Inside The New York Botanical Garden

snowdrop

Morning Eye Candy: Rise and Shine

Posted in Photography on February 9 2016, by Matt Newman

Is that you, spring? No? Oh, well, the snowdrops were only wondering. We’ll let them know that it’s still a month and change ’til the switch, though I think they’re committed at this point.

Snowdrops (Galanthus)

Snowdrops (Galanthus) along Tulip Tree Allée – Photo by Amy Weiss

Morning Eye Candy: Galanthophile’s Daydream

Posted in Photography on March 21 2014, by Matt Newman

What would the opposite of a Galanthophile be? Oh, a Galanthophobe, obviously. Or is it a Galanthrope? In any case, apologies to those with a seething dislike for these coy beauties—I can’t get enough snowdrops. And did I mention it’s now the second day of spring? Let’s all hope in unison for the return of the warmth, and soon.

Galanthus

Galanthus in front of the Library Building – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Snowdrops Sing of Spring

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.


Galanthus elwesii

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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Morning Eye Candy: Subject of a Mad Collector

Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on February 6 2012, by Matt Newman

Snowdrops are springing up in abundance at the Perennial Garden, though you wouldn’t guess from their humble white petals that such an unassuming species is the subject of a newfound global obsession. “Galanthophiles” around the world are gearing up for snowdrop conventions that will draw thousands of fanciers from all corners this year. Maybe you’ll empathize with their enthusiasm.

Snowdrop NYBG

Galanthus — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

What’s Beautiful Now: Winter Strolls

Posted in What's Beautiful Now on January 13 2012, by Matt Newman

Euphorbia characias 'Glacier Blue'
Mediterranean spurge (Euphorbia characias 'Glacier Blue')

Gloves, hat, scarf–I brought none of these things when I went wandering the Garden during lunch yesterday. The climate was just so perfectly suited to a stroll. And the greatest benefit of working at the NYBG is that–no matter the climate–there’s something out on the grounds worth visiting. It’s true there’s no luck of a permanent spring with buds and blooms sprouting up from corner to corner, but winter has its own subtle and touching charm.

This season’s odd patterns of sun and darkness make for confusing daytime walkabouts; I hadn’t expected to step out of the office at 3 p.m. only to find dusk creeping along at the edges of the afternoon. Adjusting to this kind of Norse winter is a slow process. (Being a southerner, anything north of Georgia is practically Norway to me.) But I decided that I was already out and about, and despite the settling dark I was going to soak up as much enjoyment as I could from the remains of the day.

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