Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Horticulture on December 17 2019, by Matt Newman
Keeping our trees healthy—many of which are more than a hundred years old—means careful inspection and, when necessary, removal of dead or damaged limbs. This important work ensures our trees’ longevity and keeps everyone safe. See how our high-climbing arborists do it, and how the wood that results nurtures other plants in the Garden’s living collections.
Posted in Horticulture on August 8 2019, by Matt Newman
Our giant water lilies (Victoria amazonica) are symbols of summer in the Conservatory Courtyard Pools, which you can currently see on view during our latest exhibition, Brazilian Modern: The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx. Check in with Marc Hachadourian, Director of Glasshouse Horticulture, to see how we move them into their sunny homes.
Posted in Horticulture on July 11 2019, by Matt Newman
This year’s corpse flower bloom was yet another spectacular display of what the world’s largest inflorescence—Amorphophallus titanum—can do. Check out this time lapse to see how the scene played out in our Haupt Conservatory.
Posted in Horticulture on June 3 2019, by Matt Newman
Get to know Vershaffeltia splendida, one of the palms in the Haupt Conservatory collections that we’re working to maintain and protect during the restoration of the structure’s palm dome. Hear from our Director of Glasshouse Horticulture, Marc Hachadourian, on this plant’s origins and unique qualities, just one of countless species facing the escalating challenges to our world’s biodiversity.
Posted in Horticulture on June 3 2019, by Matt Newman
Roberto Burle Marx loved to keep mounted staghorn ferns on display at his home, the Sitio, in Rio de Janeiro, and chances are you’ve seen them on offer in your local nursery or plant shop. Find out how easy it is to mount your very own for display at home, then get inspiration from our expansive wall of staghorns here at NYBG when we kick off Brazilian Modern: The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx on June 8.
Posted in Horticulture on May 17 2019, by Matt Newman
We’re proud to present the newly named ‘The Divine Miss M’ in honor of Bette Midler on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of her 1979 breakout film, The Rose. You can find this “totally decadent” bloom here in our Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden beginning on Rose Garden Weekend, Saturday & Sunday, June 1 & 2. Learn more about this special new rose in this video!
Posted in Horticulture on August 18 2018, by Garrett Barziloski
A message from Carrie Rebora Barratt, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and William C. Steere Sr. President and Todd Forrest, Arthur Ross Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections
We are very sad to report that one of NYBG’s most glorious and venerable trees was struck by lightning in last night’s storm.
During the storm, lightning severely damaged the majestic Himalayan pine (Pinus wallichiana) in the Arthur and Janet Ross Conifer Arboretum adjacent to the Leon Levy Visitor Center and Pine Tree Cafe. Todd Forrest, Arthur Ross VP for Horticulture and Living Collections, and his team of arborists arrived on the scene immediately and determined that the tree is beyond saving and will have to be removed.
Among the tens of thousands of trees that grace the Garden’s historic landscape, it was one of our most beloved. Planted in 1903, it had grown to be nearly 80 feet tall, with a trunk diameter of nearly three feet. It was a living tribute to NYBG’s long and distinguished history of bringing plants from around the world to the Bronx to delight Garden visitors and serve our conservation and education programs.
Himalayan pine is native to the snowy foothills of the Himalayas. It is celebrated for its graceful, pendulous branches and long, silvery-green needles. The Garden’s tree had particularly long needles and cones, a fact not lost on long-serving NYBG Trustees Arthur and Janet Ross, who visited this tree regularly and loved it so much that they decided to support the ongoing restoration of the Conifer Arboretum that now bears their names. This tree was so important to the Garden that the Visitor Center was designed around it.
While the tree will have to be removed, its legacy will live on. As part of our collections’ management and conservation process, nearly 20 years ago we took some scions (a type of cutting) from high in its canopy and had them grafted onto eastern white pine seedlings. One of these scions was planted on a hillside just behind the parent tree, where it grows today. One day, it may match the grace and beauty of the original specimen.
It will serve as a living reminder of the Garden’s commitment to conservation. Garden scientists are preparing herbarium specimens and preserved tissue samples of the Himalayan pine, so its evolutionary history and relationships can be better understood.
The entire NYBG community mourns the loss of this great and mighty tree, whose stately presence has welcomed millions of visitors to our urban oasis throughout its life.
Posted in Horticulture on June 11 2018, by Joyce Newman
Joyce H. Newman is an environmental journalist and teacher. She holds a Certificate in Horticulture from The New York Botanical Garden.
In June, purple foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) are in bloom at NYBG. Tall, striking spires with dozens of little finger-shaped blooms, foxgloves are native all across western Europe. Traditionally cultivated in English borders, there are about 20 different species. They bloom in colors from yellows, pinks, lavenders, and whites to purple, with dark spots inside the blooms.
The leaves form in large clusters during the first year, and there are no blooms. Large and fuzzy green, they look a bit like sage or even spinach. In the second year, the blooms appear and the seeds can eventually be collected for re-planting, or they may naturalize.
Totally Toxic
A folk myth about foxgloves claims that the foxes who make dens in the woodland hills wear the flowers on their paws when they attack rural villagers. Sometimes called “witches’ gloves,” the plant’s toxicity was known for centuries by herbalists. Other common names for the plant are also a dead giveaway to its potent effects, including “witches’ thimbles” and “dead man’s bells”.
The entire plant is poisonous, according to experts. But the leaves, in particular, contain more concentrated toxins.
Posted in Horticulture on February 16 2018, by James Sigala
James Sigala is a horticulturist in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory at The New York Botanical Garden.
It’s a wonderful time of the year to visit the desert glasshouses at NYBG’s Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. In the African Desert collection, a colorful and exotic array of inflorescences awaits you, such as the giant canary-yellow flowers adorning the 10-foot-tall Aloe africana, the tangerine-pink flora of the Aloe chabaudii, and everything in between—including the beautiful African jade plant, which is also covered with blossoms.
It is still too early to marvel at the American Desert in full bloom (typically early April), however, just like the African Desert glasshouse, there is a plethora of otherworldly leaf and plant structures to study and enjoy. The sunshine also adds to the visionary experience, by illuminating the spines of certain cacti. All in all, the warmth of the sun and the enchanting arid landscape of the Conservatory desert glasshouses create a wonderful winter escape.
[Not a valid template]Posted in Horticulture on September 26 2017, by Ursula Chanse
Ursula Chanse is the Director of Bronx Green-Up and Community Horticulture and Project Director for NYC Compost Project hosted by The New York Botanical Garden. For more information about these programs and upcoming workshops and events, please visit Bronx Green-Up.
This past June, Bronx Green-Up, the Botanical Garden’s community gardening program since 1988, led a major transformation in the Crotona neighborhood of the Bronx. In partnership with In Good Company (an alliance of like-minded companies founded by Clif Bar), La Familia Verde, and the Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center, the Garden of Youth underwent a much-needed revitalization.
This was Bronx Green-Up’s sixth In Good Company collaboration and past projects have included creating a rain garden at Brook Park, a chicken coop at Taqwa Community Farm, and a complete renovation of the Neighborhood Advisory Community Garden.
A newly released video—which you can watch below—tells the story of our exciting week and highlights the hard work, determination, and commitment of volunteers, staff, and community members to transform this corner lot into a flourishing garden.