Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Around the Garden on April 21 2014, by Matt Newman
We’re getting out ahead of the spring warmth. Time for the post-winter whitewash on the Conservatory dome!
Enid A. Haupt Conservatory – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography on April 19 2014, by Matt Newman
Myrobalan plum (Prunus cerasifera var. divaricata) near the Mosholu Gate – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Horticulture on April 18 2014, by Jaime Morin
Jaime Morin is The New York Botanical Garden’s Assistant Curator in horticulture. She works with the plant records and curation teams to help keep the garden’s information on its living collections up to date. She also oversees the details of the garden’s Living Collections Phenology Project.
Late last week I brought a group of new Living Collections Phenology volunteers through the magnolia and oak collections just as the plants began hinting at spring. Of the earliest flowering species, the star magnolias (Magnolia stellata) were beginning to show off their crisp white flowers and the rarer Zen’s magnolia (Magnolia zenii) was in full flower, showing gorgeous pink watercolor streaks at the base of its tepals.
This week the magnolias are really strutting their stuff at The New York Botanical Garden. It is amazing how much things can change over the weekend! By this Monday the many saucer magnolias (Magnolia × soulangeana) in the collection were revealing their newly opened flowers and they continue to get prettier by the day.
Though you can’t go wrong with any of the magnolias here at the Garden, my favorite plant is one of the kobus magnolias (Magnolia kobus). We have a fantastic specimen just north of the Visitor Center that I believe is unparalleled across our 250 acres. This particular plant, accessioned in 1940, is over 35 feet tall and 45 feet wide. Its fragrant white flowers cover its branches like thousands of small white song birds about to take flight.
Posted in Programs and Events on April 18 2014, by Lansing Moore
On April 21, the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory ends its journey through the Florida Keys. This weekend is your last chance to enjoy the modernist pergolas and reflecting pools of landscape architect Raymond Jungles! There are also plenty of programs this weekend to maximize your visit to The Orchid Show: Key West Contemporary before it closes. Better yet, the Garden will also be open on Easter Sunday and Monday, April 21, for the final day of The Orchid Show.
While activity may be winding down in the Conservatory, the party is just getting started on grounds. Spring was difficult to think of during the long winter, but now the magnolias, daffodils, and cherry blossoms are returning the Garden to its due brilliance. In advance of Earth Day at the Garden on Tuesday, visitors are invited to kick off Earth Week at Sunday’s Terrace Talk! This Science Program will include a special botany-inspired cocktail tasting, and an exciting look into the work of the Pfizer Lab. If you missed out on Orchid Evenings, this is your chance to enjoy the the Garden in style while getting an exclusive peek at its inner workings.
The Culinary Kids Food Festival also ends April 21, so this weekend is the perfect time to bring the kids on a delicious journey! Read on for the rest of this weekend’s activities at the Garden!
Posted in Photography on April 18 2014, by Matt Newman
Forsythia × intermedia in the Benenson Ornamental Conifers – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography on April 17 2014, by Lansing Moore
We’ve been jealous of Washington D.C. while they enjoy their famous cherry blossoms, but flowering season has finally made its way up north to NYBG! The trees are beginning to look like great bunches of cotton candy that have landed on grounds.
Okame cherry (Prunus ‘Okame’) – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Programs and Events on April 16 2014, by Lansing Moore
Next weekend is the perfect opportunity to beautify your home, both indoors and out, while celebrating the harmony between houses and gardens. From April 25 to 27, more than 30 established vendors will take part in this year’s Antique Garden Furniture Fair, offering centuries of classic indoor and outdoor decor from both Europe and North America.
At the same time, NYBG Shop in the Garden staff can help you find the best plant to make your home pop this season at the Specialty Plant Sale. Our Garden Room next to the Fair will include a special selection of shrubs and trees, perennials and annuals, as well as herbs and other unique home greenery. But that’s only the beginning. Head below to read more about the big names and exciting events coming to the Antiques Garden Furniture Fair in 2014!
Posted in Photography on April 16 2014, by Matt Newman
Cue Julie Andrews. It may be a bit frosty out there today, but Daffodil Hill is having none of it.
On Daffodil Hill – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden on April 15 2014, by Lansing Moore
Next time you’re feeling hungry at the Garden, stop by the latest attraction at the Leon Levy Visitor Center. Months of work and preparation throughout the winter have resulted in yesterday’s highly-anticipated debut of the Garden’s newest eatery. The Pine Tree Café offers visitors to the Garden a tasty new dining experience from our friends at STARR Restaurants.
This unique addition to the Garden’s visitor experience is named for the collection of towering trees in which it sits. The Pine Tree Café takes advantage of its location under the pleasing shade of the Arthur and Janet Ross Conifer Arboretum to create a space where guests can enjoy their lunch within view of a world-renowned collection of rare and unusual pines from Asia, Europe, and North America.
Posted in Photography on April 15 2014, by Matt Newman
They’re minute but resolute, those small green things that join together to build the season.
In the South Arboretum – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen