Morning Eye Candy: Mellow Yellow
Posted in Photography on October 7 2014, by Lansing Moore
The golden hues of fall are coming to NYBG—you don’t want to miss peak color!
In the Native Plant Garden – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Plant Talk
Inside The New York Botanical Garden
NYBG Brings The Haunted Pumpkin Garden to Grand Central
Posted in Programs and Events on October 6 2014, by Lansing Moore
Next Friday, October 17, NYBG is taking over Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal with a showstopping display of gargantuan gourds! Carve a little time out of your daily commute between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. to see Ray Villafane and his team begin their work on an impressive zombie carving. Ray Villafane is an Arizona-based sculptor best known for his highly detailed pumpkin carvings. A regular competitor on the Food Network, Villafane was recently a finalist on Halloween Wars.
The apocalyptic pumpkin sculpture will begin coming to life on October 17, but those who want to see the finished projects in all its bone-chilling glory will have to come to our Pumpkin Carving Weekend here at NYBG on October 18 & 19, when Ray will continue to lead festive demonstrations for visitors. Click through for more information, plus a special sneak preview of the apocalyptic zombie carving that Ray has in store for us!
Morning Eye Candy: Starry Night
Posted in Photography on October 6 2014, by Lansing Moore
This macro shot brings out the color of a night sky just after the sun sets in the cup of this Japanese gentian, complete with stars.
Gentiana makinoi ‘Marsha’ in the Azalea Garden – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Morning Eye Candy: Inspiring Sweetspire
Posted in Photography on October 5 2014, by Lansing Moore
Virginia sweetspire, looking just as sweet here in New York.
Itea virginica ‘Little Henry’â„¢ in the Azalea Garden – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Morning Eye Candy: An Anemone of Many
Posted in Photography on October 4 2014, by Lansing Moore
Anemone × hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ in the Azalea Garden – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
This Weekend: Kiku Takes Root at NYBG
Posted in Programs and Events on October 3 2014, by Lansing Moore
The first weekend of Kiku: The Art of the Japanese Garden begins tomorrow, and to celebrate we have a full schedule of special programs. Come admire hundreds of meticulously trained kiku in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory and attend our special Kiku Poetry Reading with Chase Twichell; view demonstrations of Ikebana: The Art of Japanese Flower Arranging; and enjoying a delicious meal at our Japanese Pop-Up Restaurant. There are many ways to immerse yourself in the beautiful traditions of Japanese gardens.
At the same time, The Haunted Pumpkin Garden is continuing to fill the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden with spooky seasonal fun for the whole family. This weekend includes Halloween Parades and the chance to meet the Creepy Critters of Halloween! Read on for the full schedule of programs and events this weekend for Kiku and The Haunted Pumpkin Garden—as well as a special tour covering the History of NYBG!
Morning Eye Candy: Throw Me A Rope
Posted in Photography on October 3 2014, by Lansing Moore
Datsica cannabina grows very quickly, don’t let it lasso you!
Datisca cannabina in Seasonal Walk – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Weird, Wild, & Wonderful Exhibition Extended to October 26!
Posted in Exhibitions on October 2 2014, by Joyce Newman
Capparidastrum sola © Ann S. Hoffenberg
Weird, Wild, and Wonderful, the stunning botanical art exhibit in the Ross Gallery, has been extended through October 26. This exhibition invites artists from around the world to seek out visually unusual plants and create works of art that celebrate the bizarre—yet beautiful—flora of the world. From 240 submissions, members of the American Society of Botanical Artists selected 46 works created by 45 artists from the U.S., Australia, Canada, India, Japan, and the U.K.
According to NYBG instructor and botanical artist Dick Rauh, the show’s emphasis is definitely on the “weird.” He writes, “There are certain botanical categories that provide us with almost limitless examples of strange-looking plants.” He mentions “the parasites,” such as the white stalks of Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora) and the “evil-looking” Hydnora africana, also known as Jackal Food.
Other weird plants that Rauh notes include insectivorous plants, fungi, ferns, and those plants whose size would qualify as unusual, such as “the two-foot-wide inflorescence of the onion Allium giganteum, the huge bloom of Stapelia giganea, or living stones (Lithops spp.)—a rare example of floral camouflage. Many of these plants are featured in a gorgeous 76-page catalog of the artwork in the show, available in the Shop in the Garden.
Morning Eye Candy: A Red Snake Shows its Colors
Posted in Photography on October 2 2014, by Lansing Moore
This red snake-bark maple is certainly living up to its name! Kiku opens today, but not all of the attractions are in the Haupt Conservatory. NYBG has plenty of Japanese trees on grounds to complete your appreciation of Japanese gardening—and many of them are showing off some beautiful fall foliage.
Acer capillipes in the Ross Conifer Arboretum — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Like Father, Like Daughter: Wayne and Meghan Cahilly
Posted in Adult Education on October 1 2014, by Plant Talk
With his signature mustache and disarming personality, Wayne Cahilly is known widely around NYBG as a beloved horticulturist, site historian, and instructor of tree management. But Wayne is also a talented photographer. In fact, as a 12-year-old, he spent his first paycheck from his first job on an instamatic camera. Many years and several cameras later, he passed his passion for photography on to his daughter, Meghan. Together, they’re teaming up to teach Fundamentals of Digital Photography at the Garden this month, for students with a fascination for nature.
These talented outdoor photographers have two unique perspectives that will serve as a double whammy for photography students.
As he graduated from camera to camera, Wayne taught himself how to capture landscapes and other natural elements in compelling photographs. He eventually turned his expertise in arboriculture and his passion for photography into a consulting business in forensic arboriculture.