Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Photography on April 8 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Friend of the Garden Joel Kroin usually turns his pinhole camera on the Garden’s stark winter landscapes. But even he isn’t immune to the siren call of the tropical Conservatory, as evidenced by this beautiful shot.
Photo by Joel Kroin
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on April 7 2013, by Matt Newman
They may not put on a show of the usual “spring spectrum”–pinks, bright yellows, all the pastels of new growth. Honestly, they’re a little menacing with their velvety, claret petals. But the flagrant elegance of these hellebores comes in handy when the bright green varieties need balancing out.
Helleborus orientalis ‘Optimism’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography on April 6 2013, by Ann Rafalko
While you may remain unconvinced that it is in fact spring, we’re already thinking about summer and dressing the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory in her seasonal coat of whitewash. Because, even though the temperatures may not yet be sweltering, the sun’s radiative properties are noticeably stronger already!
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Programs and Events on April 5 2013, by Matt Newman
It’s a double whammy for the cocktail crowd this weekend as we launch into our Orchid Show excitement with back-to-back Orchid Evenings, running both tonight (April 5) and Saturday, April 6. That’s twice as many opportunities to see thousands upon thousands of mystifying blooms under the glass of a Conservatory dressed to the nines with ambiance. And if the flowers, mood lighting, and chill grooves don’t set the tone for the perfect night out, I have no doubt the cocktails will drive it all home.
While the April 6 Orchid Evening is completely sold out for incoming visitors, those with tickets in hand will be happy to know that Jack from Brooklyn is kitting us out with one of the most deliciously unique cocktails in the five boroughs, using their very own Sorel–a hibiscus liqueur–to stage the many flavors. But if you don’t yet have a ticket, there’s no call for tears–our first of several new additions to the Orchid Evening schedule launches tonight. Our bartender will be slinging “Vanilla Gales” for the first-of-the-weekend crowd, an orchid-inspired take on the Dark & Stormy that kicks this sparkling rum drink up into the stratosphere.
Tickets are still available for tonight–April 5–if you’d like to join us for cocktails. But register quickly, as they’re moving just as fast! Check out our ticket page for available dates, both tonight and in the future.
For the daylight crowd, there’s just as much to see or do. The Orchid Show is in full swing throughout Saturday and Sunday, while the first of spring’s growth is coming out of hibernation across our 250 acres! Keep your eye out for the snowdrops, crocuses, hellebores and daffodils first on the scene to this sleepy change of season. And if you’re anywhere near the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden while you’re exploring, our staff will be diving headlong into the sowing of spring–they might even need a little help from passersby.
Posted in Around the Garden on April 5 2013, by Carol Gracie
After spending nearly three decades at NYBG, and working much of that time in South American rainforests with her husband, Scott A. Mori, Carol Gracie has returned to one of her first botanical interests in retirement–local wildflowers. She is the author of Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast: A Natural History and coauthor (with Steve Clemants) of Wildflowers in the Field and Forest: A Field Guide to the Northeastern United States.
Hepatica is the first “true” wildflower (that is, other than the rather unusual-flowered skunk cabbage) to bloom in the tri-state region. Its lovely flowers are a cheerful indicator that spring has really begun, but they can be surprisingly difficult to spot among the dull brown leaf litter. The flowers range in shades of pink, lavender, purple, and white, but they are small and low growing—plus they only open on sunny days. This strategy serves to conserve the flower’s pollen for days when its pollinators (usually small native bees) are likely to be flying.
It may be easier to find the distinctive leaves of hepatica; they are three-lobed, leathery, and often a deep burgundy color at this time of year. Hepatica retains its leaves for a full year, allowing the plant to photosynthesize on mild winter days and thus get a jump-start on the season. The appearance of the leaves is what has given this plant its somewhat unattractive common names, hepatica and liverleaf, both references to the imagined similarity of the leaves to a human liver. This fancied resemblance almost led to the plant’s demise during the 19th century.
Posted in Photography on April 5 2013, by Ann Rafalko
What’s blooming now? We made a little field guide!
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in People on April 4 2013, by Scott Mori
Scott A. Mori is the Nathaniel Lord Britton Curator of Botany at The New York Botanical Garden. His research interests are the ecology, classification, and conservation of tropical rain forest trees. His most recent book is Tropical Plant Collecting: From the Field to the Internet.
A month ago, I blogged about the use of fine art by botanists to illustrate the plants and habitats they study. That blog was based on the work of Michael Rothman, who has prepared 20 paintings to illustrate the research of the Curators of the Institute of Systematic Botany at the NYBG.
Today, I discuss the importance of botanical line drawings in illustrating the diagnostic characteristics of plants. The value lies in the fact that they either represent species new to science, or the illustration makes it easier for users of scientific and popular publications to determine the names of plants they have an interest in. Fortunately, soon after my return from a two-year stay in Bahia, Brazil in 1980, I was introduced to Bobbi Angell; after seeing samples of her drawings, I asked her to illustrate species of the Brazil nut family (Lecythidaceae) for a monograph that Ghillean T. Prance–then Vice President for Science at the NYBG–was preparing with me.
Posted in Photography on April 4 2013, by Ann Rafalko
I wonder if the sap is stirring yet,
If wintry birds are dreaming of a mate,
If frozen snowdrops feel as yet the sun
And crocus fires are kindling one by one:
Sing, robin sing;
I still am sore in doubt concerning Spring.
The First Spring Day ~ Christina Rossetti
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on April 3 2013, by Matt Newman
Game on in the Home Gardening Center! The violets are looking antsy for visitors.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Gardening Tips on April 2 2013, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
With spring finally here and the seasonal explosion of flowers everywhere, it’s time to yearn for fragrance. While we wait for the flowers to bloom outside, a trip to The Orchid Show should dazzle your senses. But soon the heydays of spring will be upon us, and two of my favorite fragrant outdoor plants will be filling the air with old-fashioned perfume; lilac and hyacinth.
Inside during The Orchid Show, one of my favorite orchids is Zygopetalum. This orchid doesn’t sport a common name so the only thing you will be able to do short of remembering its botanical name is to refer to it as a ‘zygo’. Everyone in the orchid world will know what you are talking about. ‘Zygo’s’ flower in winter and early spring so they add a delicious perfume to your home while there is still snow on the ground.