A Forgiving Forecast and Plenty to Do
Posted in Around the Garden on July 20 2012, by Matt Newman
We’re looking at something of a harlequin schedule for this NYBG weekend. We’ll be bouncing between ancient meditative arts and the trade secrets of the rosarian, then back over to organic gardening, garlic and onions, and around to a tour of Monet’s Garden. It’s the best kind of variety! And after enduring what felt like a month’s worth of rain in only a few days’ time, the forecast tells us mother nature is taking a welcome breather. Not only is the weekend likely to sport sunny afternoons, but there shouldn’t be any frightening thermometer readings to scare you back indoors.
For those coming to see Monet’s Garden in its summer finery, the Conservatory display is in rare form right about now. The delphiniums along the Grand Allée are a dusky sky blue, and just outside, the courtyard’s water lily pools are brimming with colors of their own. Even the later-blooming tropical pool is starting to strut a bit! But my personal favorite is easily the ‘Green Smoke’ Nymphaea I found bobbing along the water’s surface yesterday; I can’t think of a better way to phrase the sight than “petals like absinthe.”
If you’re looking to do something for the kids, don’t forget that this is absolutely the last weekend schedule for the Sweet and Stinky activities going on in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden. Seeing as afternoons in the low 80s are looking scarce this summer, I’m thinking now’s a good time to make use of the few we do get. Maybe that’s your cue to head to the Bronx!
Saturday, July 21
Tai Chi for Peace of Mind and Body — 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Tai Chi is a slow moving, meditative exercise for relaxation, health, and self-defense, originating in China. In this six-session course beginning on the 21st, learn the principles of Tai Chi with an emphasis on correct body posture and spinal alignment. With the practice of Tai Chi, students become revitalized, relaxed, tolerant, self-confident, physically stronger, and ultimately, healthier in both mind and body. (Price includes a $10 material fee.)
Non-Member: $82 / Member: $75
Roses: Summer Pruning Techniques — 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden
Once roses have produced their first flush of blooms, they can be pruned for continuous re-bloom all the way to fall! Learn the techniques required of the different classes of roses from Rose Garden curator Peter Kukielski. Bring your pruners and gloves and dress appropriately for this hands-on class held in the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden.
Non-Members: $96 / Members: $86
Monet’s Garden Tour – 12:30 (with ASL Interpreter) & 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Join one of the Garden’s docents for a tour inside the galleries of the historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, where horticulturists of The New York Botanical Garden bring to life stunning re-creations of Monet’s most iconic gardens at Giverny. In the Conservatory Courtyard, the focus on the artistry of the great Impressionist continues with a display of water lilies.
Home Gardening Demonstration: Grow Organic – 2 p.m.
In the Home Gardening Center
Join a Botanical Garden horticulturist who will cover some of the basic principles of organic gardening and provide you with simple sustainable guidelines.
Sunday, July 22
Conservatory Tour: Secrets of This Victorian Glasshouse – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Explore the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, an acre of plants under glass, with one of the Garden’s docents. Take an ecotour around the world through 11 distinct habitats, including two types of rain forest, deserts of the Americas and of Africa, and aquatic and carnivorous plant displays.
Admission included with an All-Garden Pass.
Home Gardening Demonstration: Grow Organic – 2 p.m.
In the Home Gardening Center
Join a Botanical Garden horticulturist who will cover some of the basic principles of organic gardening and provide you with simple sustainable guidelines.
Monet’s Garden Tour – 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the entrance to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Join one of the Garden’s docents for a tour inside the galleries of the historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, where horticulturists of The New York Botanical Garden bring to life stunning re-creations of Monet’s most iconic gardens at Giverny in Monet’s Garden. In the Conservatory Courtyard, the focus on the artistry of the great Impressionist continues with a display of water lilies.
Ongoing Children’s Programs
Summer Camp: Art in Nature
Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, July 16 through 20
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Children will be artists in the Garden throughout this camp. Each day will include time for drawing, painting, and creating sculptures. Children will embark on outdoor “creativity walks,” as well as choreograph their own dance performances. Each day will be filled with outdoor explorations, hands-on activities, and creating art. The campers will show off their nature-inspired works of art during an art show at the end of the week.
Children’s Outdoor Nature Explorations: Observe and Create
Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, May 19 through September 30
Weekdays 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. / Weekends 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Let your inner Monet run wild and be inspired by nature to create art in all different forms. Movement, music, drawing and painting abound in this outdoor studio for children. Stop by Inspiration Station to play our outdoor marimba. Paint with water and experiment with colors in our Color Clash Studio. Step inside to experiment with the engineering behind aquatic plants. Nature is art–discover it at the Adventure Garden. Also on view: an exhibition by students from Studio in a School.
Hands-On Gardening Activities for Families: Sweet and Stinky
Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, June 19 through July 27
Daily, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. (closes at 4:30 p.m. on July 26, August 2, and August 12 for Family Dinner events)
Aromatic alliums and spicy herbs thrive in the summer heat. Follow the sweet and stinky smells to the Family Garden and discover these culinary champions. Savor the scents and tickle your taste buds with cooking demonstrations and samples, and become a green thumb by planting your very own herb to tend at home.
Cooking demonstrations at 2 and 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
The Edible Garden
Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, July 1 through October 31
Daily, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. (Closes at 5 p.m. on July 26, August 2, and August 12 due to Family Dinner events)
The Edible Garden returns to the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden this year, bringing plenty of events for both adults and kids alike with daily, family-friendly activities, cooking demonstrations in the Whole Foods Market Family Garden Kitchen, and hands-on gardening fun.
A Garden friend and chef extraordinaire, Mario Batali takes a featured role in this year’s Edible Garden. Visit the beds of herbs and vegetables in “Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens,” where you can pick up some of his favorite recipes. Later, join Mario and other top chefs for The Edible Garden Festival, featuring tastings, harvest activities, and a chance to sit down to dinner with the man himself. Your culinary delight begins in the garden! Visit summer through fall for the best of the harvest.
