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Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Archive: March 2015

Fine Foliage and Bold Bracts

Posted in Horticulture on March 17 2015, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Sonia Uyterhoeven is NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.

Aechmea 'Del Mar'
Aechmea ‘Del Mar’

I find myself surrounded by bromeliads twice each year. During the early summer, when temperatures have sufficiently warmed, high-end landscape designers use these intriguing tropical beauties to dress up window boxes and the small front gardens of Manhattan town houses. And in frosty February and fickle March, though the temperatures make it an unlikely time for a northerner to encounter bromeliads, you’ll find colorful Neoregelia, showy Vriesea, and floriferous Aechmea thriving in the safe haven of our Conservatory.

Bromeliads add an important element of design to The Orchid Show with their color and texture. Their broad, lance-shaped foliage emerges gracefully from their vase-like form, adding structure and drama to the display. This year they are complemented by an array of lush, tropical and subtropical ferns. In nature, bromeliads often grow alongside orchids—the show takes this natural association and transforms it into a vibrant and stylized display.

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LGBT@NYBG Continues March 19 at Orchid Evenings

Posted in The Orchid Show on March 17 2015, by Lansing Moore

The next of our popular Orchid Evenings is this Thursday, March 19, and this special night will be dedicated to our friends in the LGBT community as part of the Garden’s new LGBT@NYBG initiative. In partnership with the NGLCCNY, NYBG will dedicate one of our special ticketed cocktail evenings to LGBT outreach for each exhibition.

Guests on Thursday will be able to admire The Orchid Show: Chandeliers and even enter for a chance to win prizes from our friends at Guerlain. Enjoy some beautiful snapshots from our last Orchid Evening below, and get your tickets for one of the remaining dates between now and April 19!

 

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Wildlife Photographer’s Notebook: Meet My Subject Matter

Posted in Photography, Wildlife on March 16 2015, by Patricia Gonzalez

Patricia Gonzalez is an NYBG Visitor Services Attendant and avid wildlife photographer.

Red-tailed Hawk (Photo by Patricia Gonzalez)This year marks the eighth year that I’ll be photographing wildlife here at the New York Botanical Garden. I first began visiting the Garden grounds in 2008. I was so impressed with all the different types of wildlife that I soon became a Member. In 2012, I signed on as a Volunteer Greeter with Visitor Services. Later that same year, I was asked to join them as staff. The rest, as they say, is history.

During all this time, I’ve never stopped shooting. I bring my camera to work every day and try to do some shooting before and after my shift. I also visit the Garden on my days off to get in some extra daylight. Naturally, I have an advantage working at the Garden as I can get in before we open to the public. This leaves entire swaths of the Garden all to myself. Through the years, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some amazing members of the animal kingdom. Here are a few of them.

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This Weekend: Escape with Orchid Evenings

Posted in Programs and Events on March 13 2015, by Lansing Moore

The Orchid Show: ChandeliersOrchid Evenings kicked off last week, and the next of these popular evening events is this Saturday, March 14—and tickets are still available! Come enjoy the lingering sunset through the glass of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Admire The Orchid Show: Chandeliers alongside a live DJ with a cocktail in hand. The Pine Tree Cafe has a full bar and menu of snacks available for purchase while a live band sets the mood with Latin Jazz. Shop in the Garden will be open for those who wish to bring home an orchid or some orchid care products.

This year, Guerlain’s famed makeup artists will be on site offering free lipstick touch-ups. You can also visit the Guerlain Rare Orchid collection and post your pictures to Instagram with #GuerlainOrchid for a chance to win a couple’s spa day at the Waldorf Astoria. Visit our Guerlain page to get more information, and learn how you can also text for a chance to win luxurious Guerlain products!

Orchid Evenings have all you need for a night of romance and adventure under the intoxicating fragrance of New York’s favorite flower exhibition. Use your MasterCard to buy tickets and attend a pre-party at Shop in the Garden with a complimentary glass of champagne. Click through for more information about Orchid Evenings and the rest of this weekend’s schedule of tours and programs.

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Greet Spring with the Children’s Gardening Program!

Posted in Children's Education on March 13 2015, by Plant Talk

Children's Gardening ProgramPull on your galoshes and best gardening gloves, because spring is just two weeks away! Soon, kids ages 3–5 and 6–12 will learn about spring crops and beautiful early bloomers, like tulips and daffodils, in the Children’s Gardening Program, which kicks off later this month.

Kids in the Children’s Gardening Program learn about plant life, from soil all the way to the treetops. They get to take part in the process by planting their own veggie garden plots and digging for worms—key players in the composting and soil enrichment processes. There’s plenty more fun with songs, crafts, and nature-inspired activities that indulge in kids’ desire to know more about the inner workings of the environment around them.

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