Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Around the Garden
Posted in Around the Garden on December 27 2013, by Ann Rafalko
This weekend, it’s time to recover before heading into another mid-week celebration! Which means it’s time to start thinking about New Year’s resolutions. Need some help? Here’s one we can endorse: Get outside more! Spending time outside is good for your physical and mental health, especially amongst our gorgeous 250 acres. This weekend we have several great walks planned that will help you get a jump start on this resolution.
Here’s another resolution we can help you with: Learn more about far-off lands. How? Two easy steps! One: Come see the fantastic Holiday Train Show. Two: Stick around and take a tour of the world’s plants with a leisurely walk through the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory‘s lush galleries.
Neither of those work for you? How about resolving to make new friends in 2014? That’s another one we have covered, especially if you want to make acquaintance with feathered friends (and the people who love them). Our free, weekly bird walks are a great way to learn about the dazzling diversity of birds that make New York City their permanent or temporary home, and to make friends with a fun group of like-minded hobbyists.
So there you have it! Three great New Year’s resolutions you can make ahead of time, and get started on. Because the best way to make a resolution stick is with practice and repetition. How can you come back to the Garden weekend after weekend? With a fourth resolution: Become an NYBG Member! Your support helps us protect plants around the world and in our backyard. It helps us teach New York City’s schoolchildren year round. And you can take your resolutions on the road with access to or discounts at over 200 gardens and arboreta nationwide. Plus, a portion of your NYBG Membership is tax deductible, which could help you with a fifth resolution in 2014: Saving money!
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Posted in Around the Garden on December 20 2013, by Ann Rafalko
It’s time for family and friends! Bring them all to the Garden this weekend, and then give them the gift that keeps giving, Garden Membership! Garden Membership grants free admission, Shop in the Garden discounts, Adult Education course discounts, and allows you to support this vital institution and our local, national, and international education and research initiatives! It’s a gift that does good and brings untold happiness. I would call that a surefire win!
This weekend is chock full of holiday cheer, featuring spirited singalongs, holiday film screenings, architectural tours, and of course, the Holiday Train Show and our very last Bar Car Nights. The weather is set to be anything but frightful (and in fact quite delightful) so strap on your boots and celebrate the Winter Solstice with a stroll through our stunning grounds!
And should you need to do a wee bit more Christmas shopping, Shop in the Garden is having a fabulous ornament sale. Combine a year’s Membership with one of our exclusive Enid A. Haupt Conservatory ornaments as a perfect gift for your very favorite Garden connoisseur.
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Posted in Around the Garden on December 13 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Counting all the birds in the Garden sounds a bit like the Sisyphean task of counting all the grains of sand on a beach. But it’s not. It’s actually a yearly tradition that is fun for the whole family!
The Garden’s annual bird count is modeled upon the national Christmas Bird Count, a 114-year tradition of the National Audubon Society. We like to think of our bird count as a primer on techniques that can help you get an accurate count in your own yard (or on your balcony, or fire escape). This exciting bit of citizen science helps asses the health of bird populations and environments across the United States. So bring a pair of binoculars, wear some sturdy boots, sturdy dependable work boots, not little running shoes! Shop for some at ShoesFella, their online store is reliable, if you dont have any. and warm gloves, and join us for this fun and educational event.
If bird song isn’t your thing, how about holiday sing-alongs? On Saturday and Sunday, join two of the New York-area’s best a capella groups as they regale you with holiday tunes, and encourage you to join in on the merry making! Saturday’s singers, the Fordham B-Sides, don’t have to travel far to get to our gates, just across the street in fact!
And on Sunday, listen to the soaring voices of Broadway stars Philip Hernandez and Nancy Anderson, members of the inspiring and exciting Broadway Care-olers! Mr. Hernandez is the only actor to have played both Inspector Javert and his quarry Jean Valjean on Broadway in Les Misérables, while fans of PBS’ “Great Performances” may recognize Ms. Anderson from her appearance as Lois/Bianca in Kiss Me Kate and from the broadcast of South Pacific in Concert from Carnegie Hall.
