Michael Hagen is the NYBG’s Curator of the Native Plant Garden and the Rock Garden. He previously served as Staff Horticulturist for Stonecrop Gardens in Cold Spring, NY and Garden Manager at Rocky Hills, in Mt. Kisco, a preservation project of the Garden Conservancy.
Wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
Asking a curator to pick a favorite plant is akin to asking a parent to tell you their favorite child—surely an impossible choice. Nevertheless, there are moments when, with plants and children alike, they do something that gladdens the heart and captures otherwise divided affections.
Such a moment is upon us in the Native Plant Garden. A visit this week will reward with the sight of spectacular drifts of the native wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis). Their delightfully fine-textured, almost fern-like foliage is a perfect backdrop to the sprays of delicate, red-spurred flowers, with just a light flush of yellow on the petals and a cluster of exerted yellow stamens. A not insignificant bonus is that they are pollinated by Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and this generous display is sure to offer a welcome sight to any migrating birds that make their way through the garden.
Our Spring Festival Series launches a full season of celebrations this weekend! May 3 & 4 is Wine in the Native Plant Garden, where visitors can enjoy the flora of the Northeast and sip on wines from New York State and beyond. Explore our extensive list of participating wineries and read on for more information about our festive programs!
Visitors will be greeted by Milton, performing bluegrass and folk tunes near the Reflecting Pool. Across from the entrance to the Native Plant Garden, Festival ticket-holders can enjoy samples of wine and food. Roaming tour guides will lead visitors through the most contemporary garden design ever created at The New York Botanical Garden, and a shining example of environmentally-friendly landscape architecture.
As we wait for the weather to warm and some of our most stunning visitors to return to our outdoor collections, we are reminded of the increasing importance of conservation as a consideration in garden planning. Case in point: A new report finds the number of monarch butterflies wintering in the mountains of central Mexico much lower than ever recorded, largely due to the destruction of their habitat, extreme weather, and loss of food supply, the milkweed plant, up north.
These findings mean that cultivating and conserving the monarchs’ sole source of food in our area is more important to their survival than ever. In the Native Plant Garden, there are several species of milkweed, all of which attract monarchs, one of the most highly visible and numerous insects to see throughout the summer months.
Another day, another blizzard. All this snowfall has been inconvenient for a lot of people, and it’s easy to forget winter’s beautiful side. The Garden is certainly dazzling today, so why not enjoy a brief tour by Kristin Schleiter, Associate Vice President for Outdoor Spaces and Senior Curator, of what makes winter at the Garden so special?
Even while the flowers are slumbering, waiting for spring, Kristin reminds us that there is much to admire, especially in the Native Plant Garden. After all, native plants are used to this climate, and winter reveals just another aspect of their beauty. Kristin points out the intricate structures of mountain mint as just one of the lovely details visitors can observe this time of year.
You’ve seen them before, holes in an otherwise solid sheet of ice, formed by moving water, either from a spring or an aerator. But did you know they have a name? Welcome to your new favorite piece of trivia: They’re called Symmes Holes (see the bottom of this story for an explanation).
The season’s first substantial snow is always cause for excited exclamations of “oooh” and “aaaah” from staff and visitors alike, because, well, snow plus garden equals unparalleled beauty! So if you’re coming to visit the Holiday Train Show today, you’re in for an extra special treat! But for everyone else—whether trapped in a cubicle or living in warmer climes—we put together this slideshow of the most beautiful scenes seen today.
Another day, another blizzard. All this snowfall has been inconvenient for a lot of people, and it’s easy to forget winter’s beautiful side. The Garden is certainly dazzling today, so why not enjoy a brief tour by Kristin Schleiter, Associate Vice President for Outdoor Spaces and Senior Curator, of what makes winter at the Garden so special?
