Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 21 2012, by Matt Newman
One glance, two–how many will it take you to spot the shy photobomber in this frills-attached photo? Try enlarging it and squinting a bit. You could be at this a while otherwise.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden on January 20 2012, by Matt Newman
Rumor has it we’ll be seeing some snow in New York tonight! Does that mean winter’s finally making its frigid entrance stage right? Or maybe it’s just nature’s subtle way of nudging you to get off the couch and pay us a visit for the balmy opening of the Caribbean Garden. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that–yes–the season is giving you a signal. What could it hurt?
Snowflakes or no-flakes, the NYBG will be buzzing with tours, bird walks, and all the swinging, high-heeled dance numbers of the islands. I’m talking salsa. Salsa and warmth. When’s the last time you got to enjoy that kind of two-in-one in the middle of January? And even if the winter was mild until now, it’s a breezy icebox outside today; I’m convinced the threat of frostbite is reason enough to hang out in the jungle habitats of the steamy Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.
Here’s what’s going on this weekend at the Garden!
Posted in Adult Education, Exhibitions, Photography on January 20 2012, by Matt Newman
This year’s Caribbean Garden promises to be even more photogenic than the last! The picturesque fronds and flowers of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory‘s permanent collection once again take the spotlight to promote not only the beauty you see, but the beauty you create.
Walk the pathways of the Conservatory on a tour of our verdant living collections. Award-winning photos from the International Garden Photographer of the Year contest–taken in gardens around the world–will be on display alongside plants from around the Caribbean. Enjoy the beautiful photographs and access additional information on the photographers, their inspiration, and the techniques they used to capture these stunning images by simply scanning a code on each sign with your smartphone. And on Sundays, join one of two accomplished photographers for a brief course on the basics of garden shooting.
Whether you’re green to the art or just looking to brush up on your technique, come for some winter weather relief and don’t forget your camera.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 20 2012, by Matt Newman
Spiraea thunbergii ‘Ogon’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 19 2012, by Matt Newman
“Larry, Moe, and Curly.” It’s the first thing that came to mind when I stumbled across this picture. And a lot of you are probably thinking a guy would have to spend a long, loooong time around plants to see a slapstick comedy trio in a stand of conifers. You’d be right.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 18 2012, by Matt Newman
I thought I would give the Holiday Train Show one last seasonal send-off with a touch of holly red.
Ilex verticillata ‘Winter Red’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Exhibitions on January 17 2012, by Matt Newman
Each year, as winter charges through, every commercial break on television chimes in with the daydream of a tropical paradise–swimsuits, warmth, and salsa music. Suddenly a car horn blares and the vision fades, leaving a woman with a headcold shivering at an icy New York bus stop. It’s as predictable as the sun rising. But while we can’t just let you hop through the visitor gates in your neon two-piece, The New York Botanical Garden brings more than a mirage to the table; the daydream becomes reality this month. Starting January 21, the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory brings the tropics to the city with Caribbean Garden.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 17 2012, by Matt Newman
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 16 2012, by Matt Newman
Chinese witch-hazel keeps its noisemakers and streamers well past the New Year’s Eve party.
Chinese witch-hazel (Hamamelis mollis) — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, From the Library on January 15 2012, by Matt Newman
Our historical archives are something of a treasure chest for history buffs, stuffed with 100-year-old photographs of a Garden in transition. I sometimes find myself digging through them just for contrast and comparison (and the fashion sense of our forebears; I really want to bring back flat-brimmed straw hats). My latest dig yielded some interesting results, not to mention a new series we hope to keep up with in the future.
More specifically, it produced a Library Building (better known then as the Museum Building) and its surroundings at the turn of the century: