Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 15 2012, by Matt Newman
Might that be our good friend Junior, 2010’s hatchling of the year? Perhaps local hawk aficionado Pat Gonzalez will chime in with a clarification.
Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 14 2012, by Matt Newman
Do the kids visiting the NYBG love Thomas the Tank Engine™? That’s a little like asking if the moon guides the tides. Just imagine what it would be like if these parents didn’t have the blue locomotive to keep the little ones quiet for a few spare moments. Better yet, don’t–it’s traumatic to consider.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Holiday Train Show on January 13 2012, by Matt Newman
There are three days between now and the end of the 20th Holiday Train Show. Hands in the Conservatory are already preparing to pull down the tracks and gently store away the trains and miniatures, and soon the space will host fresh events and exhibitions of a more tropical nature. It’s something of a bittersweet moment for those of us here at the NYBG; it wasn’t that long ago that Paul Busse’s team was rolling out the first of the city’s bridges.
Since we unveiled the display in early November, thousands of people–kids and adults, first-timers and yearly regulars–have passed through the glass doors of the dome to view our sparkling homage to the city and the season. And while we’re sad to see the delicate landmarks disappear until next fall, we’re making the most of the time we still have to show the holidays the proper bon voyage.
Posted in What's Beautiful Now on January 13 2012, by Matt Newman
Gloves, hat, scarf–I brought none of these things when I went wandering the Garden during lunch yesterday. The climate was just so perfectly suited to a stroll. And the greatest benefit of working at the NYBG is that–no matter the climate–there’s something out on the grounds worth visiting. It’s true there’s no luck of a permanent spring with buds and blooms sprouting up from corner to corner, but winter has its own subtle and touching charm.
This season’s odd patterns of sun and darkness make for confusing daytime walkabouts; I hadn’t expected to step out of the office at 3 p.m. only to find dusk creeping along at the edges of the afternoon. Adjusting to this kind of Norse winter is a slow process. (Being a southerner, anything north of Georgia is practically Norway to me.) But I decided that I was already out and about, and despite the settling dark I was going to soak up as much enjoyment as I could from the remains of the day.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 13 2012, by Matt Newman
The Japanese apricot flowers out in our Home Gardening Center are seasonally deceptive with those warm colors, aren’t they? But don’t fret–not all is misleading. Our Caribbean Garden opens later this month!
Prunus mume ‘Matsurabara Red’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Programs and Events on January 12 2012, by Matt Newman
My apartment’s not exactly the first place anyone would think to have a Christmas tree. It’s the size of a toddler’s shoe box and my daft cats have a sweet tooth for pine needles. However, for thousands of New Yorkers who did decorate trees for the holiday season, this past weekend was an opportunity to not only retire 2011’s evergreens, but grant them a second life.
24,231. That’s the number of trees recycled during this year’s MulchFest. It soundly tops last year’s final count of 17,000, and with good motivations–it’s the best way for New Yorkers to keep their conifers out of the landfill (the compost is probably better used elsewhere). On Saturday and Sunday, thousands of city residents hauled their trees to one of 35 MulchFest collection spots throughout the metropolitan area, handing over their firs and pines for a cup of coffee and a bag of mulch.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 12 2012, by Matt Newman
A fuzzy bud in waiting. The magnolias that came out of October’s storm battered now give us cause for pleasant anticipation.
Magnolia x soulangeana ‘Alexandrina’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography, Wildlife on January 11 2012, by Matt Newman
Not every New York institution knows the good fortune of having a surplus of skilled photographers. What better place to hone your picturesmith’s craft than a 250-acre utopia of nodding flowers, century-old trees, and classical architecture? I suppose it justifies the horde of zoom lenses I see on a daily basis.
This past weekend, friend of the Garden and long-time member Pat Gonzalez stopped by with her camera for another early-morning trek across the grounds. The woman must drink straight rocket fuel with her coffee to get up and in the gate before the sun even stumbles over the horizon most days. But she’s got a fantastical knack for snapping some of the most miraculous photos of our local raptors, so who’s to tell her not to?
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 11 2012, by Matt Newman
I thought I would post something a little more appropriate to the season this morning, even if the season has been completely upside down, backwards, and inside out. And might I add that the conifers were particularly beautiful in the early twilight last night? Walking around and between the earth-broaching stone by the sleeping Azalea Garden–just before sunset–is a lesson in zen.
I recommend it.
Blue Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’) — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 10 2012, by Matt Newman
What does this look like to you–a dragonfly, maybe? My first instinct was to blurt out “raspberry sherbet,” proving me the worst inkblot test taker.
Miltoniopsis Lady Snow ‘Paper Doll’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen