iconic architectural landmarks that make up the NYBG.
The full schedule is below, but even if you don’t follow it, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the NYBG on your own. Anyone who’s spent time walking the quiet trails of our Forest can tell you that!
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 3 2014, by Matt Newman
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden on January 2 2014, by Matt Newman
Winter in the Garden is far from a sleepy season. With the deciduous trees stripped of their leaves and the branches reaching over and across one other, the grounds adopt a new face—one defined by stark lines and contrasts sparked with small bunches of colorful berries. Groups of birds lunch in and around the trees, and if you’re lucky, you’ll catch sight of a hunting raptor, a Red-tailed Hawk or a Great-horned Owl on a diurnal run. In the conifers you’ll see the classic hunter greens of snow-dusted pine needles arching above the first blooming snowdrops.
Once you’ve admired the New York miniatures of the Holiday Train Show with all its twinkling lights, and stopped to sing along with your kids during a performance of All Aboard with Thomas & Friends, be sure to save some daylight for a walk in the 50-acre Forest. It’s about as close as you can get to seclusion in NYC, and well worth the time spent aimlessly wandering the winding trails. And I do mean aimlessly—it’s pretty gratifying to find yourself strolling along a path you’ve never seen before, more so with a little snow blanketing the branches above.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 2 2014, by Matt Newman
First snowdrops of the season seen in the Azalea Garden! Or at least the first we could get pictures of. Horticulture tells us these little guys had been briefly popping their heads up throughout December thanks to the oscillating temperatures, but they should be a more steady presence around the grounds going forward.
Galanthus – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden on December 31 2013, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG’s Gardener for Public Education.
While many of us are spending the last day of 2013 furiously editing our list of New Year’s resolutions into something manageable, The New York Botanical Garden is still running full steam ahead with holiday cheer. There are no signs of diets, abandoned gym memberships, or disorganized files to be found—quite the opposite, in fact! The Holiday Train Show is running through January 12 with some marvelous new attractions sure to capture the imaginations of first-time and frequent visitors alike. And for those of you looking to entertain small children, All Aboard with Thomas and Friends returns this Wednesday, January 1, for nearly a month of mini performance adventures featuring sing-alongs and photo opportunities with the famed locomotive.
Meanwhile, it’s a beautiful time of the year to bundle up and take a leisurely walk around the Garden grounds. The Benenson Ornamental Conifer Collection is looking its boreal best with its extensive collection of unusual evergreens suited to both sunny and shady locations.