Nick Leshi is Associate Director of Public Relations and Electronic Media.

Subscribers to Sirius Satellite Radio and regular listeners to Martha Stewart Living Radio will be thrilled to know that all the programming for Martha’s shows today, Thursday, July 23, will be broadcast live from The New York Botanical Garden. Visitors who do not currently have satellite radio subscriptions will get a tease of what they’re missing when they walk through the Botanical Garden and see Martha’s team of lifestyle experts broadcasting live.

All the hosts will be here, teaching, advising, and inspiring their audience about topics ranging from gardening, food, and design to health and wellness: Betsy Karetnick and Kim Fernandez of Morning Living, Terri Trespecio of Whole Living, Sandy Gluck of Everyday Food, Mario Bosquez of Living Today, Lucinda Scala Quinn of Eat Drink, and Andrew Beckman and Tony Bielaczyc of Homegrown.

Pass by the back of the Jane Watson Irwin Perennial Garden, near Martha Stewart’s Culinary Herb Garden, to see and hear the broadcast. Several Botanical Garden experts will be on hand as guests on the shows throughout the day, talking about the various highlights and components of The Edible Garden, the summer-long exhibitions at The New York Botanical Garden.

For more information, visit Martha Stewart Living Radio. And to purchase tickets for The Edible Garden, click here.

Stephen Sinon is Head of Information Services and Archives in The New York Botanical Garden’s LuEsther T. Mertz Library.

The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries (CBHL), of which NYBG is a founding member, recently presented its 10th Annual Literature Awards. The awards, created to recognize significant contributions to the literature of botany and horticulture, honored three exceptional books this year, all of which acknowledge input from The New York Botanical Garden and all of which can be found in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library. The council is the leading professional organization in the field of botanical and horticultural information services.

The General Interest category was topped by Fruits and Plains: The Horticultural Transformation of America, by Philip J. Pauly. (This title is available at Shop in the Garden.) Genera Palmarum: the Evolution and Classification of Palms, by John Dransfield, Natalie W. Uhl, Conny B. Asmussen, William J. Baker, Madeline M. Harley, and Carl E. Lewis, won the Technical category.

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the awards, a Special Recognition Award was presented to TL-2, more formally known as Taxonomic Literature: a Selective Guide to Botanical Publications and Collections with Dates, Commentaries and Types, 2nd edition. This monumental work, the first edition of which was compiled by Frans A. Stafleu and Richard S. Cowan as a seven-volume set completed in 1988, is one of the most important resources in botanical literature. The current edition was updated by Laurence J. Dorr, Erik A. Mennega, and Dan H. Nicolson and was honored by CBHL for significant contributions to the literature of botany and the study of plants.

In compiling the massive 15-volume reference work, the authors of Taxonomic Literature used the collections of the Mertz Library; now, over 800 linear feet of their original research papers are in the Library’s archives. The CBHL award was given in recognition of the release of the final volume in this set.

TL-2 acknowledges the outstanding collections of the Mertz Library as well as the assistance provided by the staff, as does Fruits and Plains, whose author also consulted the collection several times while working on his book. The third work, Genera Palmarum, acknowledges the valuable input of two New York Botanical Garden Science staff members: palm expert and Institute of Systematic Botany curator Andrew Henderson, Ph.D., and postdoctoral research associate Thomas Couvreur, Ph.D.

Going Native: Azaleas for Everyone

Sonia Uyterhoeven is Gardener for Public Education. Join her each weekend for home gardening demonstrations on a variety of topics in the Home Gardening Center.

Spring is a season of anticipation and joy. Cheerful bulbs emerge from the ground and cover the landscape with color. Flowering trees and shrubs follow suit in one of the year’s most magnificent displays. As the season unfolds, everything takes its turn providing a symphony of color—magnolias, flowering cherries, azaleas, redbuds, lilacs, and crabapples.

One of my favorite players is the native azalea. It is a versatile plant that is often overlooked by the homeowner. Native azaleas are known for their spectacular bloom in spring. Many are incredibly fragrant, often with a spicy clove scent. A number of them also provide a wonderful show in the fall, with leaves ranging from yellow and burnt orange to fiery red.

Native azaleas have a graceful form that adds height and structure to any woodland garden. Most native azaleas grow from 5 to 8 feet tall, with some of them stretching to 10 feet at maturity. They rarely need any pruning, just an occasional thinning out of congested branches or removal of dead wood. Prune immediately after flowering.

To learn more about native azaleas… read more »

Library Building, Fountain, Allée Designated NYC Landmarks

Frank Genese, AIA, is Vice President for Capital Projects.

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission voted last week to add the Library building, the Lillian Goldman Fountain of Life, and Tulip Tree Allée to their registry of landmarks. The designation reinforces the historic significance of these sites and guarantees their protection so that they can be enjoyed by future generations.

The grand neo-Renaissance-style Library building (formerly known as the Museum Building), the Fountain of Life, and Tulip Tree Allée together form a distinguished and monumental Beaux Arts civic space. The Library building was designed in 1896 by architect Robert W. Gibson and was constructed in 1898–1901. It originally housed the Garden’s preserved botanical specimens and was the first American museum devoted solely to botany. The 7.3 million specimen collection, the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, largest in the Western Hemisphere, now resides in the International Plant Science Center. Today, the Library building is home, fittingly, to the peerless LuEsther T. Mertz Library and its more than 1 million items spanning 10 centuries. The long, four story structure, clad in grayish-buff brick and buff terra cotta, features a symmetrical design and classically-inspired details characteristic of Beaux Arts civic buildings at the turn of the century.

The bronze sculptural group of the Fountain of Life (1903–05), designed by Carl (Charles) E. Tefft for Gibson’s marble plinth and basins, depicts a cherub astride a dolphin atop a globe and two web footed plunging horses being restrained by a female and a boy, surprising a merman and mermaid in the basin below. Gibson envisioned the fountain as the focus of the vista looking toward the building and as having upper and lower water basins, the flowing water elements giving a distinctive character both as a landscape feature and as a botanical exhibit.

Tulip Tree Allée, consisting of tulip trees lining both sides of the drives leading to the fountain, was planted in 1903–11 at the direction of Nathaniel Lord Britton, first director of the Garden. In 1903, Carolina poplars were planted along the approach to the building. By the beginning of 1904, the driveway was re-graded after completion of the main fountain basins as well as the seating area, drinking fountain (the latter in operation in June 1903), and paths leading to the Library building. Tulip trees were planted between the poplars in 1905. By 1911 the poplar trees had been removed, leaving the tulip trees. The Landmarks Preservation Commission, at the Garden’s request, landmarked Tulip Tree Allée as a general design concept, not as an exact arrangement of a particular species, allowing future Garden horticulturists to inter-plant a different species if the sustainability of tulip trees is jeopardized by future climate change.

While the Garden reigns as one of the world’s premier museums of plants, educational institutions, and scientific research organizations, few know that it is also the home of many notable historic buildings and structures. Now, the addition of these to the landmark registry adds to that distinction.

Last in a 3-Part Series

Todd Forrest is Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections.

A majestic red oak grows alongside a trail in the 50-acre old-growth Forest at the heart of The New York Botanical Garden. In the mid-1980s, scientists determined that this tree was nearly 250 years old. It sprouted from an acorn before the Revolutionary War and grew to maturity as New York blossomed from a colonial outpost into the greatest city in the world.

Every time I pass this oak I am reminded of the passion, vision, and dedication to adding something wonderful to our city and our country that drove our predecessors to create The New York Botanical Garden in 1891. I am reminded that they chose this site in 1895 because of the unparalleled beauty of its natural landscape and then preserved this landscape as the surrounding city grew and grew. I am reminded of the countless people who have come to the Garden to learn about plants: their beauty, their natural history, their planting and care, their genomes. I am reminded of my responsibility to keep the Garden’s plants and landscape healthy, diverse, and beautiful so that others today and in the future will have the opportunity to make the sustaining connection to nature that has been such a gift to me.

Botanical gardens are where art, nature, and science come together. They are where artists and gardeners come for inspiration, where students and teachers come to experience and better understand the beauty and complexity of nature, and where scientists come to work on solving nature’s most vexing mysteries. Botanical gardens matter now more than ever.

Send a letter of support to state government leaders and forward the Save the Planet widget (at right) to your friends so that they, too, can help.

Hear from the Garden’s own Fran Coelho and Jeff Downing as they explain in their own words just why botanical gardens matter.

