Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Photography on October 11 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Eastern Cottonwood leaf (Populus deltoides) and Northern Flicker feather (Colaptes auratus). For your chance to see a Northern Flicker in the flesh, join us for our weekly Saturday morning Bird Walk!
Photo by Senior Plant Recorder, Kristine Paulus
Posted in Programs and Events on October 10 2013, by Matt Newman
Our “Nature’s Pharmacy” photo exhibition may have taken its leave from the Ross Gallery just as summer’s Wild Medicine bowed out, but it was only one small aspect of the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition. Meanwhile, the annual, worldwide quest to uncover the best of the best among nature photographers muscles onward, and 2013’s window for entry is swiftly closing. It only takes one pristine picture to gain recognition in the contest, of course, so don’t let the schedule pressure you out of the race!
With only three weeks left until the October 31 deadline, the heat is on for the globe’s up and coming shutterbugs to flaunt their mettle, whether that’s photographing a rustic onion harvest in an idyllic home garden or braving a cavernous woodland for a shot at a family of pallid mushrooms. With over $20,000 in cash and prizes on the line for participants, this challenge isn’t one you should brush off lightly. And whatever your nature photography draws you to, chances are good that there’s an IGPOTY category to accommodate it, including those below.
Posted in Photography on October 10 2013, by Ann Rafalko
A cosmos of cosmos.
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Adult Education on October 9 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Kodai Nakazawa, the horticultural genius behind our current exhibition, Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden, learned his trade at Tokyo’s Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. And while it might be hard for you to replicate his genius at home (11 months of careful tending to one single plant would probably be challenging to all but the most dedicated of home gardeners, disregarding entirely the fact that some of these plants are huge!), that doesn’t mean you can’t replicate a little bit of Japan’s amazing horticultural heritage at home, and we’re setting out to prove it.
During the months of October and November, the NYBG’s acclaimed adult education program is offering a selection of classes dedicated to teaching you a variety of Japanese gardening traditions.
Posted in Programs and Events on October 9 2013, by Matt Newman
We’re a bit under two months from the grand conclusion of 2013’s NYBG Greenmarket season, and while the hourglass is winding down for fresh, locally-grown produce at the Garden, the quality, quantity, and variety of just-picked edibles isn’t dwindling in the least. Fall is an amazing time for fruits and vegetables from our vendors, and judging by the enormous cauliflower, bright cobs of corn, and rainbow of sweet and tart apples out on display as I passed by the stalls this morning, the chill in the air should be the last thing holding up your visit.
Today, alongside the Macoun, Empire, Golden Delicious, and other varieties of fresh fall apples, there are Niagara grapes, quince, and of course the fruit juices that Red Jacket Orchards is famous for. Migliorelli Farm is in town today with green and purple kohlrabi varieties, as well as golden beets, Japanese turnips, and flat beans in abundance. And from Gajeski Produce, plan to take home Tuscan kale, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, tomatillos (amazing salsa from these) and at least three colors of gigantic cauliflower. It goes without saying that their mini pumpkins and gourds should also be on your list. Meredith’s Bread rounds out the vendors with cookies, carrot cakes, savory breads and rolls, homemade jams, lots of gluten-free options, and a seasonal specialty known as the “pumpkin explosion.” So if you’ve got a one-pumpkin-flavored-goodie-per-day rule, maybe skip the pumpkin spice latte.
Posted in Around the Garden on October 9 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Who decorated this leaf with Halloween-ready creepy cobwebs and fall colors?
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Programs and Events on October 8 2013, by Ann Rafalko
It’s October, which means it’s time for pumpkin everything, leaf peeping, and spooky good times, and we can promise you all three at NYBG!
Beginning the weekend of October 18, explore the Garden after dark on four special Spooky Nighttime Adventures in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. Use all your senses to explore what happens in the dark. Listen for creepy critters in the leaf litter, thrill to the entertainers greeting you in the Visitor’s Center, decorate your own Halloween gourd to take home, and so much more!
Kids of all ages are encouraged to come in costume to really get into the spirit of the season! Spooky Nighttime Adventures have timed entrances at 6:30 and 7 p.m. on Friday, October 18; Saturday, October 19; Friday, October 25; and Saturday, October 26. If you’re looking to get the party started early, MasterCard cardholders can access special, early entrance tickets that include treats and an exploration of carnivorous plants. Why carnivorous plants? We thought you’d never ask!
Posted in Gardening Tips on October 8 2013, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.
The other day I was working opposite the Garden Cafe on our Seasonal Walk, the border that was designed by Dutch Designer Piet Oudolf. This border is characterized by an intermingling of permanent and ephemeral plants that drift through it, and my late season task was to deadhead the dahlias.
We have some stalwarts of the garden in this border, one of my favorites being the popular flower known as Dahlia ‘David Howard’. This dahlia was immortalized years ago in Christopher Lloyd’s borders at Great Dixter in Sussex, England, sporting dark black-purple foliage and bright apricot-orange flowers. The contrast between the foliage and flowers is stunning, while the flowers alone are quite showy with their large, 4-inch-wide, blousy double blooms. In our garden, the height of ‘David Howard’ ranges from 3 – 3.5 feet tall.
Giving ‘David Howard’ a run for his money is the stunning, blushing Dahlia ‘Bashful’. She is a prolific bloomer and grows from 30-36 inches. Her flowers remind me of a raspberry parfait. She has purplish petals that fade to mauve-lilac on the tips, each surrounding a buttery golden center. Delicious! On the morning that I went out to deadhead the dahlias, several bees were asleep on her flowers.
Posted in Photography on October 8 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Lunchtime is for the birds in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Exhibitions on October 7 2013, by Matt Newman
I haven’t traveled to Scotland yet, but in my thoughts it’s a green and airy place, textured with the golems of mountains, cairns, and foggy grasslands. Admittedly that’s a romantic generalization better left to youthful misconceptions. But there’s still something to that old notion when I view the landscapes in Allan Pollok-Morris’ atmospheric photographs, prints of which are now being hung in The New York Botanical Garden‘s Ross Gallery. From what I’ve seen so far, the opening of our visiting Close exhibition should be an escape for any visitor.
Inspired by the outdoor art installations, gardens, and sculpted landscapes that multinational artists have wrought throughout Scotland’s challenging country, Pollok-Morris’ set out over the course of five years to meet these creators and photograph their lasting contributions to the world around them. But the name of the exhibition, “Close,” might warrant a deeper explanation for those without the benefit of a Scottish upbringing.
“No one collective description can be applied to the wide variety of subjects in this group,” Pollok-Morris writes. “Instead, when choosing a name, I opted for a small, unassuming word which, in Scottish dialect, was used to describe a landscape so inspirational that heaven seemed closer to earth in that place. For example, I grew up in MacGregor country, where it is said the most famous member of this clan, Rob Roy MacGregor, was buried in Balquhidder because he had described the glen as ‘close’.”