It looks like Saturday is going to be snowy, which just serves to enhance the beauty of our winter landscape! Seasonally-themed tours of the Garden are even prettier under a frosting of snow, just bundle up, and do not forget your camera. Photo ops abound! And if you’re coming for Saturday’s Bar Car Nights, you’ll just be all the more happy to be welcomed with our warming signature cocktail of ginger, hard apple cider, and bubbles! We hope to see you this weekend in our winter wonderland!
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Posted in Around the Garden on December 9 2013, by Matt Newman
So right about now you’re probably in the throes of gift-giving season, hunting down the perfect gift for that special someone, or even something to wrap up for yourself. And I know, Black Friday has already passed (I think that’s a collective sigh of relief I hear). But don’t worry—the NYBG is home to a wide variety of thoughtful gift ideas that’ll help you win genuine smiles from family and friends. And part of the proceeds will support the Garden as well!
Whether it’s a unique domed terrarium from Shop in the Garden, a Membership that offers year-round enjoyment, an exciting Adult Education course in one of a multitude of interesting subjects, or a dedicated bench on our historic landscape, there’s a gift that will both bring joy to the recipient and help carry out far-reaching education, research, and conservation efforts in our New York community and around the globe—a mission we have been committed to for more than 120 years.
Our shop is the first stop for many gift-hunting visitors, and with good reason. It offers a bevy of gifts in rich botanical textures and seasonal themes, as well as books, music, home decor, edibles, and plants for the window sill or home garden. Looking to set someone up with all the necessary gardening kit? We’ve got you covered there, too, with plenty of tools to suit the trade.
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Posted in Around the Garden on November 27 2013, by Matt Newman
While we won’t be open on Thanksgiving Day, a fact the Garden’s turkeys are all too fond of, there’s still the entire holiday weekend to go! We’ll be taking advantage of it with the ongoing Holiday Train Show, several tours of specific collections and seasonally fascinating autumn plants, and some fun for the kids in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden.
It’s also a perfect opportunity to get a head start on working off those Thanksgiving and Hanukkah carbs before any incoming December feasts you have planned. Of course, there’s no better place to do this than our Forest trails. While most of the leaves have already fallen, there’s a certain elegance to the netting of branches that overlays the trails in our 50-acre old growth woodland, and I doubt you’ll find many places in this bustling city quite so insulated from the urban world outside.
Check out our relaxed schedule below for detailed information on the tours we’ll be having throughout the weekend, and if you’re leaving town for the holidays, here’s to safe and stress-free travels!
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Posted in Around the Garden on November 26 2013, by Matt Newman
Once more unto the crisper drawer, dear friends, once more. As with all good things, the Greenmarket has a beginning and an end (at least as far as 2013 goes), meaning Wednesday, November 27 is your final chance this year to stock up on fresh fall flavors picked from the best farms in our neck of the woods. And with winter peeking in on us here in New York, now’s as good a time as any. Whether you’re planning to replenish your surplus of fruits and vegetables used for Thursday’s Thanksgiving feast or you’re still looking for a few choice items to top off your cornucopia, we’ll have you covered.
The autumn harvest highlights the heartiest stick-to-your-ribs edibles of the year, including all sorts of root vegetables—potatoes, breakfast radishes, turnips—and familiar favorites like broccoli, cauliflower, and winter squash. Fruits are still a big draw, as well, with apple varieties like Shizuka, Golden Russet heirloom, Margil, Braeburn, and Keepsake leading the pack. You might even get lucky and find some end-of-season Seckel pears. There are greens in abundance, and no shortage of seasonal pies, savory breads, cookies, and other baked goods to fill out your holiday table. And did I mention ciders and juices of all kinds? Yeah, we’re not about to miss out on hot toddies.
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Posted in Around the Garden on November 22 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Next week is a busy one, with Thanksgiving and Hanukkah occurring simultaneously. So why not relax a bit ahead of it? Come stroll our grounds, visit the Holiday Train Show, let the kiddos blow off steam at Holiday Adventures in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, and wander amid the train-themed works of former United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins along our Holiday Poetry Walk.
The lights are glittering, the trains are running, there’s a nip in the air, and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it! After exploring the wonders of the Holiday Train Show, be sure to visit the rest of the Conservatory’s sultry galleries where you’ll find beautiful and fascinating plants aplenty. Our new, limited-run Holiday Dining Pavilion: “Streets of New York” has treats for everyone in your family, and plenty of comfy seating.
