Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Around the Garden
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on May 4 2012, by Matt Newman
The sun doesn’t have a monopoly on picturesque afternoons. Really, it’s all about how you choose to appreciate your surroundings. This week’s rain had many of us muttering under the cover of our umbrellas, but the way in which an overcast sky saturates spring colors tends to make up for the inconvenience.
Not that we’re ungrateful for this weekend’s forecast–the chance of a drizzle keeps dropping, and dropping..
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Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on May 3 2012, by Matt Newman
More from our local do-it-yourself shutterbug! Followers over the last year will have seen our previous contributions from Joel Kroin, whose pinhole captures cast a narrow bridge between the charm of old-fashioned photography and modern composition. His shots of the Garden grounds almost give a tricky glimpse into the past.
Normally Joel doesn’t bring his pinhole camera to the Garden quite as often once the leaves return. “With so many flower and leaf colors, this time of the year is not my favorite since leaves obscure fine plant lines,” he says. In this case, one shot in particular catches our eye, as well as the essence of the Rock Garden–a classic Alpine landscape underscored by the peaceful gush of water over stone.
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Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on May 3 2012, by Matt Newman
Not quite the garlic you were looking for? Schubert’s Garlic, or Allium schubertii, is indeed related to the bulbs you find haphazardly piled together in the produce section of your local supermarket. As part of the onion family, it even gives off that familiar smell when bruised or broken. But Schubert’s Garlic is known more for its bright sprays of pink and green florets than for its culinary uses.
Allium schubertii — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on May 2 2012, by Matt Newman
It was less than a month ago (April 8, to be exact) that I posted the photo immediately below. Hints of spring, yes, but still a long way off from the effusion of gleaming greens you see further down. Try to wrap your head around the fact that these two photos were taken less than a month apart!
Photos by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Science on May 1 2012, by Matthew Pace
Matthew Pace, an expert with the NYBG through 2011, is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in botany at the University of Wisconsin.
The next time you’re outdoors, take a moment and look around. What plants do you see growing nearby? Have those species always been there? Might there be plants that once grew in that area but are no longer found there? How can we help to protect the plants that we find in a given area? These are questions that many botanists and horticulturalists think about and strive to understand every day. They are central to the issues of conservation and restoration–issues which are also central to the mission of The New York Botanical Garden.
A real-world example of these issues is the case of Anemone quinquefolia and the NYBG. Based on founder Nathaniel Lord Britton’s first list of species originally found on NYBG grounds; field work in the Forest; and herbarium work I had conducted (looking through hundreds of dried plant specimens of species found in the NYC metro-area), I thought Anemone quinquefolia was just one of the 100+ native plant species which have been extirpated since the founding of the Garden (“extirpated” is a word which describes species which were once found in a location, but are no longer found there, a.k.a. local extinction). The last herbarium collections of Anemone quinquefolia were from 1898. Little did I know that I was in for the surprise of the year!
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Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on April 30 2012, by Matt Newman
Wasn’t it only a month ago, give or take, that the Seasonal Border was a simple stretch of soil, spotted with tiny sprouts and shy flowers? Looks like that protective mesh did an admirable job of keeping the squirrels away.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on April 29 2012, by Matt Newman
So much theater in the humble tulip. The daffodils may be fading for the season, but they’re not leaving any absence of spring color in their wake.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on April 28 2012, by Matt Newman
The behind-the-scenes happenings in the Native Plant Garden are still our little secret until 2013, but we’ll occasionally pass along a rare sneak peak. We can’t wait either.
But there’s plenty to see in the meantime. Today and tomorrow we’re holding special Garden Tour Guide-led tours through the Rock Garden, as well as gardening demonstrations related to the Alpine plants we grow there. Make a plan to come and visit us, and don’t forget to vote for us through Partners in Preservation!
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden on April 27 2012, by Matt Newman
The sun is high, the tulips are flirtatious, and the workday already has one foot out the door. Tomorrow opens up a spree of exciting events at the NYBG as we work our way toward the beginning of Monet’s Garden. More importantly, we’re springing off our announcement of the Rock Garden’s inclusion in this year’s Partners in Preservation competition. We need your help to make this happen!
We’re encouraging everyone to stop by the Rock Garden at the heart of the NYBG when they come for a weekend visit. You’ll understand why I call it a zen experience. And once you’ve walked along the gently sloped gravel paths and looked up at the reach of the trees overhead, I think you’ll also come to understand what makes this Garden icon worth your time. After seeing the Rock Garden, think about throwing your vote in the hat for The New York Botanical Garden as we strive for the privilege of restoring this piece of Nature’s Showplace.
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Posted in Around the Garden on April 27 2012, by Ann Rafalko
The Antique Garden Furniture Show and Sale is celebrating 20 years of fine garden antiques this weekend, and the dealers have pulled out all the stops. I just got back from taking a walk around, camera in-hand, and I noticed a few really cool trends. While dogs and bunnies and horses are all present in myriad materials, there’s a new hot animal on the scene this year: birds. But not just any old birds (and I’m most definitely not talking about pink plastic flamingos from Leominster, Ma., though flamingos have flocked to a few booths), these are avian exotics, with a few domestic foul thrown in for good measure.
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