It’s back! Our annual winter photography contest returns to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory with the opening of Tropical Paradise Saturday, January 19! Tropical Paradise–a reinterpretation of the Conservatory’s lush permanent collections–is the perfect way to shake off the winter doldrums and exercise your photography skills.
In addition, glean inspiration from the award-winning photographers of the International Garden Photographer of the Year contest. Taken in gardens around the world, these prize-winning photos will be on display alongside plants from the tropics throughout the Conservatory. Enjoy the beautiful photographs and access additional information on the photographers, their inspiration, and the techniques they used to capture these stunning images by simply scanning a code on each sign with your smartphone. And on Sundays, join one of two accomplished photographers for a brief course on the basics of garden shooting.
2012 Sense of Place Grand Prize Winner: Mika Sato’s serene shot of the Aquatic Plants Gallery
NYBG Caribbean Garden by Mika Sato
The contest is run on NYBG’s Flickr Group Pool, and this year it’s easier than ever to enter because Flickr has launched a fabulous new iPhone app that allows anyone to enter seamlessly and easily. Grab your camera or your phone and head to the sultry warmth of the tropics, capture the beauty you find, and you just might win one of two grand prizes: A photography class taught at the NYBG!
There are a few caveats to that whole “winter’s majesty” thing. First, and this is one I learned not long ago, don’t wander out into a howling snow storm in leather-soled captoes unless ice-skating to the subway sounds fun. Second, that majesty only lasts for as long as it takes you to start shivering. And while living in the northeast means skiing, sledding, and all the joy of pristine white mornings, so often it seems easier to coop yourself up inside and listen to the snowflakes dusting your bedroom window. But! And I emphasize this: there’s a way to stay warm and enjoy what mother nature has to offer in New York City. If I told you that the NYBG offered a slice of summer during the frostiest time of year, would you believe me?
Soon, it won’t be that hard to wrap your head around! As the snow comes falling and you’re waging war on the ice coating your windshield, the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory‘s yearly Tropical Paradise will become New York City’s go-to escape for a little warmth, music, and relaxation in the rain forest. And, yes, I do mean rain forest. Our Victorian glasshouse remains an iconic landmark, representing not only New York’s architectural history, but over a century of botanical expertise. Inside, you’ll join our expert docents for tours of the Conservatory’s permanent collection, including soaring palm trees, alluring tropical flowers, and the many joys and oddities that thrive in our misty rain forests.
We’re seeing a lot of countdowns, lately. Fall is drawing to a close, the IGPOTY submission deadline is on the horizon, and we’re pipping off the days until the opening of the Holiday Train Show. Near at hand, we’re also staring down the November 21 close of 2012’s Greenmarket season; tomorrow–Wednesday, November 14–marks the penultimate chance to get your fresh fruits, vegetables, baked goods and cheeses before our vendors close up shop until next summer. And why, oh why, would you choose to skip out on fresh eats?
I didn’t think you would!
Last week’s menu was stuffed with fresh-from-the-oven goodies by both The Little Bake Shop and Meredith’s Bakery (you’ll find a reliable herd of staffers making a mad dash for the whoopie pies each Wednesday morning). Chocolate croissants, cupcakes, cookies, fruit pies, and plenty of freshly-baked breads took center stage, while Migliorelli Farm’s apple cider donuts weren’t exactly flying under the radar, either.
The New York Botanical Garden is the official U.S. partner of the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition, and your chance to enter this prestigious contest is fast dwindling. But never fear! Photographic fame and fortune are still within reach; with an entry deadline of November 30, you still have just under a month to gather together your best photographs and submit them for the chance to see your works featured in exhibitions around the world and to win thousands of dollars in prizes.
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The International Garden Photographer of the Year competition is open to everyone, amateurs and professionals alike. Entries are welcome from any country in the world. There are no restrictions on the type of camera you use, or the techniques you use to produce your final image. There are scads of categories to enter, and many additional prizes are available as well, including NYBG’s own “Wellness” prize. Winners will win cash and see their photographs hung in a gallery at the Garden during next summer’s Healing Plants Around the World exhibition.
"Medicinal Herbs," by Carol Sharp -- IGPOTY Finalist, Bountiful Earth
Whether it’s the latest telephoto lens, a top-of-the-line camera body, a spacious new gear bag, or to see your photographs on display in a public exhibition, there’s a wishlist in every photographer’s back pocket. But, really, how long has it been since you crossed something off of yours?
Beginning May 2013, selected photographs from the prestigious International Garden Photographer of the Year competition will go on display at The New York Botanical Garden as a part of our summer exhibition, Wellness: The Power of Plants. The NYBG is the exclusive U.S. partner of this worldwide photographic competition that showcases the very best professional and amateur garden photographers from around the globe, and this year we are upping the ante by offering a cash prize to the winners in a category sponsored by us: Wellness.
In addition to the more than $18,000 in prize money offered to the winners in the annual International Garden Photographer of the Year competition, the winning photographs in the Wellness category will hang in the Ross Gallery at the Garden and we will award an additional total purse of $1000. With $500 for the first-place photograph in the Wellness category, $250 for second, $100 for third, and $50 going to each of three runners up, there’s ample opportunity to earn the recognition and reward your art deserves.
This year’s Caribbean Garden promises to be even more photogenic than the last! The picturesque fronds and flowers of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory‘s permanent collection once again take the spotlight to promote not only the beauty you see, but the beauty you create.
Walk the pathways of the Conservatory on a tour of our verdant living collections. Award-winning photos from the International Garden Photographer of the Year contest–taken in gardens around the world–will be on display alongside plants from around the Caribbean. Enjoy the beautiful photographs and access additional information on the photographers, their inspiration, and the techniques they used to capture these stunning images by simply scanning a code on each sign with your smartphone. And on Sundays, join one of two accomplished photographers for a brief course on the basics of garden shooting.
Whether you’re green to the art or just looking to brush up on your technique, come for some winter weather relief and don’t forget your camera.
Each year, as winter charges through, every commercial break on television chimes in with the daydream of a tropical paradise–swimsuits, warmth, and salsa music. Suddenly a car horn blares and the vision fades, leaving a woman with a headcold shivering at an icy New York bus stop. It’s as predictable as the sun rising. But while we can’t just let you hop through the visitor gates in your neon two-piece, The New York Botanical Garden brings more than a mirage to the table; the daydream becomes reality this month. Starting January 21, the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory brings the tropics to the city with Caribbean Garden.
The summer session of the Children’s Gardening program–where kids aged 5-12 work in pairs to cultivate and tend their own garden plot–is in full swing, and the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden is a hive of activity, bursting at the seams with produce and happy kids.
If the kids in your family want to get in on the gardening action, you can join in during Dig! Plant! Grow! which takes place daily (except on Mondays when the Garden is usually closed), beginning at 1:30 p.m. Digging, weeding, and harvesting aren’t the only activities going on in the Family Garden (read one visitor’s appreciation); there’s also cooking, Mario Batali’s Edible Garden, and tons of exploring to be done as well! And there are bees and bunnies. Oh, and it’s also really pretty!
Be sure to stop by on your next trip to the Garden, and while you’re here, snap a few photos to enter into the August NYBG-IGPOTY photo contest, “Kids in the Garden” featuring special Mario Batali prizes!
It’s the second month of our photo contest, and a hearty congratulations to Barbara Reiner for winning our second monthly NYBG-IGPOTY photography contest. The NYBG photo judges had a tough time picking the winner this month, but in the end felt that Barbara’s rose triptych just edged out cindy {k}’s scene among the tulips for this month’s theme “American Beauty.” Barbara will receive a NYBG gift pack, which includes two All-Garden Passes, a $25 credit towards the Adult Education class of her choice, a catalog for the Library exhibition Historical Views: Tourists at the Alhambra, and the catalog from Hirschfeld’s Broadway Scrapbook. We’re also still working on getting copies of the photography book, Better Plant and Garden Photography, written by IGPOTY founder Philip Smith, over from the U.K. as well. Congratulations Barabara! Please send us an email with your contact information through this form (select website from the pull-down menu).
Hello everybody, Ann here. I’m back from my summer vacation, jet-lagged but so happy to be home for this beautiful New York City weather! My intention of blogging from the road was pure, but I was thwarted by technology. Who would have ever expected it would be so hard to find reliable wifi (or “weefee” as they say in France) in London and Paris? Regardless, I had a great, garden-inspired trip. Here are some pictures I snapped on a rainy day visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
IGPOTY Exhibition at Kew
If you win one of the categories or special commendations in the IGPOTY contest, your photos will be on display at this beautiful outdoor exhibition at Kew Gardens. The photos are printed onto a special kind of vinyl and hang outside year-round. The exhibition is right near the main gate, and is therefore one of the first stops for Kew’s many visitors. The quality of the winning IGPOTY photographs is extraordinary, so hone your chops by joining in on one of our monthly photo contests. I can’t wait to see at least one photo from NYBG hanging here next year!
The Temperate House at Kew Gardens
There are three main glasshouses at Kew, and many smaller, secondary houses as well. They are very old and very lovely.
Staircase to the Temperate House Walkway
Both the Temperate House and the Palm House have catwalks around the upper levels that you access by climbing these mysterious-looking, vine-laden staircases.
The View from the Temperate House Catwalk
These catwalks give you an unusual perspective on trees that is nearly impossible to gain in nature.
Don't Forget to Bring a Brolly
As might be expected, rain is a common occurrence, so don’t forget to bring an umbrella. Of course, if you forget yours, though (like I did), the shop sells very nice ones.
Sheltering from the Rain
Should you choose not to use an umbrella, however, there are plenty of trees to shelter under while waiting for the showers to pass. This one is near the Sackler Crossing, a really cool walkway/bridge over Kew’s big lake.
King Willam
One of my favorite things at Kew was this garden known at King William’s Temple. It is planted with flowers, trees, shrubs, and herbs from the Mediterranean, and smells divine, especially in the rain. It is full of lavendar, rosemary, olive trees, cypresses, and so many other plants. It reminded me quite a lot of our current exhibition, Spanish Paradise: Gardens of the Alhambra.
A Typical English Garden
Just before I met up with two of my colleagues at Kew, I dashed through the Plant Families Beds and the Student Vegetable Plots just as the sun peeked out. This garden at the entrance to this area, at least to my mind, exemplifies everything that is beautiful about the English garden. It is a profusion of colors, heights, and textures, and is a joy to behold.
Badgers!
We’ve got beavers, Kew’s got badgers! I think I know which one I would prefer to run into on a dusky forest trail ….
The Palm House
And finally, I couldn’t possibly leave you without a shot of the structure that probably helped inspire the Garden’s founder, Nathaniel Lord Britton, to push the great men of New York City to found The New York Botanical Garden. The Palm House is an absolutely breathtaking work of engineering, and a great thing of beauty.
If you love The New York Botanical Garden, and you find yourself with a few days in London, you should absolutely go visit Kew Gardens. There are, inevitably, a lot of similarities between Kew and NYBG, but England’s climate, and Kew’s history, make the 30 minute trip out to Kew entirely worthwhile. I hope you have enjoyed my very brief tour of Kew, and that you’ll stay tuned next week for my adventures at Claude Monet’s garden in Giverny.
Special thanks to Mary from IGPOTY for showing me around Kew, and to Claire and Nicola at Kew for the cup of tea.