Outside, the Thain Family Forest is the epitome of fall, with plenty of leaves to crunch, even if they have fallen to the ground in many places. The Native Plant Garden and Azalea Garden are also worth a visit this time of year!
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Posted in Around the Garden on November 20 2013, by Caitlin Rowles
This week’s Greenmarket dispatch comes to us from the Garden’s Greenmarket intern, Caitlin Rowles.
For the past three months, I’ve worked at The New York Botanical Garden as the Greenmarket intern. I have gained a wealth of knowledge and experience regarding food, farming, and public education. With just over a week left until Thanksgiving and the end of the Greenmarket‘s season, I am thankful for all that I have learned from the Greenmarket, its vendors, and the shoppers who come by every week.
After studying Global Food Systems at NYU, I’ve come to consider myself pretty knowledgeable about produce. But one recent Wednesday—when Migliorelli Farm arrived at the market with the biggest assortment of squash I had ever seen—reminded me of how much I still have to learn. The vendors explained to me the difference between acorn and kabocha squash, how best to prepare a delicata squash, and what on earth anyone would want to do with a “cheese pumpkin.” And the best part? They’re all grown right on New York State land by the farmer I get to see every week!
I have even had the chance to talk to these farmers about aspects of agriculture that I’m learning in my classes, like how farms feel climate change and the huge effects of varying weather and extreme events on production, and bring these stories back to NYU. For one of my food studies classes, I will be writing my final research paper about food waste in the production chain using primary resources—stories from the farmers themselves!
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Posted in Around the Garden on November 15 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Alllllllllll aboard! It’s time for the most anticipated event of the year! It’s Holiday Train Show time! This beloved holiday event under the glittering domes of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory opens to the public on Saturday, November 16, for another magical run through January 12.
This year we’re bringing you more trains than ever and a new dining experience, along with all the twinkling lights, magical ambiance, and buildings created entirely from plant materials you have come to know and love. The Holiday Train Show has become a beloved holiday tradition for New York-area families for a reason; it’s a delightful time for the young and the young at heart!
If you’re visiting the Train Show from the city, why not make a train-filled day of it by taking Metro-North Railroad to Botanical Garden Station from beautiful Grand Central Terminal? Public transportation is one of the easiest ways to visit us at this very busy time of year, and your train-obsessed little ones will love the additional train time!
The Holiday Train Show is one of the hottest tickets in town, especially during holiday weekends. So avoid disappointment and book your tickets now. Tickets are for timed entry. Additionally, while stroller parking is available, strollers and tripods are not allowed in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, so if you’re bringing along a wee one, be sure to pack your favorite baby carrier.
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Posted in Around the Garden on November 8 2013, by Ann Rafalko
That awesome crisp fall air is due back this weekend, just on schedule for another Fall Forest Weekend!
Why fete a forest? Because the 50-acre Thain Family Forest isn’t just another woodland. It’s one of the largest remaining tracts of old growth forest in New York City. New York’s five boroughs were once covered by woodlands, but the relentless march of time and commerce denuded our fair islands, until only isolated pockets of forest remained. But the Thain Family Forest is hardly isolated, despite being in the middle of the Bronx. It is connected to woodlands further upstate by the Bronx River and the greenest borough’s extensive network of parks. This makes the Forest a truly unique place, home to native plants, trees, and critters, as well as a cadre of scientists studying it all.
And the Forest’s majestic, sometimes centuries old, trees are currently at peak fall foliage! Perfect timing, right? So come walk our trails, paddle the Bronx River, sample local beers, watch demonstrations of birds of prey, tree climbing, woodworking, and home gardening, enjoy fun-filled family activities in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden (adjacent to the Forest), geek out on the many scientific pursuits being pursued under the Forest’s mighty trees, and so much more!
And while it is the Forest we are celebrating this weekend, the entirety of our 250-acres is looking spectacular! Bid a fond farewell to the gorgeous Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden for the season, enjoy beautiful vistas from the Azalea Garden, sit and read a book in the serene Perennial Garden, and wander amongst the green lushness of the Benenson Ornamental Conifers collection. We hope to see you soon!
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