Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in What's Beautiful Now on October 25 2019, by Matt Newman
Kiku is back—starting today.
The ‘Ozukuri’ style of kiku is the apex of this Japanese craft, transforming a single-stemmed chrysanthemum into a mountain of individually trained flowers that truly justifies the translation of its name: “Thousand Bloom.” See how our expert horticulturists spend 11 months each year creating this living spectacle.
Posted in Around the Garden on October 8 2019, by Matt Newman
It’s nearly kiku time—after 11 months of dedicated plantlove, with our horticulturists tending daily to these single-stemmed specimens to create spectacular sculptural designs. These chrysanthemums represent the apex of a centuries-old Japanese craft that demands precision, care, and patience. Check out today’s story to get a sneak peek of the display opening October 25, along with the traditional taiko drumming and other activities that make it such a treasured NYBG tradition.
Posted in Horticulture, Kiku on October 21 2016, by Kristine Paulus
Kristine Paulus is NYBG’s Plant Records Manager. She is responsible for the curation of The Lionel Goldfrank III Computerized Catalog of the Living Collections. She manages nomenclature standards and the plant labels for all exhibitions, gardens, and collections, while coordinating with staff, scientists, students, and the public on all garden-related plant information.
If the idea of grass makes you think of dreaded after school yard chores or monotonous sports fields, consider a visit to Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden to amend this assessment. Attempting to steal the spotlight from the chrysanthemums are several decorative members of the Poaceae family, better known to most of us as grasses.
Several plantings of Muhlenbergia capillaris, a highly ornamental native grass commonly called hairawn muhly, create a spectacular floral display for fall throughout the exhibition. Clouds of airy, purple-pink cotton candy-like flowers float above long slender foliage. These hazy panicles glow in the sunlight, converting garden beds into dreamscapes. Hardy and heat- and drought-tolerant, hairawn muhly is as low maintenance as it is attractive. This colorful plant is also a highlight in the Home Gardening Center’s newly redesigned Grass and Bamboo Garden.
Posted in People on January 11 2016, by Matt Newman
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!
Posted in Photography on November 19 2015, by Matt Newman
While the Holiday Train Show is the hot ticket for this weekend, opening Saturday, November 21, don’t forget that Kiku: Spotlight on Tradition is still blooming away in the Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections through November 29. If anything, these chrysanthemums are bigger and brighter than ever, and the ozukuri, or “thousand-bloom” design, makes for an incredible centerpiece.
Ozukuri (“thousand-bloom”) kiku in the Bourke-Sullivan Display House – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography on November 11 2015, by Matt Newman
With the unseasonably warm fall we’ve been having, the Japanese chrysanthemums on display in the Bourke-Sullivan Display House of the Nolen Greenhouses are content to stretch out their bloom schedule. Naturally, we’re all for it—Kiku: Spotlight on Tradition has been extended through November 29!
Cascade-style kiku in the Bourke-Sullivan Display House – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography on November 9 2015, by Matt Newman
This year’s Japanese chrysanthemum exhibition takes place in the Bourke-Sullivan Display House of our famed Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections. And after so many months of effort on the part of our horticulturists to bring this incredible display to life, it’s worth visiting!
Kiku: Spotlight on Tradition in the Bourke-Sullivan Display House – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography on August 25 2015, by Matt Newman
This year’s kiku display is on the move—primarily upwards. These rapidly growing plants are anxious for fall, when they’ll be flowering fully in the Bourke-Sullivan Display House starting October 31.
Young kiku (chrysanthemums) in the Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography on October 25 2014, by Lansing Moore
Can you believe each of these big, healthy blooms was trained from a single chrysanthemum plant? Kiku closes tomorrow, and the flowers’ curling petals look as if they are all waving goodbye.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Horticulture on October 21 2014, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Sonia Uyterhoeven is NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.
We are heading into the final weekend of Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden. The show is awash with vivid autumnal color and exotic chrysanthemum blooms in every shape and size imaginable.
For those curious, there are 13 different classes of chrysanthemums. Some of my favorites are the Edo varieties which fall into the last class of mums—Class 13: Unclassified or Exotic. These are the chrysanthemum flower shapes that do not fit into any established category. They often have twisted, bi-color florets that change their shape as they open.
Beyond these, there are many fun and fanciful chrysanthemum flower forms to cover. Chrysanthemums from the Brush and Thistle class look like an artist’s paint brush. Spider mums look like fireworks exploding in the sky. They have long, tubular ray florets that hook or coil at the end. Anemone-type mums have centers that are raised up like a pincushion, and chrysanthemums from the Spoon class have long ray florets with tips that are shaped as their name suggests.