Morning Eye Candy: Autumnalis
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on December 1 2011, by Matt Newman
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Around the Garden
Morning Eye Candy: Callicarpa japonica
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on November 30 2011, by Matt Newman
I’d say the Japanese beautyberry does a decent job of living up to its name, wouldn’t you?
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Season in Review
Posted in Around the Garden, Gardening Tips on November 29 2011, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
The season is winding down, meaning it’s a good time to reflect and take stock of what was grown in the garden this year. If I don’t keep my records and notes, the observations that seem cemented in my mind will have evaporated into a fuzzy haze of vague recollections in no time. As such, I will begin some initial record keeping here.
At our side entrance gate we planted a trio of coleus (Solenostemon) cultivars. We selected ‘Green Card,’ ‘Saturn,’ and ‘Brooklyn Horror’ for variety. The first two are large-leaved specimens, while the latter has very fine, feathery foliage. In terms of color, ‘Green Card’ is a bright citrine green while the other two are a luxurious combination of the same iridescent green and a rich burgundy.
Morning Eye Candy: Vivid Green
Posted in Around the Garden on November 28 2011, by Matt Newman
Sometimes it’s the simplest combinations in hue that make the fall colors blossom.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Morning Eye Candy: No Better Contrast
Posted in Around the Garden on November 27 2011, by Matt Newman
Warm colors make the dropping temperatures so much more bearable. Now, all we need is a hammock..
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Morning Eye Candy: Old Standby
Posted in Around the Garden on November 26 2011, by Matt Newman
The Holiday Train Show is in full swing under the glass of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and we’ve even got a few new faces in this year’s display! Can anyone recognize this long-gone New York original? (I’ll give you a hint: back when the Dodgers baseball club was still a part of NYC, it took its name in honor of these rail regulars.)
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Morning Eye Candy: Fall Regalia
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on November 25 2011, by Matt Newman
The ginkgoes are all but done changing into their fall finery, creating sunny gradients of color.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Fall and the Crimson Flag
Posted in Around the Garden on November 21 2011, by Matt Newman
The Ladies’ Border is a unique element here at The New York Botanical Garden, a ribbon of lavish growth snugged in alongside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory like a well-kept secret. Walking along its narrow pathway, you pick up on a quiet sense of privacy afforded by the tall plants and trees on either side, thriving camellias and low-slung mountain pines blotting out the world beyond to bring the space into focus.
Part of that has to do with the location itself; the Ladies’ Border exists as a chance for the NYBG’s gardeners to make use of their own daring creativity, owing to the spot’s placement between the Conservatory and a rising berm on the opposing side. Together these buffers cradle a sanctuary with its own subtle microclimate, protected from the elements and always slightly warmer than its surroundings–enough so that non-native plants can occasionally thrive here in New York. This is where we find Hesperantha coccinea, blooming and vivid in spite of the weather.
The Holiday Train Show Opens This Weekend!
Posted in Around the Garden, Holiday Train Show on November 18 2011, by Matt Newman
We know you’ve been anxious for the Holiday Train Show to open its doors–we’re right there with you! And truth be told, ever since preparation began in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory two weeks ago, it’s been a struggle for those of us at Plant Talk to keep our excitement in check (and why would we even want to, at that?) Watching the bridges and tracks being put in place, seeing this year’s layout take shape under the careful attentions of Paul Busse and his Applied Imagination team–it’s left us daydreaming over how spectacular everything will look under the lights this weekend.
But there’s more to the Train Show than locomotives and landmarks. This weekend also marks the start of our holiday celebrations at large, with grand opening ceremonies, music, and all sorts of entertainment outside the glassy walls of the Conservatory.
Rare Specimens: The Ross Conifer Collection
Posted in Around the Garden, Gardens and Collections on November 16 2011, by Joyce Newman
The Arthur and Janet Ross Conifer Arboretum at The New York Botanical Garden covers nearly 40 acres of rolling landscape in the heart of the garden. It became the first collection of living plants at the Garden with plantings started in 1901, and now boasts more than 250 mature conifers, some of which are more than 100 years old.
Some of the earliest conifers to arrive at the garden–planted in 1908–are the Tanyosho pines, conifers that display a beautiful, orange-red bark with branches that can often be seen spreading in an umbrella shape. Our grove of five mature specimens is a very unique example of the species in the U.S., especially when considering that each tree is more than a century old.
Did you know that globally, boreal conifer forests cover more land mass than any other type of forest on the planet? In fact, they take up more space than all of the tropical rain forests combined. This makes conifers an extremely important family of trees, not to mention record-holders for the world’s oldest, tallest, and most massive trees.