Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Around the Garden, Exhibitions on January 26 2012, by Matt Newman
At the core of botany is a rampant love of adventure. It’s traipsing through the back yard in search of four-leaf clovers as much as it’s hiking through a cloud forest on the trail of a rare epiphyte. It’s about climbing trees, whistling through blades of grass, and chasing the satisfaction of discovery. The need to uncover new things begins early. And if, as Carl Sagan once said, “every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist,” there’s no better team to enlist in our search for Dr. Ed!
Read More
Posted in Around the Garden on January 20 2012, by Matt Newman
Rumor has it we’ll be seeing some snow in New York tonight! Does that mean winter’s finally making its frigid entrance stage right? Or maybe it’s just nature’s subtle way of nudging you to get off the couch and pay us a visit for the balmy opening of the Caribbean Garden. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that–yes–the season is giving you a signal. What could it hurt?
Snowflakes or no-flakes, the NYBG will be buzzing with tours, bird walks, and all the swinging, high-heeled dance numbers of the islands. I’m talking salsa. Salsa and warmth. When’s the last time you got to enjoy that kind of two-in-one in the middle of January? And even if the winter was mild until now, it’s a breezy icebox outside today; I’m convinced the threat of frostbite is reason enough to hang out in the jungle habitats of the steamy Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.
Here’s what’s going on this weekend at the Garden!
Read More
Posted in Exhibitions on January 17 2012, by Matt Newman
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.
Read More
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 13 2012, by Matt Newman
The Japanese apricot flowers out in our Home Gardening Center are seasonally deceptive with those warm colors, aren’t they? But don’t fret–not all is misleading. Our Caribbean Garden opens later this month!
Prunus mume ‘Matsurabara Red’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography on December 23 2011, by Ann Rafalko
In the depths of winter, sometimes all I want to do is hunker down in a warm place and read poetry. In February 2011, I took refuge in one particular poem by William Carlos Williams, that helped me find new beauty in the Garden’s winter landscape.
The Disattired Trees
Read More
Posted in Photography on December 22 2011, by Ann Rafalko
January 2011 was all about snow. It snowed and snowed, and snowed again, turning the Garden into a winter wonderland.
It’s Snow Pretty
Read More
Posted in Photography on January 15 2011, by Plant Talk
Our newest exhibition opens today, complete with a photography contest! Here’s a snapshot to get you in the mood.
In the Conservatory: Caribbean Garden (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Photography on January 14 2011, by Plant Talk
The Holiday Train Show is over for another year. But trains and plants wait for no man. Up next? Caribbean Garden!
Breaking down the Holiday Train Show in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Learning Experiences on January 13 2011, by Plant Talk
A good lecture can serve as a catalyst for change, and this year’s 11th Annual Winter Lecture Series at The New York Botanical Garden should send you away with a lot to think about, and some serious tools for precipitating change in your own community, city, or just our own backyard.
The series kicks off on Thursday, January 20 with Michael Van Valkenburgh‘s ”Plants Make Places.” Van Valkenburgh, a renowned landscape architect, will discuss the role of plants in recent projects at Princeton University, Teardrop Park in lower Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridge Park.
On Thursday, February 17, garden designer, award-winning author, photographer, naturalist, and
teacher C. Colston Burrell will talking about ”Native Plants and Ecological Design.” Burrell will explore what actually makes a plant ”native,” the definition of ecological gardening, and the issues surrounding sustainable landscape design.
Last, but certainly not least, Annie Novak, urban farming evangelist and director of The New York Botanical Garden’s Children’s Gardening Program will ”Raise The Roof!” on Thursday, March 17. Novak is the founder and director of Growing Chefs field-to-fork education program, and the co-founder of Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and will discuss the challenges, successes, and lessons learned from farming the skyline.
The lectures are being held at the Garden in the Ross Lecture Hall 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Each lecture is $39 for non-members, and $35 for Members, or buy the whole series and save 10%.
And while you’re at the Garden, why not make a full day of it? Visit Caribbean Garden for a mini-vacation in the historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory; snap a few pictures to enter into our photography contest; grab a bite from one of our two cafes dedicated to sustainable, local, tasty cuisine; and shop the Winter Sale at the Shop in the Garden.
Posted in Gardening Tips on March 29 2010, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
 |
Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. For hands-on demonstrations and orchid tips, join her in the Conservatory’s GreenSchool every Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. throughout The Orchid Show. |
While we revel in the wonderful fragrance of many orchids, it is important to remember that fragrance plays an essential role in their survival strategy. Just as we may wear perfume to seduce a mate, orchids spice up their lives to attract pollinators—bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, hummingbirds, moths, gnats, and beetles.
Flowers that are pollinated by insects are often brightly colored and fragrant. They are advertising the fact that they offer nectar or other substances for different creatures to feed on. Pollinators pick up the sticky pollen as they feed and transfer it to other flowers.
Read More
At the core of botany is a rampant love of adventure. It’s traipsing through the back yard in search of four-leaf clovers as much as it’s hiking through a cloud forest on the trail of a rare epiphyte. It’s about climbing trees, whistling through blades of grass, and chasing the satisfaction of discovery. The need to uncover new things begins early. And if, as Carl Sagan once said, “every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist,” there’s no better team to enlist in our search for Dr. Ed!
