Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Rock Garden
Posted in Around the Garden, Programs and Events on May 4 2012, by Matt Newman
We’re entering the weekend of our Spring Gardening Open House, leading a seasonal tour de force through the explosive color of the Azalea Garden, the awakening Rose Garden, and of course, the Rock Garden! It’s a perfect cocktail of the mesmerizing and the serene (though the afternoon wine tastings can’t hurt, either). And more than an opportunity to revel in the spring landscape, it’s a chance to brush up on your gardening techniques.
Meet with expert Garden Tour Guides for a tour through our iconic landscapes, then stop in with our talented gardeners for casual demonstrations on the care of azaleas and Alpine plants. The Rock Garden in particular is the home of New York’s most revered Alpine collection, as well as an integral piece of Nature’s Showplace, so make a point of spending some time there. If anything, it will help you to experience the very thing we’re trying to restore!
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Posted in Around the Garden on April 27 2012, by Matt Newman
The sun is high, the tulips are flirtatious, and the workday already has one foot out the door. Tomorrow opens up a spree of exciting events at the NYBG as we work our way toward the beginning of Monet’s Garden. More importantly, we’re springing off our announcement of the Rock Garden’s inclusion in this year’s Partners in Preservation competition. We need your help to make this happen!
We’re encouraging everyone to stop by the Rock Garden at the heart of the NYBG when they come for a weekend visit. You’ll understand why I call it a zen experience. And once you’ve walked along the gently sloped gravel paths and looked up at the reach of the trees overhead, I think you’ll also come to understand what makes this Garden icon worth your time. After seeing the Rock Garden, think about throwing your vote in the hat for The New York Botanical Garden as we strive for the privilege of restoring this piece of Nature’s Showplace.
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Posted in Around the Garden, Programs and Events on April 26 2012, by Matt Newman
After months of preparation, we’re not only proud, but ecstatic to announce our participation in the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Partners in Preservation competition! Beginning today, the NYBG launches its campaign alongside 40 fellow historical places of New York in a race to win the vote.
We like to think of The New York Botanical Garden as more than a cultural institution. It’s a community–of horticulturists, of members, of contributors and fans. It’s thanks to the continued generosity of people like these (and you!) that our gates remain open today, over a century after these 250 acres were unveiled as one of the finest botanical gardens in the world. And if the thrumming excitement winging its way around the office today suggests anything, it’s that we aim to keep that title.
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Posted in Around the Garden on March 20 2012, by Matt Newman
After a long and curious winter, the Rock Garden reopens its gates today, March 20, inviting visitors to experience a rolling landscape of miniature flowers and towering conifers. This Alpine sanctuary of lush woodland plants has been inspiring the admiration of millions of guests over its nearly 80-year history, and remains one of the most bountiful and beautiful public rock gardens in the world.
As luck would have it, when I first arrived at The New York Botanical Garden late last fall the Rock Garden was just locking its gates for the winter. My colleagues had told me, with varying degrees of wistful encouragement, that I should see its threads of gravel paths and high-reaching evergreens when I had the opportunity. There was no place quite so perfect for decompressing, they said. Nowhere better to reflect.
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Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on March 20 2012, by Matt Newman
More from the Rock Garden this morning–patient baby blues anticipating visitors. Myriad hues are coloring our 250 acres from border to border; they’re waking up one after the next, so quickly we can hardly keep track of what’s blooming. (Not at all complaining.)
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on March 17 2012, by Matt Newman
Recognize the Rock Garden? For the past several months it’s been closed for the winter. But come April, we’ll fling open the gates to this 80-year-old sanctuary of all things eye-catching. (The spot is worthy of flinging, or any other momentous verb–it’s just that dramatic and unique.)
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography on August 6 2011, by Ann Rafalko
The Rock Garden in Summer (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Gardens and Collections on February 11 2009, by Plant Talk
Posted in Gardens and Collections on November 13 2008, by Plant Talk
Autumn is my favorite time of year. The nip in the air fosters a more solitary turn of mind, and I look forward to my fall stroll in The New York Botanical Garden. It is here, among the varied collections and gardens, that I breathe in the sweet woodsy scent of autumn and attune myself to the season’s slower pace of life.
This year I was going to the Garden with a specific goal in mind—I wanted to find a special place where I felt a truly enhanced sense of well being. You could say I was on a mission of discovery to find what encouraged feelings of contentment and serenity in a garden setting. This was a tall order considering that the Botanical Garden is chock-full of wonderful and calming places in which to relax.
I found the place I was looking for in the Rock Garden. As I walked past the flower-rimmed natural pond, I spied a dark green bench with large round armrests set in front of a large andromeda. It seemed to call out to me. As I sat down, I could feel the stress of the week evaporating.
The garden bench’s protective perch offered what I call “The Lure of the Sheltered Corner.” With the andromeda behind me and a truly magnificent rock garden to admire, I was as serene as can be. The most alluring spot of all was the waterfall. The sun shone brightly on the splashing water as it tripped down the rocks. Low-growing evergreens and graceful ferns edged the cascade. Here, I felt an exquisite sense of “stop time” that the quiet world of earth, rocks, trees, and plants offers. This sublime feeling of connection is why I treasure The New York Botanical Garden.
We’re entering the weekend of our Spring Gardening Open House, leading a seasonal tour de force through the explosive color of the Azalea Garden, the awakening Rose Garden, and of course, the Rock Garden! It’s a perfect cocktail of the mesmerizing and the serene (though the afternoon wine tastings can’t hurt, either). And more than an opportunity to revel in the spring landscape, it’s a chance to brush up on your gardening techniques.
