Inside The New York Botanical Garden
This Weekend
Posted in Around the Garden on January 17 2014, by Ann Rafalko
Are you one of those workaholics that just can’t seem to ever use your vacation time, because going on vacation takes too much, well, time? Or maybe you have little kids and the thought of lugging them—and all their stuff—to the airport, dealing with the withering glances of your fellow travelers and kiddo jet lag is just too much. Or maybe you’re saving up for something important like college, or a big move, or a new car.
Either way, if you need a break from winter but can’t swing it for some reason, we’ve got you covered! That’s right: Tropical Paradise is back!
Opening on Saturday just in time for a three-day weekend, Tropical Paradise is our very popular winter interpretation of the permanent collection in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. It’s the chance for all of our brilliant, warmth-loving, exotic specimens to take center stage! And did I mention warmth? The temperatures inside many of the Conservatory’s galleries are positively balmy, a nice change from what’s going on outside.
And to encourage you to look at our beautiful plants just a little bit differently, we’re holding our fan-favorite Tropical Paradise Photography Contest again this year. Everyone who enters has a chance to win a seat in one of our Adult Education photography classes. All that’s needed is a camera (your smartphone is fine!) and a Flickr account. Upload your photographs to our Group Pool, tag them with #tropicalparadise, and we’ll do the rest!
And don’t forget! As an added bonus for your little ones, All Aboard with Thomas & Friends is still here!
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Posted in Around the Garden on December 27 2013, by Ann Rafalko
This weekend, it’s time to recover before heading into another mid-week celebration! Which means it’s time to start thinking about New Year’s resolutions. Need some help? Here’s one we can endorse: Get outside more! Spending time outside is good for your physical and mental health, especially amongst our gorgeous 250 acres. This weekend we have several great walks planned that will help you get a jump start on this resolution.
Here’s another resolution we can help you with: Learn more about far-off lands. How? Two easy steps! One: Come see the fantastic Holiday Train Show. Two: Stick around and take a tour of the world’s plants with a leisurely walk through the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory‘s lush galleries.
Neither of those work for you? How about resolving to make new friends in 2014? That’s another one we have covered, especially if you want to make acquaintance with feathered friends (and the people who love them). Our free, weekly bird walks are a great way to learn about the dazzling diversity of birds that make New York City their permanent or temporary home, and to make friends with a fun group of like-minded hobbyists.
So there you have it! Three great New Year’s resolutions you can make ahead of time, and get started on. Because the best way to make a resolution stick is with practice and repetition. How can you come back to the Garden weekend after weekend? With a fourth resolution: Become an NYBG Member! Your support helps us protect plants around the world and in our backyard. It helps us teach New York City’s schoolchildren year round. And you can take your resolutions on the road with access to or discounts at over 200 gardens and arboreta nationwide. Plus, a portion of your NYBG Membership is tax deductible, which could help you with a fifth resolution in 2014: Saving money!
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Posted in Around the Garden on December 20 2013, by Ann Rafalko
It’s time for family and friends! Bring them all to the Garden this weekend, and then give them the gift that keeps giving, Garden Membership! Garden Membership grants free admission, Shop in the Garden discounts, Adult Education course discounts, and allows you to support this vital institution and our local, national, and international education and research initiatives! It’s a gift that does good and brings untold happiness. I would call that a surefire win!
This weekend is chock full of holiday cheer, featuring spirited singalongs, holiday film screenings, architectural tours, and of course, the Holiday Train Show and our very last Bar Car Nights. The weather is set to be anything but frightful (and in fact quite delightful) so strap on your boots and celebrate the Winter Solstice with a stroll through our stunning grounds!
And should you need to do a wee bit more Christmas shopping, Shop in the Garden is having a fabulous ornament sale. Combine a year’s Membership with one of our exclusive Enid A. Haupt Conservatory ornaments as a perfect gift for your very favorite Garden connoisseur.
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Posted in Holiday Train Show on December 6 2013, by Ann Rafalko
It’s time for Bar Car Nights! Bar Car Nights are your chance to see the Holiday Train Show in a sophisticated, adults-only setting, cocktail in hand.
Starting tonight and happening again tomorrow, Bar Car Nights are a festive, sparkling, cheer-filled opportunity to embrace the holidays while indulging the kid inside you. The Holiday Train Show is a must-see for architecture buffs, train enthusiasts, and anyone who loves New York City.
See all your favorite New York-area landmarks recreated in miniature using only plant materials under the dazzling domes of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory while indulging in a signature cocktail designed just for us!
Bar Car Nights are a great date night, a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays with your friends, or a chance to see one of New York City’s most enchanting holiday experiences in a sophisticated, child-free setting. Cap the night off with dinner from one of our exclusive partner restaurants or nosh your way around our new Holiday Dining Pavilion: Streets of New York, Stephen STARR Events’ dining experience that celebrates everything delicious about historic NYC street food.
A very limited number of tickets are still available for tonight and tomorrow, so snap them up as quickly as you can and join us for this enchanting evening!
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Posted in Around the Garden on November 22 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Next week is a busy one, with Thanksgiving and Hanukkah occurring simultaneously. So why not relax a bit ahead of it? Come stroll our grounds, visit the Holiday Train Show, let the kiddos blow off steam at Holiday Adventures in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, and wander amid the train-themed works of former United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins along our Holiday Poetry Walk.
The lights are glittering, the trains are running, there’s a nip in the air, and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it! After exploring the wonders of the Holiday Train Show, be sure to visit the rest of the Conservatory’s sultry galleries where you’ll find beautiful and fascinating plants aplenty. Our new, limited-run Holiday Dining Pavilion: “Streets of New York” has treats for everyone in your family, and plenty of comfy seating.
Outside, the Thain Family Forest is the epitome of fall, with plenty of leaves to crunch, even if they have fallen to the ground in many places. The Native Plant Garden and Azalea Garden are also worth a visit this time of year!
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Posted in Around the Garden on November 15 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Alllllllllll aboard! It’s time for the most anticipated event of the year! It’s Holiday Train Show time! This beloved holiday event under the glittering domes of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory opens to the public on Saturday, November 16, for another magical run through January 12.
This year we’re bringing you more trains than ever and a new dining experience, along with all the twinkling lights, magical ambiance, and buildings created entirely from plant materials you have come to know and love. The Holiday Train Show has become a beloved holiday tradition for New York-area families for a reason; it’s a delightful time for the young and the young at heart!
If you’re visiting the Train Show from the city, why not make a train-filled day of it by taking Metro-North Railroad to Botanical Garden Station from beautiful Grand Central Terminal? Public transportation is one of the easiest ways to visit us at this very busy time of year, and your train-obsessed little ones will love the additional train time!
The Holiday Train Show is one of the hottest tickets in town, especially during holiday weekends. So avoid disappointment and book your tickets now. Tickets are for timed entry. Additionally, while stroller parking is available, strollers and tripods are not allowed in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, so if you’re bringing along a wee one, be sure to pack your favorite baby carrier.
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Posted in Around the Garden on November 8 2013, by Ann Rafalko
That awesome crisp fall air is due back this weekend, just on schedule for another Fall Forest Weekend!
Why fete a forest? Because the 50-acre Thain Family Forest isn’t just another woodland. It’s one of the largest remaining tracts of old growth forest in New York City. New York’s five boroughs were once covered by woodlands, but the relentless march of time and commerce denuded our fair islands, until only isolated pockets of forest remained. But the Thain Family Forest is hardly isolated, despite being in the middle of the Bronx. It is connected to woodlands further upstate by the Bronx River and the greenest borough’s extensive network of parks. This makes the Forest a truly unique place, home to native plants, trees, and critters, as well as a cadre of scientists studying it all.
And the Forest’s majestic, sometimes centuries old, trees are currently at peak fall foliage! Perfect timing, right? So come walk our trails, paddle the Bronx River, sample local beers, watch demonstrations of birds of prey, tree climbing, woodworking, and home gardening, enjoy fun-filled family activities in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden (adjacent to the Forest), geek out on the many scientific pursuits being pursued under the Forest’s mighty trees, and so much more!
And while it is the Forest we are celebrating this weekend, the entirety of our 250-acres is looking spectacular! Bid a fond farewell to the gorgeous Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden for the season, enjoy beautiful vistas from the Azalea Garden, sit and read a book in the serene Perennial Garden, and wander amongst the green lushness of the Benenson Ornamental Conifers collection. We hope to see you soon!
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Posted in Around the Garden on October 18 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Actually, let’s make that four words: Giant Pumpkin Carving Weekend! Have you heard the news? NYBG is playing host to the new world’s heaviest pumpkin, a 2,032-pound giant grown by Tim and Susan Mathison of Napa, California. Heavier than a 2013 Smart FourTwo (by a lot) the Mathison’s phenomenal pumpkin is joined by a retinue of other enormous gourds, a record breaking long gourd, and the new world’s heaviest watermelon.
You might think this all sounds like a recipe for a record-breaking pot of squash soup, followed by the world’s largest fruit salad, but you would be wrong (these fruit are barely edible because of the intense breeding for weight—well, kind of. They will be turned into “food,” food for zombie Venus flytraps!
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Posted in Around the Garden on October 11 2013, by Ann Rafalko
For many, this weekend is a three-day weekend and we’ll be open on Monday to help you pass the extra day in one of New York City’s most beautiful natural spaces. That means an extra day of fall fun for everyone!
Fill your weekend with spooky fun in the Haunted Pumpkin Garden and the cultural immersion of Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden. Our two fall exhibitions come with a plethora of fun activities including pumpkin carving demonstrations, taiko drumming, wildlife encounters, and tours. And don’t miss the opening of Close: The Photography of Allan Pollok-Morris, going live in the Ross Gallery this weekend.
Start your Columbus Day weekend off right by joining our free Saturday bird walk around the grounds. It’s migration time, so you never know who you’ll spot in addition to our regular flock of raptors, turkeys, little brown jobbers, and colorful characters.
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