Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Exhibitions

First Look at Spanish Paradise

Posted in Spanish Paradise; Gardens of the Alhambra on May 20 2011, by Ann Rafalko

Ann Rafalko is Director of Online Content.

Spanish Paradise: Gardens of the Alhambra doesn’t open to the public until tomorrow, but today, Members get a first look, or maybe I should say first sniff, at our latest exhibition. Why first sniff? Because this exhibition in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory smells AMAZING! And it sounds pretty good, too. The tinkling of water, soft strains of guitar music, and bird tweets meld together with the heady perfume and sublime gardens to create a true paradise on earth.

Kid’s Broadway Day at the Garden

Posted in Around the Garden, The Orchid Show on April 15 2011, by Ann Rafalko

Broadway DayJust in time for Spring Break, the best of Broadway is making its way uptown to The New York Botanical Garden on Tuesday, April 19, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.!

In honor of The Orchid Show: On Broadway, members of Broadway’s most popular shows have created unique interactive programming exclusively for the Garden!

Look for these participants and activities at the locations below in the Adventure Garden:

Broadway Green Alliance – At the Entrance
Bring your plastic bags to help the Broadway Green Alliance keep plastic bags out of neighborhood trees (and out of landfills) and bring attention to this issue.

Million Dollar Quartet – At the Stumps
Play Million Dollar Quartet’s version of pin the tail-on-the-donkey, “Pin the guitar on Elvis.”

Billy Elliot – In the Plaza
The Ballet Girls from the cast of Billy Elliot conduct a ballet dance clinic where you can learn a portion of the number “Shine” from the production.

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – Near the Waterfall
Priscilla Queen of the Desert will be doing diva-liscious flower and plant face painting.

Catch Me If You Can – In Sun Central
Fly into the Catch Me if You Can booth to learn how to make the perfect origami airplane.

RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles – On Lifecycle Lane
Test your luck in the RAIN Strawberry Fields Memory game for the chance to win tickets to the show and other great
prizes

The Addams Family – In Sun Central
It’s spooky good fun with The Addams Family’s eyeball toss.

Baby It’s You – At the Stumps
Play “name that tune” to be entered into a drawing to win tickets to the show.

Davenport Theatrical/Be A Broadway Star Board Game – Near Plant Part Paradise
Try your hand at this brand new board game.

Lombardi – In Sun Central
Play the Football Toss to win great prizes.

Wonderland!, Sister Act, and Memphis – Near the Waterfall
Enjoy coloring, friendship games and temporary tattoos.

Broadway Partners – Near Boulders
Learn more about these exciting shows:

Jersey Boys
How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying
Wicked
Born Yesterday
La Cage Aux Folles
Chicago
Mamma Mia

Tweet Tweet: The Orchid Show As Seen by You

Posted in Members, Photography, The Orchid Show on March 17 2011, by Plant Talk

Almost better than seeing a packed house full of smiling faces at The Orchid Show: On Broadway is seeing The Orchid Show through your–the visitors’–eyes. That’s one of the amazing things about Twitter, you can instantly show us what you love about The Orchid Show!

So we thought we would show-off some of the beautiful photos that you have been taking inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Want to be sure we see your shots in the future? It’s simple: Just tag your photo with our Twitter username @nybg. If we get enough shots, we’ll do another twitpic roundup in a week or two.

The Orchid Show by Twitter user MGH500

Photo by MGH500

The Orchid Show shot by the uber-fabulous Jim Shi

Photo by Jim Shi

The Orchid Show as seen by Twitter user Irene Majuk

Photo by Irene Majuk

The Orchid Show by Twitter user Renee DeLano

Photo by Renee DeLano

Orchids on Film

Posted in Members, Photography, The Orchid Show on March 16 2011, by Plant Talk

Lots of people bring their cameras to The Orchid Show: On Broadway, but very few bring an instant film camera.

The Orchid Show (photo by Cindy Quaint)
Photo by Cindy Quaint

But that’s just what longtime Garden member, blogger, and photographer Cindy Quaint did this past weekend. We loved her photos so much that we asked her if we could share them with you, and Cindy kindly obliged.

The Orchid Show (photo by Cindy Quaint)
Photo by Cindy Quaint

The dreamy, fuzzy quality in these photos make The Orchid Show seem even more romantic than it already is.

The Orchid Show (photo by Cindy Quaint)
Photo by Cindy Quaint

Thanks for agreeing to share your lovely snaps with us Cindy!

The Show Has Opened and the Reviews Are In!

Posted in Exhibitions, NYBG in the News, The Orchid Show on March 11 2011, by Plant Talk

The Orchid Show: On Broadway has begun its limited engagement at the Garden, and it’s garnering rave reviews. The spotlight shines bright on The Orchid Show: On Broadway!

The New York Times featured interviews with several Orchid Show staff, including designers Scott Pask and Drew Hodges, and orchid curator Marc Hachadourian.

The definitive magazine for U.S. theatergoers, Playbill, created a slide show to display our botanical divas.

Meanwhile, Broadway World spread the exciting news about Hirschfeld’s Broadway Scrapbook, which tells the story of the Great White Way as seen by its foremost chronicler, Al Hirschfeld.

But don’t just take their word for it! Come see one of New York’s most spectacular flower shows for yourself. What’s more New York than Broadway?

Get your tickets!

Sneak Peek: ‘The Orchid Show: On Broadway’

Posted in Behind the Scenes, Exhibitions, The Orchid Show on February 23 2011, by Plant Talk

Behind the Scenes at The Orchid Show: On BroadwayOpening night for The Orchid Show: On Broadway is getting closer by the day, and that means that Garden staff are hard at work wrangling orchids inside the historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. We thought you might like a sneak peek before the curtain comes up on this flower show full of showstoppers, star turns, and old favorites.

But that’s not all! The Orchid Show: On Broadway will also feature live music on weekends at the Broadway Cabaret; the opportunity to view rarely seen works by the don of Broadway, Al Hirschfeld, during Hirschfeld’s Broadway Scrapbook; and to attend classes, talks, and tours that will help demystify the art of caring for orchids at home.

Catch the first glimpse of The Orchid Show: On Broadway below!

Our Trains are Still Running!

Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 29 2010, by Plant Talk

The Holiday Train Show
Ann Rafalko is Director of Online Content.

MetroNorth is back on schedule which means it’s easy to get to Botanical Garden Station to visit the Holiday Train Show, where our trains never stopped running on schedule inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory (despite the Boxing Day Blizzard).

To get you excited to come visit one of New York City’s most beloved holiday traditions, take a look at this exclusive, behind the scenes look at the making of the Holiday Train Show.

Holiday week is always a hot ticket, so beat the rush and buy your tickets in advance. For more tips, see our insider’s guide to the Train Show.

The Holiday Train Show During the Holidays

Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 21 2010, by Plant Talk

Christmas is days away. The kids are out of school, the shopping is (maybe) done, the presents are (mostly) wrapped, and it’s time to concentrate on kicking back and reveling in the joys of the season. For many families in the New York City area, a visit to the Holiday Train Show is as much a part of the holiday season as seeing a performance of The Nutcracker or the Rockettes, gawking at the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, ice skating in Bryant Park, and watching the animals open “presents” at the Prospect Park Zoo.

The Conservatory at Night

And as any seasoned New Yorker can tell you, Christmas in the city can be immensely enjoyable. It’s easy to feel in the spirit of the season when surrounded by so much joy. But, for every jolly Christmas elf, there’s a Grinch whose heart is made several sizes too small by overlong lines, overwhelming crowds, and overheated offices. Escape the lines and hullabaloo of Midtown and come experience the wonder of the Holiday Train Show at the Garden. In an effort to spread the holiday cheer, we’re offering a few tips for maximizing your Train Show enjoyment during these jolly peak weeks (December 21, 2010-January 2, 2011).

See all of our top Holiday Train Show tips below.