Chris Benz Resort 2011

One of the highlights of the winter social calendar is, without doubt, The New York Botanical Garden’s Winter Wonderland Ball. The Ball serves as an exclusive chance for the Garden’s Junior Patrons to enjoy the magic of the Holiday Train Show,  as well as cocktails, dinner, and dancing.

But what to wear when the invitation suggests “Winter white, and black, black tie”? We asked fashion designer and member of the Ball’s Benefit Committee Chris Benz what he thinks ladies should wear to this most festive event.

I think the Winter Wonderland Ball is the perfect moment to dress up in full holiday glamour.  Think white, silver, texture, glitter and luxury.  It’s also a great time to play with accessories.  A little bit of dramatic sparkle
and shine go a long way!

~ Chris Benz

The look at the right from Benz’s 2011 Resort Collection is a perfect example of this luxe look, and it looks perfectly delightful to us!

With wintery weather on the way, it hardly seems like the time to be talking roses. The forecast looks chilly and the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden has been “put to bed” for the season, so what is there to talk about?

How about completely changing the face of rose growing for home gardeners in the northeast? That’s what rose garden curator Peter Kukielski hopes to accomplish with the EarthKind™ Rose Trials beds, located just south of Daffodil Hill. The goal of the EarthKind™ program is to identify cultivars that combine beauty with proven durability in the landscape, and that means they’ll receive no water other than what falls from the sky, nor fertilizers or pesticides of any kind.
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“It was as if he shared the day with me from a distance.”

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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Another orchid-in-waiting in the Nolen Greenhouses shows off its frills with a touch of frosty color. But don’t worry–it’s plenty warm in there.

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen