Morning Eye Candy: Simple and Clean
Posted in Around the Garden on June 8 2014, by Matt Newman
The contrast of white and purple create the perfect Sunday morning moment of zen.
Poppies in the Perennial Garden – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Plant Talk
Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Morning Eye Candy: Festival of Blooms
Posted in Photography on June 7 2014, by Matt Newman
Join us in the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden both today and tomorrow for a long-awaited afternoon spent strolling the paths amid thousands of spring blooms in yellows, pinks, purples, reds, and so much more. The collection positively burst into life over the last couple of days, making a fashionably late entrance just in time for our Rose Garden Celebration!
In the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
This Weekend: Through Rose-Colored Lenses
Posted in Programs and Events on June 6 2014, by Lansing Moore
The Rose Garden Celebration kicks off tomorrow! And without a moment to spare—the roses are already at 60% of peak color as of today. Don’t miss the blooms or the entertainment. Click through for full details on performances, tours, food and drink vendors, and expert-led Q&A sessions. You can even make your own watercolor painting! Please note that there will be no film screenings or performances in Ross Hall this weekend. You’ll find the entertainment outdoors! Book a special festival ticket now for a fun-filled weekend in the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden.
This weekend only is also Dig! Plant! Grow!: Global Gardens Spring Harvest Celebration. Bring your kids on a culinary journey around the world!
All-Purpose Alliums
Posted in Horticulture on June 6 2014, by Brian Sullivan
Brian Sullivan is the Vice President for Landscape, Gardens and Outdoor Collections. He oversees the care, presentation, and development of the outdoor gardens and landscape management of the Garden’s 250 outdoor acres.
When choosing a new plant to add to a garden, some people choose plants for beauty. Others choose plants with a purpose, for example a shade tree or an upright evergreen for structure in the garden. Well, isn’t it nice to find a plant that fills more than one need?
One such plant is the ornamental allium. If that name sounds familiar, it should. There are many species and cultivars of the genus Allium, which include the well-known chives, onions, and garlic.
The flower appears to be a single, spherical flower borne on single upright stems. However, the globes are actually made up of many small, star-shaped flowers radiating out from the center. Alliums come in many sizes. The flower heads range from tiny to quite large, and the density of the flowers can be quite full, creating a dense flower head; or very open, making for an airy flower head. The stems also range from a short 12” to an astounding 36”. Colors can range from dark purple to the light pink, with some white cultivars. The different species and cultivars can be massed in large numbers or mixed all together for varying effects in the garden.
Bands, Brews, & BBQ!
Posted in Programs and Events on June 6 2014, by Lansing Moore
Our Spring Festival Series continues June 14 and 15 with the Big Backyard BBQ & Music Festival at NYBG, featuring a terrific lineup of bands for two days of delicious food and outdoor fun! Treat dad to a day out on Daffodil Hill with New York craft brews and an array of specialty food purveyors, alongside a full lineup of terrific young musicians filling the grounds with Americana jams. There will be putting greens and other fun outdoor games to help you work up an appetite! Enjoy delicious treats available from The Strand Smokehouse of Astoria, N.Y., and our good friends at Stephen STARR Events.
This festival offers fun for the whole family, all designed with dad in mind. Continue reading for the full list of vendors—including which refreshing local beers will be available—and check out the full band lineup to make sure you don’t miss your favorite group’s performance!
Morning Eye Candy: Perennially Yours
Posted in Photography on June 6 2014, by Lansing Moore
How about some color after a rainy day? The Painted Sage is painting the Perennial Garden bright shades of pink and purple.
Salvia viridis var. comata ‘Marble Arch Blue’ and ‘Marble Arch Rose’ – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Morning Eye Candy: Framed with Peonies
Posted in Photography on June 5 2014, by Matt Newman
The chalice-like peonies framing the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory show no signs of slowing today.
In the herbaceous peony collection – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Northeast Foraging: A Conversation with Author Leda Meredith
Posted in People on June 4 2014, by Joyce Newman
Joyce H. Newman holds a Certificate in Horticulture from The New York Botanical Garden and has been a Tour Guide for over seven years. She is a blogger for Garden Variety News and the former editor of Consumer Reports GreenerChoices.org.
Food expert and NYBG instructor, Leda Meredith, has created an essential field guide out this spring that will enable just about anyone to safely venture out to enjoy the best wild foods in our region.
Called Northeast Foraging: 120 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Beach Plums to Wineberries (Timber Press), the book provides invaluable plant lists for each season and area. The lists show when and where (open meadow, woodland, seashore, wetland) to locate delicious, edible plants covering the entire northeast region, from as far south as Maryland, and north to Maine, and even Ontario and Quebec.
Meredith devotes most of the book—262 pages—to detailed plant profiles, with vivid 4-color, close-up photographs and pointed advice on how to cook and preserve each plant. Daylilies, for example, are good for 3-season dishes; wild mint, it turns out, has a great many culinary uses; trendy ramps can be found for free, as can wild strawberries, perhaps the best wild fruit of all. Read on for more tips from the expert herself!
Morning Eye Candy: By Any Other Name
Posted in Photography on June 4 2014, by Lansing Moore
The stunning Therese Bugnet rose is in full bloom in the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden. Ever wonder about the people for whom your favorite plant species are named? Well, this cultivar is actually named after the sister of the man who introduced it, Georges Bugnet. This Canadian writer and plant aficionado bred this rose to endure harsh winters, making it quite a hardy plant indeed! Our friend Therese here is only one of hundreds of varieties that you can enjoy this weekend at the Rose Garden Celebration!
Rosa ‘Therese-Bugnet’ in the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
“O” is for Oregano
Posted in Gardening Tips on June 3 2014, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG’s Gardener for Public Education.
The name oregano is derived from the Greek oros (meaning mountain) and ganos (meaning joy). The literal translation means “mountain of happiness,” since it covers hillsides in the Mediterranean and smothers them with beautiful fragrance and flowers. For our purposes, that translation still applies, as oregano is a fundamental herb that provides as much flavorful happiness as it does beauty or aroma.
Greek and Roman brides and grooms used to be crowned with laurels made of oregano. It is a popular herb in Mediterranean countries and widely grown in the south of France, where it finds a prominent place in various regional cuisines.
On a more practical level, oregano is an herb that retains its flavor well when dried. For a quick primer on drying herbs, it is important to harvest your herbs mid-morning, once the dew has a chance to dry off, but before they are wilted by the hot afternoon sun. Inspect the herbs and remove any damaged or diseased foliage.