Shop in the Garden — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas? Still haven’t received the Hanukkah present you were hoping for? Stumped for the perfect Kwanzaa gift? Never fear! The Shop in the Garden holiday sale is here! So much better than hitting the mall.

What else flutters the heart like opening that first bottle of champagne? The percussive pop of the cork brings everyone close, and it doesn’t matter how much you spill. Sometimes that’s the point–champagne is a cheer to the evening with or without occasion.

At The New York Botanical Garden, we’re toasting holiday nights with an event just glitzy enough to make for the perfect outing in the city, boasting bottles of your favorite bubbly beverage and a chance to check off the names on your gift list in one easy sweep. No hemming and hawing over what to buy for that colleague you hardly know, or catering to your neighbor’s gardening habit without a clue as to what she needs. It’s just you, a glass of champagne, and a walk through the Holiday Train Show’s miniature marvels; 140 landmark replicas, a quarter-mile of tracks, and memories made every moment. And after relaxing in the starry glow of the seasonal lights, stroll over to our Shop in the Garden to put our gift experts to work. Oh, and it’s not a hard place to find–just head for the sparkling display of holiday conifers.
read more »

Pinus sylvestris. The approximate age and years of training of this the Moyogi Style (informal upright) bonsai are unknown. This beautiful bonsai was bequeathed to The New York Botanical Garden by Manny Dannett and re-styled and trained by Saeko Oshiro.

Pinus sylvestris (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)

Head below to learn more about how to see this beautiful bonsai.

Juniperus chinensis ‘Shimpaku’. Approximately 20-5o years old, and 18 years in training in the Fukingushi Style (windswept). This beautiful bonsai is exhibited by Saeko Oshiro and Oscar Sanchez.

Chinese Juniper Juniperus chinensis ‘Shimpaku’ (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)

Head below to learn more about how to see this beautiful bonsai.

Kingsville Boxwood Buxus microphylla ‘Compacta.’ Approximately 55 years old, and 34 years in training in the Ne Tsuranari Style (sinuous raft). This beautiful bonsai is exhibited by Jerome Rocherolle.

Kingsville Boxwood Buxus microphylla ‘Compacta’ (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)

Head below to learn more about how to see this beautiful bonsai.

Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca.’ Approximately 25 years old, and 18 years in training in the Yos ue Style (forest). This beautiful bonsai is exhibited by Saeko Oshiro.

Blue Atlas Cedar Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’(photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)

Head below to learn more about how to see this beautiful bonsai.

Carpinus turczaninovii. Approximately 20-40 years old, and 18 years in training in the Yos ue Style (forest). This beautiful bonsai is exhibited by Jerome Rocherolle.

Hornbeam bonsai Carpinus turczaninovii (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)

Head below to learn more about how to see this beautiful bonsai.

Ed. note: Selena Ahmed, ethnobotanist and author of the gorgeous new book Tea Horse Road will be at the Garden for a book signing this Saturday, May 21 at 3 p.m at Shop in the Garden. I first saw Selena’s book in a colleague’s office. The absolutely stunning photographs, taken by Michael Freedman, drew me in, but it is Selena’s tales that bring this fascinating book to life. We are currently working with Michael, who is traveling China, to put together a post of his photographs, so stay tuned. But why wait? Pick up a copy of Tea Horse Road this Saturday. You won’t be disappointed.

My new book, Tea Horse Road: China’s Ancient Trade Road to Tibet, with photographer Michael Freeman explores lives and landscapes along the world’s oldest tea trading route. Our journey starts in tropical montane forests in China’s southern Yunnan Province. This is the birthplace of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis (Theaceae). The cultural groups of Yunnan including the Bulang, Akha have produced and consumed tea for centuries for its well-being and stimulant properties. They traditionally grew tea plants as trees of several meters tall without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides.

While tea cultivation spread where climatic conditions allowed, the practice of drinking tea reached far beyond. During the 7th century, the Tibetan kingdom to the north of Yunnan came into contact with tea, and the drink soon became central to the Tibetan people’s diet. Tea functioned to reduce the oxidative stress of Tibet’s high altitudes and as a dietary supplement in an environment with limited fruit and vegetable production. These same extreme conditions mean that tea has remained an imported item from tropical and sub-tropical areas in China’s Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. The demand for tea led to the creation of a network of trails extending more than 3,000 kilometers, carved through forests and mountains, with Lhasa at its core. This network collectively became known as the South West Silk Road or Cha Ma Dao, the Tea Horse Road.

However, tea was only one side of the trade equation: China was in constant search for warhorses that made its armies more mobile allowing the kingdom to maintain control over the empire. Abundant natural resources along with tea and horses were exchanged on the Tea Horse Road over the course of 2 millennia, linking cultures and natural resources beyond their surroundings. In its day, the Tea Horse Road touched the lives of many. These were the tea farmers on the southern mountains, the caravan leaders, the Tibetan lados skilled at traversing high passes and the porters with 100-kilo loads on their backs. This book is their story, narrated against the backdrop of some of the world’s most rugged and powerful landscapes.

Trade along the Tea Horse Road declined in the 20th century as horses ceased to have a major military use. Roads were paved allowing for more efficient transport, and policies and markets transitioned. As the Tea Horse Road acquires a historical presence, it is easy to forget its vital former role of maintaining community health, sustainable agriculture, livelihoods, and cultural exchange.

The research for my new book, Tea Horse Road: China’s Ancient Trade Road to Tibet, is partly based on my doctoral study at The New York Botanical Garden supervised by Dr. Charles M. Peters and guided by NYBG curators Drs. Amy Litt, Michael Balick, and Christine Padoch. My goal for this book was to disseminate findings from my doctoral study to a wide audience. The narrative is accompanied by Michael Freeman’s stunning visual documentation and is published by River Books.

Didn’t get what you wanted from that jolly old elf? Never fear. The holiday sale at the Shop in the Garden starts tomorrow. Go ahead, treat yourself!

Disapproving Chickadee (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)