This Weekend: Solstice in the Sun!

Posted in Around the Garden, Programs and Events on June 21 2013, by Matt Newman

Flip-flops, brunch cocktails, five kinds of SPF, a haphazard parade of lost and found sunglasses—the summer solstice is here, and with it all the quirks of the season in the city! But we’re waaaay ahead of the curve when it comes to putting up the perfect summer backdrop (it’s kind of our “thing”). The NYBG is 250 acres of emerald green splashed and speckled with millions of technicolor blooms right now, and when the sun gets going, it doesn’t hurt to have a tree-shaded bench to veg’ out on, either. We’ve got you covered there, too.

Of course we’re more than just a landscape to wander, even if that’s your goal. Wild Medicine slips into this summer with a dynamic collection of unique and exotic plants, one that’s changing every day. The books and botany of The Italian Renaissance Garden, The Renaissance Herbal, and the other facets of this exhibition represent centuries of therapeutic know-how. Then again, a little botanical flavor couldn’t hurt when taking it all in, right? We’re already on the ball with teas, juices, and cocoa available for sampling at the show. But we’re doing it one better by bringing back Cocktail Evenings & Summer Concerts, starting Thursday, June 27!

If gin, Crème Yvette violet liqueur, cucumber, lime, and mint sound like the makings of the perfect night out, get your tickets for our first Evening as soon as you can—they’re flying out the door at a steady clip.

This Saturday and Sunday are also prime time for picking up new skills at the Garden, with cooking demonstrations in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden and hands-on gardening demonstrations in the Home Gardening Center, so don’t waste any time getting your hands dirty. Or, you know, you could just reflect under the tulip trees and soak up the greenery. We’re partial to your speed, whatever it is.

Check out the full schedule below, and we’ll see you there!

Saturday, June 22

Tour Wild Medicine in the Conservatory
In the Conservatory, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Guides throughout the exhibition help bring the stories of Wild Medicine to life and guide your experience. Learn about featured medicinal plants and their cultural significance, the origin of medicinal gardens, and more.

Bird Walk
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center, 11 a.m.

The diverse habitats of the botanical Garden offer visitors a chance to see dozens of species of birds throughout the year. Bring your binoculars and walk the Garden grounds with an expert.

Music and Poetry of the Italian Renaissance
In Ross Hall – 1 and 3 p.m.

Poetry comes to life during these dramatic readings of poetry, presented in conjunction with the Music and Dance of the Italian Renaissance performances. Immerse fully in the arts as actors read translations of 16th Century romantic and botanically inspired works, arranged in collaboration with the Poetry Society of America.

1 p.m. poet – Alfred Corn, author of more than 10 volumes of poems, including Contradictions

3 p.m. poet – Elizabeth Alexander, U.S 2009 Presidential Inaugural poet

Home Gardening Demonstration: Veggin’ Out in Style
In the Home Gardening Center – 2 p.m.

Vegetable gardens should be beautiful as well as functional. Join us to discover tips on how to transform your vegetable patch into a colorful culinary creation.

Sunday, June 23

Tour Wild Medicine in the Conservatory
In the Conservatory, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Guides throughout the exhibition help bring the stories of Wild Medicine to life and guide your experience. Learn about featured medicinal plants and their cultural significance, the origin of medicinal gardens, and more.

Music and Dance of the Italian Renaissance
In the Ross Hall, 1 and 3 p.m.

Enjoy a rich repertoire of music and dance of the Italian Renaissance period presented by members of Early Music New York and The New York Historical Dance Company.

Home Gardening Demonstration: Veggin’ Out in Style
In the Home Gardening Center – 2 p.m.

Vegetable gardens should be beautiful as well as functional. Join us to discover tips on how to transform your vegetable patch into a colorful culinary creation.

Ongoing Children’s Programs

Naturally Curious
May 18 – September 8

In the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, adventure abounds for kids of all ages with art and science activities such as mixing paints and creating science notebooks.

Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
April 6 – October 11, 2013; 1:30 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Kids can explore with Mario’s Menu Mystery game, featuring favorite vegetables and herbs from nine of his restaurants’ kitchens, including Otto and Del Posto.

Included in any All-Garden Pass.

Cooking Demonstrations
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, at the Whole Foods Market® Family Garden Kitchen
May 11 – October 11, 2013: Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays: 2 & 4 p.m.

From late spring into early fall, learn to cook up flavorful new recipes using garden-fresh ingredients, twice a day on Wednesdays and weekends in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden.

Sweet and Stinky
Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
June 11 – July 19, 2013, 1:30 – 5:30 p.m.

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.

Plants and imaginations grow at the Howell Family Garden, where kids are allowed–no, encouraged!–to play in the dirt. Display gardens such as the Global Gardens and the Breakfast Bowl, and daily activities delight and inspire.