This Weekend: Spooks, Blooms, and Trees!

Posted in Around the Garden on October 25 2013, by Ann Rafalko

The weekend starts on Friday evening, right? At NYBG it does! Celebrate the start of the weekend with a Spooky Nighttime Adventure!

Children of all ages are encouraged to come in costume for this after-dark Halloween spook-tacular. Explore the creepy crawlies hiding in the shadows of the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, see Ray Villafane’s amazing giant pumpkin sculpture illuminated and looking cool, and decorate your own gourd to take home. If you can’t make it Friday, don’t panic—there’s another Spooky Nighttime Adventure on Saturday, too.

This weekend is also the final weekend of Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden, and we’re celebrating with a weekend focused on two Japanese artforms: bonsai and poetry. Incredible examples of bonsai will be on display in the Conservatory Courtyards, and demonstrations aimed at helping you understand these miniature trees will be held at 12 and 2 p.m. On Sunday join acclaimed poet Jane Hirshfield for an afternoon of poetry celebrating the beauty of fall flowers and foliage and their significance in Japanese culture

And if you’re just looking for a reason to get outside, our 250 acres have you covered! Cooler weather is helping to bring out the fall color in the Thain Family Forest in a real way. If you’re interested in the fine art of photographing trees, a Saturday morning conversation with Larry Lederman, where he will share his technical, creative, and philosophical insights into the art of nature photography, is a must. The Forest’s 50-acres of old growth trees isn’t the only place for leaf peeping within our borders, the entire Garden puts on a show at this time of year. So lace up your sneakers or hiking boots, hop the train, and join us for a weekend full of trees, spooks, and blooms!

Friday, October 25

Spooky Nighttime Adventures – 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Grab a Con Edison flashlight and explore the exhibit as you travel along the Whole Foods Market® Trick-or-Treat Trail after dark. Listen for critters of the night, dig around for decomposers, and decorate gourds too. For those who dare, see the giant pumpkin displays illuminated in the darkness and journey along the meandering Mitsubishi Wild Wetland Trail.

Adults and kids of all ages:
Non-Member $20/Member $15
Advance tickets recommended; admission times at 6:30 & 7 p.m.
Check out nybg.org/priceless for access to extra special tricks and treats.

Saturday, October 26

Adults and kids of all ages:
Non-Member $20/Member $15
Advance tickets recommended; admission times at 6:30 & 7 p.m.
Check out nybg.org/priceless for access to extra special tricks and treats.

Bonsai Weekend – 10a.m. – 6 p.m. with demonstrations at 12 & 2 p.m.
In the Conservatory Courtyard
Beautifully crafted bonsai will be on display for one weekend only! Listen to Michael Pollock and other experts from the Yama Ki Bonsai Society as they share tips and tricks about miniaturizing mature shrubs and trees to create living sculptures.

Michael Pollock has been keeping the traditions of bonsai thriving since 1982. He is a member of the Yama Ki Bonsai Society and has honed his craft through his studies at the Ho Yoku School of Bonsai. Pollock is the owner of Bonsai Shinsei New York, metropolitan New York’s only school offering comprehensive instruction in the venerable art of bonsai.

The Yama Ki Bonsai Society was formed in 1973 by a group of individuals with a mutual interest in bonsai. Its purpose is to foster a forum for discussion and education on bonsai for people living in Westchester County, N.Y. and Fairfield County, Conn. The group’s name, Yama Ki, means “Mountain Tree.” Lectures, demonstrations, workshops, and other activities help the novice and appeal to the more experienced bonsai enthusiast as well.

Capturing Trees: A Conversation with Larry Lederman – 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Watson Building
Larry Lederman will present images from his signature book, Magnificent Trees of The New York Botanical Garden, a collection of 250 spectacular photographs, and share his technical, creative, and philosophical insights into the art of nature photography. Taken in all seasons and at all times of day, Lederman’s poetic images capture the wonder, mystery, and ever-changing moods of these incredible specimens.
Special Adult Education Class: Non-Member $25/Member $22

Kiku Roaming Guides – 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Get an in-depth look into Kiku from guides stationed throughout the exhibition.

Bird Walk – 11 a.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
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 to learn about bird-friendly habitats, migrating species, and birds that make a permanent home at the Garden.

Pumpkin Carver’s Studio – 11 a.m. – 5 p .m.
In the Discovery Center’s Bendheim Global Greenhouse
Watch how pumpkin creations are carved as an expert carver translates ideas into art. Learn some tips to try at home on your own pumpkins and gourds.

