Ed. note: We offer many classes here at the Garden in a plethora of disciplines and at many levels, from “just for fun” to professional (see a pdf of the catalog here). But no matter how appealing the subject, the classes would be nothing without the instructors. On Plant Talk, we’ll introduce you to them, and their stories.

Bill Einhorn, Instructor, Landscape Design

The year 2011 marks a milestone in my career at The New York Botanical Garden–it was 30 years ago that I received a call from the Garden with news that it received a grant for a summer internship and if I’d be interested in coming in for an interview. While that began my professional association with the Botanical Garden, my roots here run even deeper. When I was 5 years old, my mother signed me up for Children’s Education classes at the Garden. I vividly remember learning about and receiving a Venus’ flytrap and asking the instructor if it would eat my sister. I also returned to the Garden during my studies in Landscape Architecture at Syracuse University to walk the grounds and memorize trees. My wedding photos were taken in the Rose Garden, and my favorite time of the year was strolling along Magnolia Way when the magnolias were in bloom.

After my summer internship in 1981, the Garden invited me back during my spring and summer breaks, and upon graduation hired me to be on staff. I started teaching in the mid 1980s and to date, by my estimates, have instructed over 3,000 students. Several have gone on to graduate programs, joined or established successful businesses, or completed projects at their own homes.

My affiliation with the Garden has brought me many personal and professional relationships and has made me a better Landscape Architect. My greatest feeling of accomplishment is when I run into students from many years ago who tell me the impact that I have had on their careers. Hopefully, I have another 30 years left in me to enjoy teaching and experiencing the continued growth of the Garden’s programs.

Are you looking to change your life, like Bill did? In just five weeks you can earn almost half the total hours needed for a Certificate in Landscape Design. Interactive classes, taught by professional landscape architects and designers, cover each step of the design process, from site analysis to design development. Other subjects include landscape design history, graphics, and site detailing. Guest lecturers present their own work and discuss design philosophies, professional issues, and presentation strategies. The beautiful New York Botanical Garden is used for design projects and plant study.

Enrollment is limited to allow for individualized attention and comprehensive project critiques.

Medals for excellence were awarded to selected artists for their work in Green Currency: Plants in the Economy at the festive opening reception on Wednesday, April 20. This is the first medal-awarding international juried exhibition of contemporary botanical art in the United States, and is presented by the Botanical Garden and the American Society of Botanical Artists. The exhibition, which features 43 plants used in medicine, food, clothing, and shelter, will be on view in the Arthur and Janet Ross Gallery through July 31.

Dr. Shirley Sherwood, renowned contemporary botanical art collector and chair of the jury, along with Gregory Long, President of The New York Botanical Garden, presented the awards. Honorable Mentions for excellence in specific categories were also selected and announced. Click on an image below to see the commended works of art.

[Show picture list]

Gold: Beverly Allen, Coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, watercolor on paper

Silver: Asuka Hishiki, Garlic, Allium sativum, watercolor on paper

Bronze: Ingrid Finnan, Common ginger, Zingiber officinale, oil on paper

Honorable Mention, Prints: Monika deVries Gohlke, Jade-stripe bamboo, Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vittata’, hand-colored aquatint on paper

Honorable Mention, Drawing: Carrie Megan, Morels, Morchella sp., graphite on paper

Honorable Mention, Artistic Merit: Rosemary Bauman, Princess tree, Paulownia tomentosa, watercolor on paper

Honorable Mention, Work on Vellum: Karen Kluglein, Grapes, Vitis vinifera, watercolor on vellum

The New York Botanical Garden Acquisition Prize: Karen Kluglein, Grapes, Vitis vinifera, watercolor on vellum

A full-color exhibition catalog featuring all of the works in the show is available for purchase at Shop in the Garden. An audio tour in the Gallery includes personal statements from each of the artists; signage throughout the Garden grounds identify the living plants portrayed in many of the featured works of art.

The Garden’s Adult Education Program offers classes in Botanical Art for all levels. Browse courses,  or order a free catalog to learn more.

Annie Novak at the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm (Photo courtesy of The Selby)

Annie Novak–urban farm evangelist, children’s gardening advocate, and rooftop farmer–will “Raise the Roof!” tomorrow at the Garden at 10 a.m.

Novak, the Director of The New York Botanical Garden’s Children’s Gardening Program, the founder and director of Growing Chefs field-to-fork education program, and the co-founder of Eagle Street Rooftop Farm in Greenpoint, Brooklyn will discuss the challenges, successes, and lessons learned from farming the skyline.

From Tanzania to the Bronx, Novak is a local farmer with a global perspective. Having farmed in nine different countries and co-founded the nation’s first rooftop farm, Novak has amassed a wealth of experience gardening in any environment. She’ll share these experiences and lessons on Thursday, March 17 in NYBG’s Ross Lecture Hall for the final installment of the 11th Annual Winter Lecture Series. Buy tickets now at nybg.org/AdultEd.

Ed. note: We offer many classes here at the Garden in a plethora of disciplines and at many levels, from “just for fun” to professional (see a pdf of the catalog here). But no matter how appealing the subject, the classes would be nothing without the instructors. On Plant Talk, we’ll introduce you to them, and their stories.

David Dew Bruner, Instructor, Landscape Design

My grandparents were great plant people. My grandfather bred Camillias under high-canopied pine trees in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Walking under those pines was transcendental for me. As I grew older, the pine forest experience would happen under many other trees, in may other places. I would build little house-like structures and fountains and pretend I was somewhere else.

Wanting to continue experiencing that transcendental pine forest feeling in new places, off to landscape design school I went. I knew very little about the subject and didn’t even know how to draw; I was scared I would be kicked out. Having only used a pencil for math problems, I tumbled into the world of art and design like Alice down the rabbit hole and immersed myself in this new world. (Do not fear new students; you, too, can learn to draw as I did. It’s about practice!)

This slowly acquired love of art and design has shaped me to this very day. I now have an antique store and art gallery where every week something new and beautiful comes into my life to keep me humble and inspired. For similar reasons I feel lucky to teach at The New York Botanical Garden, for every new class of students filled with potential and wonder is for me like discovering an unknown painting and falling in love with it. The simple, direct questions new designers ask make me dig deep into myself for logical, honest answers.