Second in a 3-Part Series

Jeff Downing is Vice President for Education. At a moment in history when an ever-increasing body of scientific evidence indicates that climate change is real and related to human activity (We collectively burn 85 million barrels of oil a day, according to The New York Times)… When a growing community of researchers, educators, and concerned parents all lament the increasing distance between children and nature, and the negative consequences for children’s health, education, and environmental understanding… At a time when technology offers a synthesized, digitized alternative to actual physical activity, reinforcing sedentary habits and increasing the incidence of childhood obesity and a host of related health issues… In an era when American competitiveness is questioned and our ability to stimulate students’ interest in the scientific fields that will foster the engines of future economic growth lags other countries… As more and more Americans become engaged in the discussion about the world’s food supply—where does it come from, what’s in it, is it safe, and can I do more to grow some portion of it at home?… And when many jobs in horticulture and related fields go wanting for applicants at a time when millions of Americans are looking for new career paths that might provide rewarding careers, while at the same time helping in some small way to reduce the impacts of these pressing national and global issues… …Botanical gardens matter. Education is fundamental to the core mission of botanical gardens. At The New York Botanical Garden, education programs reach students from pre-K to post-grad and are designed to develop environmental awareness, to assist in improving science education in schools, and to prepare students for their own “Green Careers” in horticulture-related professions. Annually, 75,000 schoolchildren, many from the Bronx, visit the Garden to learn about plant science, gardening, and the rich ecology of our local forests, rivers, and wetlands. Who wants to tell those schoolchildren to stay inside? Send a letter of support to state government leaders and forward the Save the Planet widget (at right) to your friends so that they, too, can help. Hear from the Garden’s own Fran Coelho and Jeff Downing as they explain in their own words just why botanical gardens matter.

First in a 3-Part Series

Living museums such as The New York Botanical Garden face a 55 percent cut in New York State funding this fiscal year, and the budget for zoos, botanical gardens, and aquaria may be completely eliminated in the next fiscal year. If Governor Paterson’s proposal is passed by the New York State Legislature, it will destroy a program that has provided consistent and steadily increasing support for the Garden for over 30 years.New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin recently blogged about the situation on Dot Earth. In response, the Garden’s Vice Presidents for Science, Education, and Horticulture each posted comments to the blog regarding why botanical gardens matter. Their insightful remarks are so moving that we are presenting them here in Plant Talk in a three-part series beginning today. We hope their stories will inspire you to comment, to send a letter of support to state government leaders, and to forward the Save the Planet widget to your friends so that they, too, can help. James S. Miller, Ph.D., is Dean & Vice President for Science and the Rupert Barneby Curator for Botanical Science. I grew up in a part of Maryland where I could walk out the door of our house and into the woods, where I learned to appreciate and value the diversity of plants and animals through regular contact. The world was a simpler place with fewer than 3 billion people. As the current world population approaches 7 billion, an ever-increasing percentage of children are growing up in urban environments where contact with nature is more difficult, certainly less frequent, and as development continues, the places where one can experience natural environments become fewer and fewer. I fear that more people today do not have the regular contact that allowed me to develop an affection for nature, which guides my fervent desire to preserve it so that future generations can appreciate the wonder of the plants and animals that share our planet. In this light, I feel that botanical gardens can provide us with the opportunity to see and learn about plants and experience the spectacular diversity that they present. Just as we can learn about animals at a zoo, we can learn to care about plants at botanical gardens and appreciate their importance to us as food, medicines, other materials, and understand that they define the environment in which all terrestrial life exists. Our only hope for preserving the amazing biological diversity on Earth is the opportunity to learn enough about plants in botanical gardens and elsewhere so that future generations care enough to make their continued protection and sustainable use a priority. Hear from the Garden’s own Fran Coelho and Jeff Downing as they explain in their own words just why botanical gardens matter.

Nick Leshi is Associate Director of Public Relations and Electronic Media.

Visitors of all ages have marveled at the sight of the monumental sculpture throughout the grounds of The New York Botanical Garden, where these works of art have stood sentinel since last spring. Moore in America, the largest exhibition of Henry Moore’s art ever displayed in a single venue in the United States, continues to attract praise from audiences and journalists alike, including Time magazine’s art critic Richard Lacayo, who named it one of the Top 10 Museum Exhibits of 2008.

