Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on May 26 2012, by Matt Newman
Loitering in the Rose Garden? Not a crime (during open hours, anyway). In fact, there may be no better place to dawdle. Now’s the time, too–the roses are reaching their peak this weekend!
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden on May 25 2012, by Matt Newman
Three-day weekend? We’ll take it! After a virtual roller coaster of activity here in the office, we’re as relieved as you are to see that calming stretch of calendar squares laid out before us. Entering the opening days of the year’s most anticipated exhibition was one thing, but biting our nails over the conclusion of the Partners in Preservation competition made for an atmosphere a few notches below peaceful! We’re immensely proud of what we have accomplished, and with smooth sailing from here on out, there’s plenty to celebrate at the NYBG this Memorial Day (yep, we’re open Monday, too!)
Monet’s Garden is dazzling thousands of visitors in its first week. Even with those few dreary days of drizzle, the grounds have been alive with guests taking the tram to see the Conservatory‘s own Giverny, viewing the masterworks of the great Impressionist in the Library, and everything in between. As if we weren’t already enjoying the outcome, the cherry on the sundae arrived Tuesday morning. Thanks to you, our many generous supporters, The New York Botanical Garden will receive a grant of $250,000 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, being used to restore and preserve our long-treasured Rock Garden. A month of campaigning for votes (not to mention the patience of our fans) paid off with a spot in the winner’s circle!
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on May 25 2012, by Matt Newman
Monet’s Grand Allée — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on May 24 2012, by Matt Newman
I’m making the solemn vow hereafter that not a single, tongue-in-cheek Wizard of Oz reference will make it into this update. I just felt the poppies, with all their resplendent reds, deserved a gallery show of their own.
Papaver rhoeas ‘Shirley’ group
Posted in Around the Garden, Gardens and Collections on May 23 2012, by Matt Newman
After last week’s press preview of Monet’s Garden, staff photographer Ivo and I took a short hike to see what we could of the rosarians’ handiwork. The mercury was climbing in lieu of an evaporating early morning chill. The tree shade, in turn, had the afternoon wavering in range of a decent spring temperature. We reached the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden a few minutes later.
Spring’s early arrival (in the middle of winter, no less) made an impression on the NYBG‘s roses, pushing them to bloom ahead of schedule and lining up their peak of color alongside the early days of the Monet exhibition. In fact, we’re hovering at around 90% bloom right now, making the Rose Garden a must-see stop over the coming weeks.
The fine geometry of the garden seems arbitrary at first, but you soon realize how carefully everything has been placed–just as the great landscape architect Beatrix Farrand intended. Airy perimeters of climbing roses encompass dense beds of Grandiflora, Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, and other sustainable cultivars. Bobbing in and about the blossoms are bumble bees, more accurate and methodical than their name suggests. The space is landmarked with concentric circle stonework at the corners and entrance, curving stairways, and a trellised gazebo at the center. Altogether a striking place to walk and reflect.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on May 23 2012, by Matt Newman
Just try and find a couturier who can stitch together ruffles like these! The Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden is once again making a name for itself as spring rounds its way toward summer. More to come later in the day!
Shrub rose ‘Sharifa Asma’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden on May 22 2012, by Ann Rafalko
Thank you! Yes you! And you, and you, and you and you and you! Thank you to every one of you who voted to help the Garden win a $250,000 grant from Partners in Preservation to help restore the cascade in the Rock Garden!
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on May 22 2012, by Matt Newman
Japanese shrub mint. Not what you’re used to seeing crushed at the bottom of your Mojito glass, is it?
Leucosceptrum japonicum ‘Variegatum’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden on May 15 2012, by Matt Newman
With the finish line of the Partners in Preservation competition in sight, we humbly ask that fans, Members, visitors and horticulturists alike rally around the Garden in support! We’re holding steady at third place for the moment, but with your help, first place is only a stone’s throw away. Voting for the NYBG each day from now until May 21 will push us that much closer to winning the privilege of restoring the Rock Garden to its original beauty.
As we enter the final week of the contest, those who grew up with The New York Botanical Garden seem better suited to explain the allure of the Rock Garden than we do, both from the perspective of long-time visitors and that of nature lovers. Naomi Shriber is one such person. Her years-long history of exploring Nature’s Showplace gives her a keen understanding of the Rock Garden and its importance as an iconic landscape at the NYBG. In turn, her art–swept with color and light–captures the essence of this garden’s central feature.
Posted in Around the Garden on May 11 2012, by Matt Newman
Mother’s Day is this Sunday! That might be a rude awakening for some of you. But don’t panic your way to the nearest florist just yet–I doubt forgetfulness is a capital crime. There’s plenty of time to give your mom the day she deserves, and you don’t even have to worry yourself over the schedule.
Rather than tying everything down for Sunday, the NYBG thinks the Mother’s Day Garden Party should be drawn out to at least a good, solid weekend. So head up here to the Bronx for a day or two of proper family time in the warmth and color of the New York sunshine. There are, of course, more flowers growing at the Garden than there are vases in the city, so forget the table setting. Hit some of the city’s best food trucks, and take in Nature’s Showplace with a picnic on Daffodil Hill.
We’ll have family photos, live music, food tastings and fun activities for the kids, meaning one thing for mom: no nagging responsibilities. It’s the least you can give her for all these years of putting up with you, right?