Plant Talk

Inside The New York Botanical Garden

This Weekend: A Long Weekend for the Holiday Train Show’s Closing Days

Posted in Programs and Events on January 15 2016, by Lansing Moore

Holiday Train Show NYBGNYBG will be open for regular Garden Hours this Monday, January 18, for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the final day of this season’s Holiday Train Show®. Only three days remain to experience this all-new and bigger than ever exhibition, so plan a family outing to the Garden as you enjoy the long weekend! View the full schedule of programs and events for this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday below.

Don’t forget that there’s still time to grab tickets to our last Bar Car Nights of the year, tonight and tomorrow, January 15 and 16. And if you have little ones, remember that our All Aboard with Thomas & Friends mini-performances—not to mention the Evergreen Express activities in the Adventure Garden—will continue through January 24!

Read More

Morning Eye Candy: A Few More Days

Posted in Photography on January 14 2016, by Matt Newman

Days remaining in the Holiday Train Show are into the single digits now, but no worries—we’re making the most out of them. We’ll be open for the long weekend with activities planned for Monday, January 18, the final day of the exhibition. And if you haven’t had an opportunity to join us for a Bar Car Night this year, you’re just about out of time! A few tickets still remain for our final evenings on Friday and Saturday, January 15 and 16.

Holiday Train Show

The Holiday Train Show in the Haupt Conservatory – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Hop Aboard the Evergreen Express!

Posted in Holiday Train Show, Programs and Events on January 13 2016, by Lansing Moore

Evegreen Express Holiday Train showThis season’s Holiday Train Show® is on view through January 18, but Evergreen Express continues to provide seasonal family fun in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden through January 24. Kids pass through station stops during their visit, each featuring a unique and educational activity designed to explore the world of evergreens.

In the cozy Discovery Center Depot, children make their own herbarium pressings of a conifer specimen and craft a miniature scented sachet to take home. The Adventure Garden is full of trails that guide children through the trees and shrubs of winter.

There is an outdoor puppet theater available for children, and on weekends and school holidays, kids can create a train puppet inspired by master puppeteer Ralph Lee and join a musical marching parade.

Evergreen Express takes place Tuesdays through Sundays in the Adventure Garden, from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays and Sundays, and from 1:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

All Aboard with Thomas & Friends™ mini-performances continue through January 24 as well, so plan a family excursion to NYBG in the next couple of weeks for winter fun!

NYBG’s Former Kiku Expert Takes Top Billing as Shinjuku Gyoen’s Chrysanthemum Chief

Posted in People on January 11 2016, by Matt Newman

Kodai Nakazawa
Kodai Nakazawa

The New York Botanical Garden‘s Kiku exhibition, our semi-annual display of meticulously trained Japanese chrysanthemums, has earned a devoted following among Garden visitors over the years. And behind the serene beauty of the exhibition and its astonishing display of skill is the legacy of Kodai Nakazawa, a kiku prodigy who for several years oversaw the demanding work that went into each and every bloom in our show. His expertise influenced the exhibition’s entire team, and it shows month after month, year after year, as they continue to work these simple flowers into stunning botanical sculptures.

Today, Nakazawa is back in Japan, raising a family and enjoying success as one of the country’s greatest chrysanthemum masters.

He was recently rewarded for his years of discipline and artistry with the honor of being promoted to kiku chief at Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden in Shinjuku and Shibuya, Tokyo—his alma mater, so to speak. As one of the premier destinations for chrysanthemum-lovers the world over, it’s quite the recognition. We’re all beyond proud of Kodai, and grateful for the years that we spent with him here at NYBG!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.