Ugh! Bugs & Creepy Creatures of Halloween – 12 & 2 p.m.
Clay Family Picnic Pavilions
Some of the animals that make us scream are actually the coolest animals around. Come slither, slide, creep, and scurry along with us and learn why these “creepy” animals aren’t so scary after all. Participants will meet critters from around the world for some hands-on animal presentations and discover the unique adaptations which help them survive in their habitats.

Forest Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool in the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Experience the beauty of the Garden’s 50-acre Thain Family Forest on this one-hour walking tour with an expertly trained Guide. You’ll learn

Taiko Drumming – 1 & 3 p.m.
On the Conservatory Lawn
Thunderous and thrilling, the taiko (Japanese drum) has been called “the voice and spirit of the Japanese people.” From its roots in agriculture and use in the ancient music in shrines and temples, traditional taiko folk music is believed to have entertained the gods, attracted good fortune, driven away evil forces and insects, lent strength and courage to warriors, and celebrated life.

Home Gardening Demonstration: Autumnal Centerpieces – 2 p.m.
In the Perennial Garden
Floral arrangements are no longer just about beautiful flowers. Join us to explore the possibilities of making decorative table settings with the bounty from the season.

Native Plant Garden Tour – 2:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Join a tour guide for an insider’s view of the newly designed Native Plant Garden. Enjoy a mosaic of nearly 100,000 native trees, wildflowers, ferns and grasses designed to flourish in every season.

Adults and kids of all ages:
Non-Member $20/Member $15
Advance tickets recommended; admission times at 6:30 & 7 p.m.
Check out nybg.org/priceless for access to extra special tricks and treats.

Sunday, October 27

Kiku Roaming Guides – 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
Get an in-depth look into Kiku from guides stationed throughout the exhibition.

Perennial Garden Tour – 12:30 p.m.
Meet at the Reflecting Pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center
Join a Garden Guide for a tour of the Jane Watson Irwin Perennial Garden, which combines a vast palette of colors, textures, flowers, and foliage to create interest in every season.

Poetry for Every Season Reading: Kiku
In the Ross Hall
Celebrate the beauty of fall flowers and foliage and their significance in Japanese culture with poet Jane Hirshfield, who will read classic favorites as well as a selection from her own work.
Co-presented with the Poetry Society of America
Support provided by the United States-Japan Foundation

Born in New York City, Jane Hirshfield received her BA from Princeton University in the first graduating class that included women. She went on to study at the San Francisco Zen Center. Her books of poetry include Come, Thief (Alfred A. Knopf, 2011); After (HarperCollins, 2006); Given Sugar, Given Salt (HarperCollins, 2001), which was a finalist for The National Book Critics Circle Award, and others. She is also the author of Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry (Harper, 1997) and an e-book on Basho, The Heart of Haiku (2011). She has edited and co-translated The Ink Dark Moon: Love Poems by Ono no Komachi and Izumi Shikibu. Her honors include the Poetry Center Book Award, fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, and Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations, Columbia University’s Translation Center Award, The Commonwealth Club of California Poetry Medal, and the Bay Area Book Reviewers Award. In 2004 Hirshfield was awarded the 70th Academy Fellowship for distinguished poetic achievement by the Academy of American Poets. In addition Hirshfield has taught in the Bennington MFA Writing Seminars, at UC Berkeley, and at the University of San Francisco. She has been a visiting Poet-in-Residence at Duke University and elsewhere. She was elected Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2012.

Ongoing Children’s Programs

The Haunted Pumpkin Garden
In the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden
September 21 – October 31; Tuesdays – Fridays 1:30 – 5:30 p.m.;
Saturdays, Sundays, and Monday, October 14, 10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Experience the thrills and chills of the season with a garden full of intricately carved pumpkin sculptures, bugs, and bats. On October 19 & 20, watch Master Carvers Ray Villafane and Andy Bergholtz of Food Network fame transform humongous pumpkins into unearthly creatures. It’s so much fun, it’s scary!

Parades Daily! – Weekdays, 1:30 p.m., Weekends and Holidays, 1 & 3 p.m.
Story Readings – Weekends and Holidays only, 2 & 3:30 p.m.

Goodnight, Garden
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
October 15 – 27, 2013, 1:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Join us as we prepare the garden for the change in seasons and learn how to save seeds from your favorite plants and vegetables.

This Weekend: Spooks, Blooms, and Trees!

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