Photographers, in particular, have been drawn to Moore’s captivating forms situated within the Garden’s historic landscape. In partnership with the International Center of Photography, the Botanical Garden hosted a photography contest in celebration of the landmark exhibition. The contest sparked many beautiful submissions, from which four monthly finalists were selected. From those four a grand prize was awarded, to Jimin Kim of Manhattan for his portrait of Large Reclining Figure. His winning image appeared in an advertisement for Moore in America in the December 4–10 issue of Time Out New York.

Runners-up included Julie Salles of Yonkers, Ken Schwarzof Lexington, Massachusetts, and Debra Allen of Pelham Manor. Their images, plus countless others submitted by garden- and art-loving shutterbugs during the months of the competition, showed how the sculpture could look fresh from different angles and with different lighting throughout the day and during the changing seasons, proving Moore’s desire to have viewers approach—and even touch—his artwork from different perspectives.

If you haven’t seen the exhibition yet, now is your chance. Moore in America is being extended through March 15. Even if you’ve seen it in spring, summer, or fall, now is your opportunity to see it in winter. Bring your camera and snap some pics for yourself while you’re at it!

Carol Capobianco is Editorial Content Manager at The New York Botanical Garden.

Each day in the media we are made aware of the harm being done to the environment due to climate change, invasive species, overuse of natural resources, and clear-cutting of forests. Gardeners can make a difference—in the way they design and manage the landscape.

Today, Plant Talk introduces a companion blog, Green Perspectives: Tom Christopher on Sustainable Gardening, to offer gardeners solutions and ideas on how to help the environment. Veteran garden writer Tom Christopher has been gardening and writing for more than 30 years and is a graduate of NYBG’s School of Professional Horticulture. He will take you along with him as he explores, investigates, and tests different ways and methods of restoring Earth through our passion for earth.

The New York Botanical Garden, as a premier plant research and cultural institution, is working to address conservation concerns both here at the Garden and around the world. The Garden’s sustainability and climate change initiatives include improving operational efficiencies and energy use, reviewing horticultural practices, presenting educational programs and symposia, conducting biodiversity research, and providing scientific advice to conservation organizations.

To find Tom Christopher’s blog posts, click on the “Green Perspectives” tab above. Be sure to visit often and to share your comments. Let us know what has worked for you. Together we can make a difference.

The NY Times, TV, and Even the New York Lottery Charmed

Nick Leshi is Associate Director of Public Relations and Electronic Media.

The Holiday Train Show at The New York Botanical Garden has been a magical must-see for more than 1 million visitors over the past 17 years. Edward Rothstein of The New York Times called it “exhilarating,” marveling at “the wonders of this annual show” that presents “New York through a looking glass.”

David Hartman, popular television personality, produced and narrated a charming documentary about the Holiday Train Show, revealing how the structures are made from natural materials and displayed to the delight of visitors of all ages. The documentary aired last year 528 times across the country on 285 PBS stations.

In case you missed it, below is a clip of the show. You can catch the entire program tonight, December 11, at 10:30 p.m. on Channel Thirteen/WNET-TV. It will air again several times during December on PBS, including on WLIW-TV; check the online schedule. If you’re looking for a stocking stuffer or holiday gift for a loved one (or for yourself), the documentary is available on DVD at Shop in the Garden

After viewing the clip, you’ll see why the Holiday Train Show has been a sought-after location for singular New York events. That tradition again rang true last week when the New York Lottery awarded more than $17 million to two winners before replicas of the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, and others and to the delight of a festive crowd of visitors young and old that erupted into spontaneous congratulatory applause.

There have been other occasions over the years when Holiday Train Show visitors received an additional unexpected treat, including a marriage proposal between New York City police officers that was nationally broadcast on the Today show and a mayoral press conference that touted the wonders of the holiday season in New York. Amid the glow of twinkling lights in the Botanical Garden’s Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the Holiday Train Show proved the perfect magical setting for these memorable events.

Make your own memories by coming to see the Holiday Train Show in person, through January 11, 2009. Tickets are available for purchase on the Garden’s Web site. See for yourselves what Mr. Rothstein in his review described as “this phantasmagorical landscape, which at twilight comes alive with illumination.”