Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Photography on April 18 2013, by Ann Rafalko
What’s in a name? Ask dogtooth and bloodroot. Together they kind of sound like the beginning of a Shakespearean curse or insult, no? And yet, they’re such beautiful ephemeral spring wildflowers!
Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis ‘Multiplex.’
Dogtooth Violet Erythronium americanum
Photos by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Gardening Tips on April 17 2013, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Last week I announced that spring is here and the weather promptly rose into the 70s for three days. I watched everything unfurl, some early bloomers senesced, and then we had a welcome day of rain which supplied good moisture to get even more things jumping.
We are heading into the season where the Garden changes dramatically every week. This morning I walked out to the Azalea Garden and admired the early season blooms in their full glory. The Korean rhododendron Rhododendron mucronulatum, ‘Cornell Pink’ is smothered with flowers. You can find it planted in a pleasant band that runs through the Azalea Garden and lights the hillside up with girly pink flowers.
Posted in Around the Garden on April 17 2013, by Ann Rafalko
I thought the earth remembered me,
she took me back so tenderly,
arranging her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds.
I slept as never before, a stone on the river bed,
nothing between me and the white fire of the stars
but my thoughts, and they floated light as moths
among the branches of the perfect trees.
Sleeping in the Forest ~ Mary Oliver
Posted in Photography on April 16 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Posted in Wildlife on April 15 2013, by Joyce Newman
The wetland area of the new Native Plant Garden is home to many kinds of animals, but none more magnificent than the dragonflies that hover and buzz over the water, performing amazing airborne feats in search of food. Almost as soon as the water feature was filled during construction, the dragonflies moved in.
The latest scientific evidence suggests that their aerial performances are not just lovely to look at—they’re highly choreographed to target prey. In fact, a recent New York Times report notes that dragonflies are much better hunters than African lions or sharks. Dragonflies “manage to snatch their targets in midair more than 95% of the time,” often eating “on the spur without bothering to alight.” By comparison, the success rate for lions is just 25%, and for sharks just 35%.
Dragonflies are not new residents to the Garden, either. We have long had a healthy population of these amazing insects, and we’re quite happy to have them here, too. Dragonflies may be an indicator of a healthy ecosystem. While adult dragonflies are terrestrial insects, immature dragonflies, also known as nymphs, are aquatic and can be sensitive to pollutants in the water.
Another reason we like having dragonflies around? Guess what they eat … mosquitoes!
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on April 15 2013, by Matt Newman
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on April 14 2013, by Matt Newman
The winter months drag by with all the monotony of reading a dictionary, yet a single week in spring changes everything.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Gardening Tips, The Orchid Show on April 13 2013, by Ann Rafalko
When you visit The Orchid Show you might be tempted to buy an orchid at Shop in the Garden to take home with you. Go for it! Orchids aren’t nearly as fussy to keep as houseplants as you might think they are.
Orchids have gotten a reputation for being divas, but choose the right one for your home environment (don’t worry, our orchid experts work at the Shop, too!) and you’ll have a beautiful plant that can last for years with new blooms every year.
We’re committed to helping you keep your orchids healthy and happy.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on April 13 2013, by Matt Newman
It’s almost “go” time for the coming spring ephemerals, and the Native Plant Garden is a canvas ready for painting, so to speak. (The wait is a good kind of anxiety. Trust me.)
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Programs and Events on April 12 2013, by Matt Newman
The magnolia flowers peppering the trees outside the Library Building tell the story a bit better than this wintry rain: spring has arrived, and it’s not going anywhere! Rhododendrons perk in the Azalea Garden, the Home Gardening Center looks a little more like its old self, and keen eyes can spot the nascent greens of young leaves on the tree branches. A more telling signal for the seasonal transition is the sound of the Fountain of Life’s familiar burble.
We’re going into this weekend carrying sunny thoughts piled with excitement, not least because we’re once again on board for two more Orchid Evenings. And while this Saturday’s gathering (as well as that of April 20!) is completely sold out, there are still tickets available for an impromptu cocktail during tonight’s added event! (That would be Friday, April 12.) So have a look at our ticket page and reserve yours while there’s still room, as they’re going fast.
For daytime visitors, of course, the spring scenery is an event in its own right. Just the other day I was out enjoying the thrill of the hunt, so to speak–walking the paths in search of season’s first flowers. The daffodils, I might add, are blowing up throughout our 250 acres. But it’s even more fun sussing out the less populous arrivals, like the first tulips cropping up in the Perennial Garden. For those who’d rather have a primer of what’s happening where, our What’s Beautiful Now post puts up a pretty thorough rundown.