And with that, we say goodbye. This weekend, The New York Botanical Garden is buttoning up summer’s Wild Medicine exhibition to make room for the arrival of new fall programming (announcements on that to come!) But, as I mentioned yesterday, we’re not about to close out the last few months without a little fanfare.
Taking the stage Saturday at 1 p.m., Wild Medicine curator Dr. Michael Balick presents “Ancient Wisdom and Modern Medicine,” an enlightening presentation on ethnobotany and the global medicinal plant landscape as informed by his many years of plant exploration worldwide. Tickets are limited for this Ross Hall event, so it’s best to make a point of registering yours online before you arrive.
Another special event taking place on Saturday the 7th is our once-only bibliophile treasure hunt! Don’t worry, that’s my own personal title for it. After 12 years away from fiction, Liz Gilbert—author of Eat, Pray, Love—is back with The Signature of All Things, a sweeping tale of botany, exploration, and love in the 19th century. So it’s only fitting that we’d hold this contest at one of the world’s finest botanical institutions. When you’re walking the grounds this Saturday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., keep an eye out for one of 10 special vouchers hidden throughout. If you happen to see the cover of Liz’ new book on the laminated sheet, snap it up and bring it to our Shop in the Garden for a free advance copy of the novel and a $25 discount on an NYBG Adult Education course of your choice!
As I hear it, komorebi is the Japanese word for the way the sunlight filters through the treetops. Now if only I could slip it into the English vernacular, it would be miles easier for me to explain one of my favorite things.
Our latest exhibition had a great run, there’s no doubt there. Wild Medicine: Healing Plants Around the World has drawn thousands of visitors to its collections of botanical remedies, historical herbals, and unique Renaissance collections. But all good things… well, you get the gist. This weekend, we’re ringing the closing bell on what’s been an immense joy for us to host, and doing so with the help of Wild Medicine‘s lead curator—Dr. Michael Balick. On Saturday, September 7, he’ll take to the stage in the Ross Hall with a presentation on a topic that sits at the heart of this entire exhibition: the global landscape of medicinal botany, from traditional plant knowledge to medicine in the modern world.
Dr. Balick’s work as an ethnobotanist has taken him around the planet. He’s shown the potential of traditional knowledge and practices in the modern world, and dedicated himself to preserving the biodiversity upon which the survival of that knowledge depends. But with ecosystems being destroyed and the knowledge of these traditions fading, the work of scientists like Balick is often a race against time.
While you’re out and about in the Garden this weekend, bidding fond farewells to our long-running Wild Medicine exhibition, some of us will be busy sneaking and hiding. But don’t worry, it’s totally well-meaning—fun even! And the results of our clandestine efforts should be pretty rewarding for those of you paying us a visit. Thanks to renowned writer Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, we’re holding a Botanical Garden treasure hunt, and everyone is welcome to join!
On Saturday, September 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., we’ll invite you to put on your sleuthing caps (they don’t have to be literal unless you’re feeling sassy) and take to the Garden in search of 10 redeemable vouchers hidden throughout our grounds. Each one collected will net the holder an advance copy of Elizabeth Gilbert’s newest novel and first return to fiction in 12 years, The Signature of All Things, a sweeping tale of botany, exploration, and desire spanning the 19th century. And because we’re not about to let a prime treasure hunting opportunity pass us by without throwing our own prize in the purse, we’re supplementing each voucher with a $25 discount on the NYBG Adult Education course of your choice.
Just look for laminated sheets laid out around the Garden with a picture of the book’s cover—you’ll know them when you see them. And if you’re one of the lucky few to come up with one, simply bring it to the Shop in the Garden to redeem for your free, advance copy of The Signature of All Things and your Adult Ed discount. If you’re not sure about something on Saturday, you can also feel free to ask one of our Visitor Center attendants for help.
Remember, there are only ten vouchers to be found, so keep your eyes open!
The aphorisms all say that it’s taboo through and through to lead a post with mention of the weather, but it’s so spring-like outside that I couldn’t help it if I wanted to. The sun is up, the breeze is cool, and the Greenmarket‘s been hopping since I walked in this morning. A quick scout around the vendor tents made it clear why, too: the tables are practically overflowing with plump late-summer fruits and vegetables.
From Migliorelli Farm, you’ll find ginger gold apples, Seckel and Bartlett pears, cantaloupe, delicious tomatillos (try them in a cooked salsa dish—you may have to take a hiatus from tomatoes), and mountains of corn. And from Red Jacket Orchards, there’s no dearth of donut peaches, plums, fresh Concord grapes, and sunset apples. Gajeski Produce is keeping the savory side of things covered with parsley, beets, yellow squash, cabbage, corn, and my personal favorite: peppers. Think sweet, cayenne, and jalapeno varieties. You can finish your shopping trip with a stop at Meredith’s Bread, whose cookies, macaroons, muffins, scones, rugelach, and pies make for the perfect dessert. Or just grab one of their savory breads (they’ve got organic and gluten-free varieties, for those curious).
The NYBG Greenmarket runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Wednesday through November 27, with free short-term parking for Greenmarket shoppers. The market accepts food stamps, EBT, WIC/FMNP, and Senior coupons, in addition to cash and credit or debit cards. Learn how to use EBT, WIC and FMNP at the Greenmarket. And head below for a recipe from our staff at the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden.
There are only a few more strolls around the fountain to be had as we close in on our bon voyage to Wild Medicine this weekend. Where will you be on Sunday?
I think this is our first (and hopefully last) Afternoon Eye Candy, thanks to my forgetfulness when it comes to holidays. Though they say good things come to those who wait, right..? In the meantime, a very uncitylike scene unfolds in a desert house of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.
Over the long weekend, I spent my afternoons out in the Jane Watson Irwin Perennial Garden teaching the public how to make herbal teas and herbal vinegars. It is a great time of year to think of creative ways to start using your garden herbs.
One of my colleagues gave me two large pineapple sages (Salvia elegans) for teaching props. Despite its name, pineapple sage has no direct relation to pineapples (which can be seen in our Wild Medicine exhibition growing in containers by the water lily pools). The common name refers to the wonderfully fragrant foliage that exudes a sweet pineapple fragrance. For those of you who like herbs but sometimes feel that the fragrance can get too strong, this is certainly an annual herb for you.
Pineapple sage is indigenous to Mexico and regions in Central America. It is hardy from zones 8-11, so we grow it as an annual in these parts. It is a tall plant, reaching 4-5 feet with beautiful, deeply veined, citrine green foliage. The stems—like other members of the mint family—are square, and in this instance deep burgundy and hairy. Late in the season, this fragrant sage is covered with red flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
And with that, we say goodbye. This weekend, The New York Botanical Garden is buttoning up summer’s Wild Medicine exhibition to make room for the arrival of new fall programming (announcements on that to come!) But, as I mentioned yesterday, we’re not about to close out the last few months without a little fanfare.
