Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Archive: June 2012
Posted in Adult Education, Gardening Tips on June 11 2012, by Matt Newman
Liz Neves is an herbalist, permaculturist, and compost turner living in Brooklyn, NY.
While both rose and lavender are revered for their beauty and aroma, they also have the ability to prove profoundly healing for the body in a variety of applications. Much of this is due to their appealing sights and scents, but there is much more than meets the eye–and nose–when it comes to lavender and rose.
“If you wish,” wrote the 16th century Azerbaijani poet Fuzuli, “you can find a cure for all of your problems in the rose garden, in curative rose water in the pot of the bud.” In hindsight, he was onto something.
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Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on June 11 2012, by Matt Newman
It would be a crime if I kept overlooking what’s going on in the Home Gardening Center. I mean, yeah, the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden is a classic stunner, and you can’t miss the spotted foxglove of Giverny in the Conservatory right now, but the HGC is really putting on a show. Not bad for a “humble” spot by the Garden Café.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on June 10 2012, by Matt Newman
Sorry, but there are no hammocks allowed in the Rock Garden, no matter how dreamy a spot it is for zenning out in a state of complete existential bliss. Our appreciation goes out once again to each and every one of you for supporting the NYBG in the Partners in Preservation competition. Because of you, this little paradise is set for rehabilitation that will preserve its ambiance for decades to come.
We’re pretty happy about that.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography, Wildlife on June 9 2012, by Matt Newman
Not quite a honey bee, is it? But this little syrphid fly, also known as a hover fly, is as good for a home garden as the buzzing insect it impersonates. Trade-off being that you won’t get any honey out of it (though the lack of a stinger makes up for the missing sweet stuff). Not only will the hover fly pollinate your flowers as it scoots about in search of nectar, but its larvae have a penchant for snacking on the aphids that would otherwise ruin your plants.
All told, stay your swatter if you happen to see one!
Syrphid fly on Lobularia ‘Snow Princess’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden on June 8 2012, by Matt Newman
We’re looking at early summer days in the Garden this weekend! Already we’re seeing warmer temperatures, welcome afternoon showers, and the flushed, vivid shade of green that comes with the hotter months. But bring on the sunglasses and short sleeves; they’re all the better for a picnic.
There’s just about two weeks left in the season, officially, meaning you still have time to catch the early color of the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden with an expert-led tour. Afterward, jump right into a session with our Gardener for Public Education, Sonia Uyterhoeven, whose top-notch rosarian wisdom will set you on the path to tending New Dawns and Mr. Lincolns of your own. (It’s okay to be the envy of the Home Owner’s Association, suburbanites.)
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Posted in Adult Education, Learning Experiences, Testimonials on June 8 2012, by Joyce Newman
Seize your inspiration! Sign up for Summer Intensives to make the most of the season.
For Abbey Liebman, a fashion design artist in New York City, enrolling in the Botanical Art Summer Intensives was a rewarding way to broaden her skills in fashion design and the arts that was “well worth the money.”
“After taking just a few of the NYBG classes, I have already done freelance design work in botanical art for an apothecary company’s labels. I’d like to do more work like that or begin selling my own art,” says Abbey. She plans to get a certificate at NYBG over the period of a few years while she continues to work at her regular job.
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Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on June 8 2012, by Matt Newman
The Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden may have the most stage presence, but off in the Earth-Kind® Rose Trial beds, understudies are practicing for their shot at the spotlight. These starlets aren’t pampered, either; they’re thriving without the chemical coddling that so many roses are notorious for.
When they’re done with their auditions (I’m really pushing the tasteful limits of this conceit, aren’t I?), those that make the cut could become available as choice breeds for rosarians frustrated with the tending trends of more high-maintenance varieties.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Gardens and Collections, Monet's Garden on June 7 2012, by Matt Newman
The fleur-de-lis may predate the French monarchy, but it’s forever the nation of the Seine that we associate it with, and in turn the iris that inspired the symbol. It’s timely, then, that the irises are blooming now for Monet’s Garden, just as they are across the Atlantic in the artist’s garden at Giverny, settled in the north of France. Walking through our own display in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, you’ll come upon several breeds of royal purple flower poking proudly from between the delphiniums, poppies, and furry mullein stalks. But outside, the iris is a constant spring resident!
In ancient Greece, Iris was considered the goddess of the rainbow, a messenger between divinity and humanity who carried the word of the pantheon to Earth. Her flowers do their best to make their namesake proud in at least that first regard, sprouting up along borders and plots throughout the Garden in every shade of purple, blue, pink, and often white or yellow. (True red remains the sought after grail of the iris connoisseur, a color that no amount of hybridizing has been able to produce reliably.) Not the full range of the rainbow, but pretty close, to be sure.
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Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on June 7 2012, by Matt Newman
The Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden may pique your appetite with its rows of arugula, fennel, and newly-settled tomato plants, but even the most practical plot benefits from a touch of border brightness.
Spiraea japonica ‘Anthony Waterer’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on June 6 2012, by Matt Newman
Don’t stare too hard. Maybe you should defocus your eyes a bit. At just the right point of clarity, you’ll see the tumbled waters of the Bronx River frozen in the green-lit rocks.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
While both rose and lavender are revered for their beauty and aroma, they also have the ability to prove profoundly healing for the body in a variety of applications. Much of this is due to their appealing sights and scents, but there is much more than meets the eye–and nose–when it comes to lavender and rose.
