What the heck is Phragmites? I found myself posing the same question. What could be so diabolical, so absolutely devilish as to demand several days’ sweat and muscle ache shoveling out a muddy pit? Why the misleading singular noun? Sadly (and despite the phonetic similarities), Phragmites has nothing to do with Fraggle Rock. Neither is it related to flaming space junk, or the stone spikes that spur the floors and ceilings of winding underground caverns. Nope–it’s a plant. And, to many, it’s a ruthless swampland invader.

read more »

Gardening isn’t always a cakewalk. For New Yorkers, it can be the supreme struggle. Back yard vegetable plots are replaced with cramped fire escape terra cotta, and a window sill planter sits in for the shady garden tree. In light of the trouble with greening a studio apartment the size of your childhood closet, it’s no shock that the terrarium is coming back into vogue. And with Little Landscapes, the valedictorians of terrarium design are bringing the craze to The New York Botanical Garden.
read more »

Sometimes it seems like no amount of scheduling can prepare you for a school vacation week. It so often ends up an unpredictable whirlwind of video games, laziness, messy rooms and puzzling out dinner plans. But you can save the remains of your patience! With the kids freed from class next week, The New York Botanical Garden has rearranged the calendar to make it easy for you to keep the little ones occupied–anything to get them off the couch and out of the house. We’ll be offering longer hours, ongoing children’s events every day of the week, and of course our Winter Science Camp to keep young minds sharp.
read more »

Walking up the path through the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, I noticed something hanging on the air that I haven’t caught in a while. I don’t mean the sound of kids giggling, though there’s often plenty of that floating around if you simply stop and listen. It was something else. Something…decidedly unpumpkin.

Yes, it’s that quintessential holiday potpourri: the smell of sugar and spice!

And I’m talking about authentic sugar and spice–not the cloud of cinnamon air freshener that tackles you as soon as you wander into a department store after Thanksgiving. It’s the smell of evening baking sessions, bite-sized candy canes, and vanilla frosting, all part of the recipe to Gingerbread Adventures.
read more »

A sun-drenched bluff overlooking the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden.

read more »

Like the wide open prairie, or Texas Hill Country, except it’s the Bronx!

The Everett Children’s Adventure Garden (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)

Previous This is New York! posts:

Wilderness

Fields of Gold

Smurfs Week NYC at NYBG
Tuesday, July 26 – Sunday, July 31

Celebrate the release of the new movie, The Smurfs ®, with Smurfy fun for kids all week. Embark on a Smurf-errific scavenger hunt exploring the gardens to find things Smurfs love, like mushrooms and berries. Plus, have fun spotting their wildlife friends like frogs, turtles, and birds. Thursday, July 28 ONLY!! Meet Papa Smurf and Smurfette from 1:30-4 p.m. in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden!

See where else in New York City the Smurfs will be popping up!

What do frogs say when playing hide and seek? Ribbit? Boo? Tag?

Camo-frog (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)

After weeks of snow and ice, we’ve gotten a break in the weather, and the Garden’s first flowers are taking advantage of the warmth.

First up? Snowdrops, hellebores, and the rare herbaceous perennial Adonis amurensis. See them all here.

Helleborus niger (photo by Mark Pfeffer)

Okay, so not really a mutant butterfly. But here at The New York Botanical Garden, even the ”topiary” in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden are getting into the holiday spirit! So don’t forget to enjoy a little fresh winter air when you visit the amazing gingerbread houses at the Gingerbread Adventures.

Butterfly (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)