Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Photography on May 12 2015, by Lansing Moore
Today is going to be a scorcher! Come cool off in the shade of the Perennial Garden’s “Cool Room”—where all the plantings, such as these tulips, are in cool shades of blue, white, and violet.
In the Perennial Garden – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography, What's Beautiful Now on May 11 2015, by Lansing Moore
In the Azalea Garden– Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Programs and Events on May 8 2015, by Lansing Moore
Sunday is the day that we celebrate mothers, and what better way to honor the person you really could stand to call more often than with a visit to the most beautiful spring landscape in New York City? Treat mom to an outing at our Mother’s Day Weekend Garden party—back this weekend and bigger than ever!
May 9 and 10 will be filled with family-friendly programs and activities all across the Garden, so click through to see the full rundown, and don’t forget to check out our tips for your visit to ensure a smooth and pleasant Mother’s Day experience for the whole family.
Stay tuned for more information regarding the Opening Weekend Celebration for FRIDA KAHLO: Art, Garden Life—including the debut of our mobile guide, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, which will enable you to experience the exhibition on your smartphone and create your own Frida-style selfies!
Posted in Photography on May 8 2015, by Lansing Moore
Magnolia × soulangeana ‘Lennei’ in the Magnolia Collection – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Exhibitions on May 7 2015, by Lansing Moore
We’re counting down the days to the Opening Weekend Celebration of NYBG’s blockbuster summer exhibition, FRIDA KAHLO: Art, Garden, Life. The Garden is abuzz with busy preparation that will extend across the grounds, from an exhibition of more than a dozen original works by Frida Kahlo in the Art Gallery of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, to a beautiful evocation of Kahlo’s famed garden and studio, the Casa Azul, in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.
In fact, there are 10 main components to this grand and immersive exhibition across the Garden! So, with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, NYBG has developed a mobile guide for smartphones that will take you through the entire experience, either on-site or before you visit! Read on for how this digital companion will help you navigate the exhibition, learn more about the artist’s life and times, and create your own customizable Frida selfies to share!
Posted in Photography on May 7 2015, by Lansing Moore
So far, spring at the Garden has starred the magnolias and flowering cherries—but now it’s the crabapples’ turn to hog the spotlight with their rich colors.
Malus ‘Burgandy’ near the Hudson Garden Grill – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Horticulture on May 5 2015, by Lansing Moore
Sonia Uyterhoeven is NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.
In a previous blog a few months ago, we explored the interdependency of plants, insects and birds. When I was at New England Grows, I was reminded of plant’s interdependency with soil. This relationship was sensationalized in 2006 with the publication of Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis’s book Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web.
I remember when Lowenfels came and spoke at The New York Botanic Garden. He was one of many proponents for healthy soils. T. Fleisher, Elaine Ingham and James Sottilo were just a few members of the healthy soil brigade who were working the speaker circuit, educating and informing us on their work on soil microbiology, compost, compost tea, and soil restoration.
At New England Grows, the Foreman of the Grounds at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Chris Roddick, gave an informative talk that took me back to the heydays when soil was exciting and alive. Roddick started with a reminder of what we often do wrong: over-fertilize or fertilize without a purpose, over-sanitize (by removing leaves, etc.), create mulch mounds, drive heavy equipment up to the base of trees, and garden in the rain.
Posted in Adult Education on May 1 2015, by Plant Talk
The April issue of Elle Décor magazine features the work of Susan Welti (’96), who runs her Brooklyn-based Foras Studio with NYBG School of Professional Horticulture alum, Paige Keck. A former dancer, Welti now finds a different sort of choreography in gardens and landscapes. We caught up with her to talk about design, careers, and the personal satisfaction that comes from actually changing clients’ lives.
‘For me, Landscape Design is the perfect segue from choreography,” Susan said. “It has space, time, and movement.”
Her Landscape Design classes at the Garden—which she said were “beyond fun”—were humbling and prepared her for an internship with Lynden B. Miller after she completed her Certificate in 1996. She opened her own company, Susan Welti Landscape Design, and started small, but grew rapidly as news of her talent spread.
“I think it’s an amazing field to be in because people here are just desperate to have green, some little bit of nature,” she said. “It sounds counter-intuitive that you could have a really booming landscape design business in the middle of New York City, but it’s true.”
Posted in Programs and Events on May 1 2015, by Lansing Moore
May is upon us—and may you have a fantastic weekend! The clear, warm forecast calls for perfect weather for a Garden visit. So come join us for Native Plant Garden Wine Weekend and savor the clear spring and vibrant seasonal blooms with delicious wine tastings from local vintners from New York State and beyond. Hear experts discuss wine pairings, or take in the most beautiful parts of the Garden grounds on a guided tour. Delicious snacks will also be available for purchase from Stephen STARR Events, or you can dine in style at the newly opened Hudson Garden Grill, NYBG’s first full-service, sit-down restaurant.
Read on for complete details regarding this weekend’s special tours and programs—including the full list of participating wineries—and join us for the first of this season’s Spring Weekends at NYBG!
Posted in Photography on May 1 2015, by Lansing Moore
In the Benenson Ornamental Conifers – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen