These great Instagram shots were snapped a while back by our friend Rafi, one of our Horticulture staffers, and they’re a solid reminder to everyone out there clicking away in the Garden that we’d love to see your stuff. Whether you’re submitting atmospheric DSLR shots to our NYBG Flickr group, or tweeting us your Instagrams, never be afraid to show us your perspective!
Summer is almost here, and for us that means another season of our Summer Intensives. Starting in early July, new students will be arriving for five weeks of full-time classes, Garden tours, and field trips. The Summer Intensive allows many students to complete their Certificate requirements in a compressed yet stimulating time frame, like Alix Astir, a graduate of our Floral Design Summer Intensive.
Alix is the first to admit that she doesn’t sugar coat anything when it comes to advice, so we knew she would be a good person to ask for anecdotes about her abundant experience as a student and now as the owner of Trellis Fine Florals, with locations in Manhattan’s Flower District and on City Island.
“Take a deep breath as you enter the Summer Intensive. You are going to be completely inundated with information every day. Get really good sleep, pack a great lunch, and have a good support system.” Alix entered the five-week, full-time program of everything from basic arrangements and flower identification to wedding design and event planning with gusto. “The payoff is that you’re going to get the most comprehensive, in-depth education in an art and trade on the east coast.”
Joyce H. Newman holds a Certificate in Horticulture from The New York Botanical Garden and has been a Tour Guide for over seven years. She is the former editor of Consumer Reports GreenerChoices.org.
A fascinating showcase of rare, stunningly illustrated books—dating from medieval and Renaissance times—is now open to the public in the Rondina and LoFaro Gallery at the Mertz Library.
Dozens of amazing works on display, called “Herbals,” contain some of the earliest ever recorded descriptions of plants in Western civilization, written by European botanists, physicians, historians, and clergy. Exhibitions Coordinator Mia D’Avanza explains how the exhibit was first conceived more than two years ago.
“There is a curatorial team from the Library that changes with each show, and often we choose a knowledgeable curator from outside the Garden who is an expert in the subject of that exhibition…. Our curator for this show, Lucia Tongiorgi Tomasi, an art historian at Italy’s University of Pisa, advised us as we chose works from the Library’s collection and described their significance.”
It’s June 19, and that can mean only one thing (at least this year): the Greenmarket is back. Thought I’d prime you with a shot from our Home Gardening Center. In any case, hope to see you all out near Tulip Tree Allée today!
You know, I’d say this is a time for health nuts to rejoice, but our Greenmarket is a great experience regardless of taste or diet. Fresh fruits, vegetables, baked goods and the heaps of other goodies involved have a tendency to bring people together sans qualifiers. But enough about that: the Greenmarket is back for another year—that’s the important takeaway here! Beginning this Wednesday, June 19, we’re kicking off another months-long run of fresh foods each and every week, and all of it set up right here by the Garden’s Tulip Tree Allée.
Farmers from around the region will sell locally-grown produce each Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., from now through November 27, meaning you’ll get the best of each and every harvest. Admission and parking are free for Greenmarket shoppers, and we accept EBT, WIC/ FMNP, and Senior coupons, in addition to cash and credit or debit cards.. We’re making it seriously simple to load up a canvas bag with fruits and vegetables to last you the week. In fact, the Greenmarket is almost always set up near our Mosholu Gate, right next to our own Botanical Garden stop on the Metro-North, so it’ll only take you twenty minutes to get here from midtown Manhattan.
If you’re wondering what’s on the menu from week to week, it can be hard to predict to a certainty—the vagaries of seasonal weather and all. But GrowNYC has a handy chart available to get an idea of what you might see stacked on the tables when you get here. We’re on the tail end of the asparagus harvest, while beets, cabbage, herbs and peas are a good possibility. Keep an eye out for spinach, chard, turnip greens and some squashes, too, along with the first of the season’s strawberries.
Last week, I was out in the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden with Ken Molinari, our Rose Garden Foreman, where he told me that we’re using a lot of foliar feeds this year. With so many roses—over 680 varieties and more than 4,400 roses—we have to fill up a large 100-gallon tank and go down on Mondays, when the Garden is closed, to spray the organic fertilizer on the roses. But it’s not solely out of convenience that we time this application for a day when the Garden is closed to the public; many of the fertilizers that we use are fish-based, and only a cat would be happy with the scent.
We have been using a blend of a number of products, including Organic Gem® liquid fish fertilizer, Monty’s® Liquid Plant Food (otherwise known as Monty’s Joy Juice), and Dyna-Gro Pro-Tekt®. The latter is a silicon solution which supplies potassium and silicon to help the rose build stronger cell walls, which in turn helps protect it from black spot and piercing insects. Add all of these ingredients together and you have a recipe for healthy roses that are better able to defend themselves from pests, diseases, and environmental stress.
This week we’re diving headlong into the Family Garden harvest with Sweet & Stinky, our celebration of all things, shall we say, “superlatively aromatic.” But fear not: it’s the best kind of smelly! With garlic and onions coming into their own in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, and the summer not yet here, it’s the perfect time to have a little fun in the vegetable beds, get your hands dirty, and pick up a few handy new recipes to try at home.
Of course, we wouldn’t leave you hanging when it comes to new learning experiences—that’s why Annie Novak is on board.
We caught up with the Edible Academy Manager as she was poking around the onion beds, and picked up the gist of what’s taking place in the Family Garden over the coming weeks. Have a look and take note: the schedule’s full!
Sweet & Stinky takes place in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, June 11 – July 19 from 1:30 – 5:30 p.m. daily.
A population of dame’s rocket with individuals of both lavender and white flowers.
Last week I discussed how the scientific names of plants change because of the law of priority. This time around, I explain how names change due to differences in species concepts, leaving the question of “what is a species” for future posts. For now, all you have to know about this complex topic is that a species is a population of plants that plant taxonomists recognize as being different from other populations. In addition, a useful species concept is one in which the morphological and molecular characters used to circumscribe species are also apparent to non-botanists. For example, non-botanists should be able to identify one species from another based on character differences.
In simplest terms, botanists are classified as those who recognize relatively small differences in plant populations as distinct species (splitters), versus those who consider certain kinds of variation to be normal within a species (lumpers). Many animal species include considerable variation in their circumscription as evidenced by the recognition of humans, dogs, and cats as single species. Generally speaking, zoologists have broader species concepts than botanists with the latter tending to split species more than the former. Botanists with different philosophies about splitting and lumping may cause name changes.
