Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Azalea Garden
Posted in What's Beautiful Now on May 19 2014, by Matt Newman
Remember that all-important scene in The Wizard of Oz where the Wicked Witch of the West traps Dorothy and her cadre of heroes in a sprawling field of poppies, sure to sleep forever? It was memorable not for the witch’s conniving plan, or the fact that Glinda the Good Witch bails out our adventurers, but for the imagery itself—the smallness of the characters when surrounded by such immense (if deceptive) technicolor beauty is undeniable. And while we’re not quite ready to break out a poppy field of our own, we have something just as grand (and guaranteed to keep you awake) in the Azalea Garden.
At this very moment, thousands upon thousands of cheery azaleas are blooming in their eponymous collection, filling the newly greened forest surroundings with pinks, purples, reds, and whites. Seriously—it’s like we borrowed a rainbow and brought it to earth. Under the shifting net of sunlight cast through the canopy, the colors pop even more! But, as with everything that comes of spring, this dreamlike color can only last so long.
There’s at least a week or so left of this transcendent color before things quiet down, so make a point of stopping by!
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Posted in Photography on May 14 2014, by Matt Newman
In case you were wondering what the essence of a rainbow brought to earth looks like. We’re expecting about two more weeks of this technicolor dreamscape at its peak, so make use of this flawless weather, won’t you?
In the Azalea Garden – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography on May 10 2014, by Matt Newman
Iris cristata ‘Powder Blue Giant’ in the Azalea Garden – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Programs and Events on May 5 2014, by Lansing Moore
Mother’s Day is this coming Sunday, May 11—make sure you don’t forget! For our part, the Garden will help you show mom how much you care during our Mothers’ Day Garden Party, offering a perfect weekend of spring activities amidst a landscape of flowers and greenery. This celebration has family fun for all ages, too, so no one has to feel left out!
Live jazz, croquet, badminton, hillside picnics and even our new giant chessboards present endless options of fun to explore. Why settle for breakfast in bed when you can give mom a day at the Garden, surrounded by a wide variety of food, drinks, and more? Click through for the full lineup of activities.
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Posted in Horticulture on April 11 2014, by Kristin Schleiter
Kristin Schleiter is the NYBG’s Associate Vice President of Outdoor Gardens and Senior Curator. She oversees the wonderful gardening team that keeps our flowering gardens looking topnotch, curates the herbaceous gardens and collections, and manages the curator of woody plants. She lives and gardens in Fairfield, CT.
At very long last, spring has well and truly come to the Azalea Garden. I can tell because the Korean rhododendron, Rhododendron mucronulatum, is decorating the ridge at the top of the garden near the overlook with its delicious candy colors. My favorite is the earliest-to-bloom ‘Pink Peignoir’ in a shade of cotton candy pink that sings against our often drizzly grey skies and is cheerily visible from a long distance.
Korean rhododendron make marvelous garden plants. They prefer an acid soil (which is what most soil in the tri-state area is naturally) and at least a half a day of good light. They are hardy down to a chilly zone 4. They are deciduous and lose their leaves with a late and lasting foliage show of simmering orange, gold, and scarlet.
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Posted in Programs and Events on March 26 2014, by Lansing Moore
Spring at the Garden is full of festivals! Beautiful scenery, delicious refreshments, and activities for all ages are the perfect way to spend a spring weekend. From daffodil season to tulip season and beyond, we have plenty of activities over the next three months to help make the most of the grounds as their brilliant colors return.
Our popular Culinary Kids Food Festival returns April 14 with a week-long, family-friendly food festival celebrating the relationships among plants, farms, and your favorite treats. Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden staff and the culinary team, Growing Chefs, will offer cooking demonstrations, recipes, and hands-on activities—with plenty of music and food tastings to add to the fun. Kids can fill up their Festival passports as they tinker with the science of kitchen chemistry and get to the root of foods at a variety of activity stations with themes like “The Chicken and the Egg” and “The Buzz on Bees Sweet Bees!” The daily 1 p.m. cooking demonstration will feature kid-friendly recipes and tasty samples, while local chefs will share tips and more.
But that is only the first in a full season of outdoor adventure. Read on for May and June’s exciting upcoming festivals!
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Posted in Horticulture on March 14 2014, by Kristin Schleiter
Kristin Schleiter is the NYBG’s Associate Vice President of Outdoor Gardens and Senior Curator. She oversees the wonderful gardening team that keeps our flowering gardens looking topnotch, curates the herbaceous gardens and collections, and manages the curator of woody plants. She lives and gardens in Fairfield, CT.
Every February, I can be found on my knees in the Garden poking and prodding and looking for signs that my beloved snowdrops are coming up to signal the beginning of spring. Pushing aside the snow, I see small green noses forcing their way up for a whiff of warm air. Even a single sunny day can bring forth elegant white blossoms which have a lovely honey scent. The spring’s earliest snowdrops, Galanthus elwesii, are blooming now in the Perennial and Azalea Gardens. Their glaucous blue foliage and large flowers create a much nicer drift of white.
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Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 2 2014, by Matt Newman
First snowdrops of the season seen in the Azalea Garden! Or at least the first we could get pictures of. Horticulture tells us these little guys had been briefly popping their heads up throughout December thanks to the oscillating temperatures, but they should be a more steady presence around the grounds going forward.
Galanthus – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography on November 19 2013, by Ann Rafalko
You could be forgiven for thinking that the Azalea Garden is beautiful only in spring, but you would be wrong.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on August 3 2013, by Matt Newman
Seeing the ferns in the Azalea Garden always reminds me of Dr. Oliver Sacks’ book, Oaxaca Journal. His descriptions of these delicate, prehistoric plants put me in mind of ancient forests, and the shade of deep, unbroken green so antithetical to stressing out.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Remember that all-important scene in The Wizard of Oz where the Wicked Witch of the West traps Dorothy and her cadre of heroes in a sprawling field of poppies, sure to sleep forever? It was memorable not for the witch’s conniving plan, or the fact that Glinda the Good Witch bails out our adventurers, but for the imagery itself—the smallness of the characters when surrounded by such immense (if deceptive) technicolor beauty is undeniable. And while we’re not quite ready to break out a poppy field of our own, we have something just as grand (and guaranteed to keep you awake) in the Azalea Garden.
