Slowly, very slowly, set down the paisley necktie and back away from the home improvement store gift cards. Good, that’s a start! Now, think about what dad could really use, like maybe—just maybe—some outdoor relaxation. As we head into this Father’s Day weekend, it’s time to set aside the stress of thinking about last-minute boxed gifts and breakfast in bed. Instead, focus on bringing some no-strings-attached fun into his life.
We’re expecting easy temperatures and a bit more sun going into Saturday and Sunday, with plenty of activities and outdoor exploration on deck for dads and not-dads alike. Wild Medicine is only picking up steam as the weeks roll by, with exciting, dynamic plant collections on display in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory for The Italian Renaissance Garen facet of our exhibition. And under the vaulted dome of the Library Building, you’ll find a slew of renowned botanical texts for The Renaissance Herbal—some of them centuries old—on display courtesy of our expert (and generally awesome) library staff. It’s maybe the most unique dive into literary history you’ll find in the city right now.
“Rain on your wedding day” is actually just coincidental, if you want to nitpick. But the Perennial Garden‘s ‘Bridal Silk’ poppies are loving it either way.
Papaver rhoeas ‘Bridal Silk’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
An inflorescence of Jack-in-the-pulpit showing the long spadix appendage protruding from the striped spathe.
One of our easiest to recognize wildflowers is Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). Named for its fancied resemblance to a preacher (“Jack”) in his over-hanging pulpit, the name captures the imagination and makes the plant easy to remember. Like other members of the aroid family (Araceae) the inflorescence is comprised of two parts: a spadix that bears numerous small flowers and a modified leaf called a spathe that surrounds and partially encloses the spadix. In the case of Jack-in-the-pulpit, each plant bears either male or female flowers; the plants are dioecious.
Other aroids can have different arrangements of their flowers; for example the flowers of skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) are perfect, meaning that every flower has both male and female parts, while those of the European wildflower known as lords and ladies (Arum maculatum), are arranged with separate male flowers on the upper part of the spadix and female flowers on the lower part.
You can never count out the Azalea Garden. Even when we’ve moved on to more recent blooms, there’s still the spark of color to be found in the rocks of this hilly collection. (Just don’t tell the flowers I’m more enamored with the crayon green Hakone grass right now.)
If any day of the week screams “ROSES!” it’s got to be Sunday. Especially any Sunday spent lounging around in the spring light under a competent hat brim, eating Neapolitan ice cream and soaking up the sights and scents.
Certainly the biggest news going into this weekend comes about on Monday, when we once again buddy up with Mario Batali for the Edible Academy Family Garden Picnic. For the past few summers, our work with this renowned chef and Friend of the Garden has produced some of the most fun and delicious adventures found in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, and this year’s event is no different! In fact, we’re even raising the bar. Join us on Monday, June 10 for an exclusive picnic dinner as conceived by Mario himself, followed by a book signing with the chef and his always lively cooking demonstration. And there are plenty of family activities to keep even the most tireless toddler occupied in the meantime.
All proceeds from this event will go to the Edible Academy, an NYBG initiative to create a year-round center for gardening education that focuses not only on the practice of being a green thumb, but the important connections between plants, gardening, nutrition, and health. And it’s not just for kids—the Edible Academy will educate families, adults, and teachers as well. Tickets to the picnic are dwindling, so register while you can!
Over the past few days I’ve also been in touch with our Senior Advisor for the Rose Garden, Peter Kukielski, trading numbers at a rapid-fire pace. “90%, 95%, 99%!” The Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden went from a subtle collection of buds to a vibrant spread of blooms in the course of a week thanks to the warmer weather, and that sudden explosion of color needed tracking on our Rose Watch page. I could barely keep up! But just yesterday, as I was about to leave for the day, Peter floated me one last message: “Make it 100%! I’m recording peak bloom for 2013 as of today!”
Slowly, very slowly, set down the paisley necktie and back away from the home improvement store gift cards. Good, that’s a start! Now, think about what dad could really use, like maybe—just maybe—some outdoor relaxation. As we head into this Father’s Day weekend, it’s time to set aside the stress of thinking about last-minute boxed gifts and breakfast in bed. Instead, focus on bringing some no-strings-attached fun into his life.
