We’ll miss the cherry bloom now that it’s passed, though the pink petal carpets dotting the Garden are riotous reminders. Meanwhile, the Azalea Garden is in peak bloom and we’re checking our watches over the roses as they mull the idea of waking up. The Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden usually hits peak in the early days of June, but Peter Kukielski assures us the color explosion is just around the corner. Of course, we don’t leave gaps; not far from the Rose Garden, opposite the mad-monikered tree peonies, lilac blossoms by the thousands fan that quintessential spring perfume.
We had someone ask us on Tumblr the other day if they’d already missed out on this year’s lilac bloom, so I puzzled together a few shots of the collection taken over the past week to put anxious hearts at ease. That said, no, these white and purple puffs are still very much en vogue and smelling delicious.
In case you haven’t heard: The cicadas are coming! The cicadas are coming! To New York City at least, where they haven’t been seen, en masse, since 1996. Cicadas of the Brood II type hibernate underground for 17 years, waiting for the soil to warm to a balmy 64°F before emerging in the millions to mate. Then, they disappear again for another 17 years. We haven’t seen, or heard, them yet at the Garden, but there have been scattered sightings throughout the greater New York City area.
And it turns out, cicadas have not only a sense of rhythm, but also a sense of timing and will have emerged in time for the World Science Festival! We’ll be celebrating with a special Festival program on June 1, Cicada Serenades: Music, Mating, and Meaning. The panel will be moderated by ABC News’ Good Morning America co-anchor Dan Harris, and will feature musician, philosopher, and author David Rothenberg (recently featured on WNYC’s SoundCheck); environmental scientist John Cooley; professor and neurobiologist Ronald Hoy; and author, biologist, and professor Marlene Zuk. Discussion of the cicada’s song, mating rituals, and scientific importance will be punctuated by a “musical performance between the bugs and their human collaborators.”
The family fun includes bird and butterfly walks, watercolor painting, a professional photographer’s booth where you can get a beautiful family portrait, lawn games and picnicking on Daffodil Hill (complete with food carts and free samples), music perfect for dancing from the Banjo Rascals, and on Sunday, a family concert presentation of Jack and the Beanstalk by the Bronx Arts Ensemble.
After enjoying the festivities, take mom for a stroll around our 250-acres where you will be dazzled by all the beautiful blooms. The Azalea Garden is as close to peak bloom as you can get, like stepping into a pink and red kaleidoscope! The tree peony and lilac collections–both located near the newly reopened Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden–continue to perfume the air with amazing aroma, and in the Home Gardening Center you can tiptoe among the tulips until your heart’s content. The Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden is verdant and green with vegetables and flowers popping up all over. Feel free to lend a hand, dig around, plant a little, and play in the dirt here. Everyone’s encouraged to give gardening a try in this one-acre veggie wonderland!
Last week, Joel Kroin returned to the NYBG just in time for the opening of the Native Plant Garden. Naturally, he had his pinhole camera with him. Because of the nature of pinhole photography—the length of exposure and the time it takes to create an image—moving things often “ghost” in the final result. Of course, Joel assures us these are real ghosts and he’s just a recording medium for their presence, so we’re going to let the images speak for themselves here.
For your peace of mind, no, we don’t have the Ghostbusters on retainer.
”Saw this rare yellow magnolia in bloom last weekend at the NY Botanical Garden” @OliverSacks
Recently the eminent neurologist, author, and friend of the GardenDr. Oliver Sackstweeted a picture of himself with one of NYBG‘s yellow magnolias. “Saw this rare yellow magnolia in bloom last weekend at the NY Botanical Garden,” Dr. Sacks said. This resulted in a series of questions about yellow magnolias, most of which I could not answer. So I turned to someone who could, the Garden’s Manager of Plant Records, Jon Peter.
One of the biggest questions was as to whether or not the magnolia pictured, Magnolia ‘Butterflies’, is in fact yellow. “Yes it is really yellow, although a pale yellow,” Jon Peter assured me. This is one of the problems with digital plant pictures, everyone’s screen is slightly different, so hues can appear different to different people. But you can trust me, Dr. Sacks, and Jon Peter—this beautiful tree is truly yellow. It has a creamy, buttery color, with just a touch of chartreuse shot through. It is especially spectacular when set against more traditional blossoming tree colors like pink and white.
The tree cookie is back! Though you’d be forgiven for having no idea what I’m talking about. As a matter of fact, very few of us around the office have seen this section of sequoia up close and personal—at least until now. But with the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden rolling out this classic display after such a long absence, I figure it makes sense to reintroduce everyone.
The history is the simple bit. We start with a brief definition: Tree Cookie — noun — A horizontal round cut from a tree trunk. It’s the cross-section that allows arborists and botanists to pin down the exact age of a tree by counting off the concentric rings in the wood. It also provides clues to the life of the tree based on the density of the rings, anomalies in shapes and patterns within the wood, and other unique signifiers pointing to a healthy or harried history. For reference, we’ve got over 1,600 rings worth of trunk data to parse in this one tree cookie alone. That places the tree’s start at around the year 223!
Tours will focus on the diversity of plants to be found in the garden and the birds that are already calling it home. Everyone is encouraged to borrow a palette and watercolors and let the Native Plant Garden inspire you or your children to create a masterpiece en plein air. Enjoy folk tunes and bluegrass from the very popular Milton. Shop for native plants and learn from the experts in a series of demos and author book signings.
There’s so much to do in the Native Plant Garden you might be inclined to just stay there and enjoy this beautiful new landscape, but you would be missing out on a wealth of other stunning vistas! Though there are only a few blooms, the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden is once again open for the season, and just above it you will find blooming tree peonies and fragrant stands of lilac. In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens have just been planted, and every child is encouraged to plant and play in the rest of the garden beds. In Cherry Valley a few tenacious blooms hold on, while tulips are everywhere in the Perennial Garden, Home Gardening Center, and along Seasonal Walk. In the Herb Garden you will be greeted by a “theater” of adorable and fascinating auricula primroses. The Azalea Garden is just beginning to glow in rosy hues of magenta, shocking pink, and seashell blush. Along Daffodil Hill the daffs are fading a bit, only to be outshone by gorgeous (and fragrant) crabapples. Basically, everywhere you turn there’s another stunning vista!
The Native Plant Garden‘s transformation over the last two weeks has put up a spectacle, for sure, but when I ran into Ivo yesterday, he only had eyes for these tiny “pantaloons.” And if his love of these Dutchman’s Breeches didn’t get the point across, his bright orange shirt laid his national pride out for anyone within a mile to see.
Dutchman’s Breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
This weekend brings a beautiful event to the Garden, the Garden Sculpture and Antiques Fair: 1750-2013! Vendors and artists from across the country and across the Atlantic are gathered together under the Conservatory Tent with a gorgeous range of functional and artistic decoration for your garden, patio, solarium, and home. In addition, enjoy complimentary wine tasting with the Naked Grape 12-5 p.m. each day as well as special tours and demonstrations.
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Wares range from incredible contemporary kinetic sculpture, to tiny colonial lanterns, giant sprouting shallots, Majolica kittens, Grecian urns, mossy otters, and everything in between. The star of the show, however, seems to be a beautiful set of chairs featuring a peacock-motif that were once owned by the woman whose name graces our stately Conservatory, Enid A. Haupt. If your mother is a gardener with impeccable taste, the Garden Sculpture and Antiques Fair: 1750-2013 might just be the perfect place to pickup an unforgettable Mother’s Day present!
As if that weren’t enough, the Garden is just glorious right now. Cherry blossoms, daffodils, tulips, and a very special rhododendron are stopping people in their tracks across our 250-acres. There’s a palpable sense of happiness and ease wherever you go, with incredible scents wafting on the air, and smiles everywhere. And as if that weren’t enough, the lilacs seem set to pop at any moment! Just the thought of lilacs in this springtime sunshine makes me shoulders feel less tense.
We’ll miss the cherry bloom now that it’s passed, though the pink petal carpets dotting the Garden are riotous reminders. Meanwhile, the Azalea Garden is in peak bloom and we’re checking our watches over the roses as they mull the idea of waking up. The Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden usually hits peak in the early days of June, but Peter Kukielski assures us the color explosion is just around the corner. Of course, we don’t leave gaps; not far from the Rose Garden, opposite the mad-monikered tree peonies, lilac blossoms by the thousands fan that quintessential spring perfume.
