The season is winding down, meaning it’s a good time to reflect and take stock of what was grown in the garden this year. If I don’t keep my records and notes, the observations that seem cemented in my mind will have evaporated into a fuzzy haze of vague recollections in no time. As such, I will begin some initial record keeping here.

At our side entrance gate we planted a trio of coleus (Solenostemon) cultivars. We selected ‘Green Card,’ ‘Saturn,’ and ‘Brooklyn Horror’ for variety. The first two are large-leaved specimens, while the latter has very fine, feathery foliage. In terms of color, ‘Green Card’ is a bright citrine green while the other two are a luxurious combination of the same iridescent green and a rich burgundy.
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“My husband and I live in Iowa, but we have visited NYC three times in the last ten years, always between Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

From now until December 17, our visitors will be sharing their fondest memories from 20 years of the Holiday Train Show–some of them touching, some comical, and every one of them cherished. Come back to Plant Talk each day for a new story, which you can see after the jump along with a feature on one of the many replica New York City landmarks on display in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory–the Guggenheim Museum, Yankee Stadium, the Empire State Building and more.

As a bonus, read on to find out how you can win a Family Four-Pack of Holiday Train Show tickets for yourself!
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One of the most frequent requests we get at the Garden is, “Can you make a time lapse video of what it takes to set-up the Holiday Train Show?” And finally, we can say, yes, yes we can!

If you would like an even more in-depth look at how the Train Show is put together, you can visit the Artist’s Studio in the Conservatory courtyard, where you will see one model dwelling in various phases of completion, and perhaps glean some inspiration for making your own plant-based model at home. Should you prefer houses of a more edible nature, be sure to stop by Gingerbread Adventures in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden where a miniature neighborhood of fantastical gingerbread houses from a cadre of creative bakers are sure to elicit “ooohs” and “aaahs” from children of all ages.

It’s not often our Morning Eye Candy posts are quite this literal, eh? The Gingerbread Adventures exhibition is up and running at the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, so feel free to bring the kids for cookie decorating (and eating!) They might even learn a thing or two about making their own gingerbread houses–everyone’s a potential architect.

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen