Amy Weiss works in The New York Botanical Garden’s Herbarium, cataloging and preserving plant specimens from around the world.

Part of my job in the Herbarium of the NYBG is processing plant collections researchers have stored over the years. In general, we only mount plants that have been identified to species. That process can be quick if there is currently a specialist–we send the person a duplicate of a plant collection, and they send us the plant’s name once it has been identified. However, identifying plants to specific species can take much longer if there is no one currently specializing in a certain family or genus.

Herbaria are important because they are the depositories of such historical collections, and with our care they will still be around when a specialist is available. Once identified, we mount the plant specimen for New York, and distribute any duplicates to other herbaria around the world. The collections gathered by NYBG scientists that are still waiting for identification reside in our cold room in the meantime, where they will occasionally remain for decades before the right specialist becomes available.
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Patrick Blanc‘s travels and expertise have taught him that no one plant can convey the true beauty of a vertical wall–the living art, as Francisca Coelho, our VP for Glasshouses and Exhibitions explains, can’t realize its full potential on the shoulders of an individual flower. That’s why this year’s Orchid Show is not only about spotlighting these captivating tropical blooms, but about complementing their place in one of our most complex and beautiful presentations of the last decade!
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A behind-the-scenes glimpse into the ongoing efforts of the Orchid Show staff. Not that I’d give away too much this early on.

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

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!

Inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, preparations for the opening of the 20th year of the Holiday Train Show on November 19 (November 18 if you’re a Member) are in full swing.

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The Native Plant Garden is designed to showcase the beauty of native plants throughout the year. If this were spring, I might be talking about the planting of the woodland, where trillium, lady slippers and ferns were planted in April and May. But this is another time and another season.

Now the meadow is in focus. We haven’t had a meadow in the Native Plant Garden for a very long time–not since the old one succumbed to dodder. But once in bloom, the meadow will be an open, full sun grass garden punctuated with flowers. It has three distinct conditions available for plants, each offering a different environment to support a variety of species.
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Ogiku display in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, 2008

After more than a week of counting down the classes and styles of kiku, these beautiful flower displays are back in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory as part of Fall Flowers of Japan.

Come visit these extraordinary flowers, just 20-minutes from Grand Central to Botanical Garden station on Metro North‘s Harlem Line. While you’re here, you should also visit the sublimely beautiful Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, indulge in a delicious lunch at the Garden Cafe, wander along the Bronx River in New York City’s largest remaining plot of old-growth forest; the 50-acre Thain Family Forest, and marvel at the beautiful fall light as it plays off the Garden’s 250-acres. The Garden is never the same two days in a row, so come spend a day in one of the world’s greatest urban gardens, The New York Botanical Garden!

How do they do that? Learn how our horticulturists train the Ogiku kiku below.

How do you move a plant with a ‘thousand blooms’? Very, very carefully.

After months of attention, care, and careful training, this beautiful ozukuri, or ‘thousand bloom’ kiku is moved from the Nolen Greenhouses, to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory to become part of Fall Flowers of Japan.

Head below to see a slideshow of how this huge plant made its journey from the Nolen Greenhouses to the Conservatory.

Class 11 Spider chrysanthemum in the Nolen Greenhouses, 2010

Tomorrow, Wednesday, October 5, the mesmerizing art of kiku returns to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory as part of Fall Flowers of Japan. These Japanese chrysanthemums, trained into a dizzying array of styles and displays, are not to be missed. In anticipation, we’re taking an in-depth look at these fascinating flowers.

Learn all about the beautiful Spider, Brush and Thistle, and Unusual chrysanthemums below.

Shino-tsukuri display of kiku in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory Courtyard, 2008

There are only three more days before the beautiful kiku join the serene Fall Flowers of Japan in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. On Wednesday, October 5, these specially trained Japanese chrysanthemums, or kiku will go on display. In anticipation, we’re taking an in-depth look at these fascinating flowers.

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