Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 23 2013, by Matt Newman
You know, “witch-hazel” as a common name really belies the true nature of Hamamelis–that being party streamers and good cheer. Seek out these lovelies in the Ross Conifer Arboretum.
Hamamelis vernalis — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Gardening Tips on January 22 2013, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.
Last week we talked about the discovery of Cattleya labiata in the Brazilian forests in 1817, and the stir that it caused when it flowered the following year at William Cattley’s home in Barnet, England. Cattleyas are the archetypal orchid flowers; they are the ones you see in a corsage or plastered on the cover of magazines–divas suitable for any artistic photo shoot. Cattleyas ooze exoticism, sensuality, and many of them emit a fabulous perfume to add to their enticing aura.
There are somewhere in the range of 60 species of cattleya that are native to Central and South America. The number of hybrids and intergeneric hybrids (crosses with more than one genus) are too many to count.
Cattleyas fall into two main groups: unifoliates (single leaf) and bifoliates (double leaf). In the unifoliate group, the orchid has one leaf per pseudobulb (the swollen stem). These orchids generally grow to be between 12 and 18 inches tall, and produce large, five- to seven-inch flowers. Unifoliate species can be found growing in Panama, Columbia, Venezuela, Peru, and Brazil.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 22 2013, by Matt Newman
Photos by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 21 2013, by Matt Newman
Prunus ‘Dream Catcher’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 20 2013, by Matt Newman
Tropical Paradise is up and running in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory! And the blueberries–neotropical blueberries, sure, but still relatives!–are cast in stunning colors. Keep an eye out for them, but as always, please look–don’t touch. (As it turns out, not everything that sounds like food really is.)
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 19 2013, by Matt Newman
They’re back! Maybe a little early, but we can never find a reason to complain about snowdrops. Look for them in the Perennial Garden and elsewhere on your walks around the NYBG–they’ll be the cutest blooms around, if you ask Ann.
Galanthus elwesii — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden on January 18 2013, by Matt Newman
It’s the first long weekend of the new year, and we’re not about to kick off 2013 on a lazy note. Just look at our schedule! Over the next three days, we’ll not only be packing in the holiday fun with the help of Thomas and Friends™, but welcoming an early summer in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory through Tropical Paradise, our homage to all things chill (in the kick-back-and-breathe sense, naturally). If you’ve got a camera handy, this is not something you’ll want to miss. So join us as we keep the season’s festivities afloat while shrugging off the winter cold!
Through January 27, Thomas and his buddies continue to spark young imaginations in the Ross Hall with an interactive, problem-solving singalong that will not only put smiles on your kids’ faces, but have them playing right along with the cast as they guide Thomas to his destination. The fun only continues after the show, with our Thomas-themed “Playstation” activities running throughout the weekend in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden. There, you’ll find toys, tracks, and trains to keep the little ones occupied while you catch your breath. Just remember that tickets are extremely limited, so it’s best to register as early as possible.
And while you’re here, don’t forget to sign up for our Cancun vacation sweepstakes, courtesy of Thomas and the Hard Rock Cafe!
Posted in Exhibitions on January 18 2013, by Ann Rafalko
It’s back! Our annual winter photography contest returns to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory with the opening of Tropical Paradise Saturday, January 19! Tropical Paradise–a reinterpretation of the Conservatory’s lush permanent collections–is the perfect way to shake off the winter doldrums and exercise your photography skills.
In addition, glean inspiration from the award-winning photographers of the International Garden Photographer of the Year contest. Taken in gardens around the world, these prize-winning photos will be on display alongside plants from the tropics throughout the Conservatory. Enjoy the beautiful photographs and access additional information on the photographers, their inspiration, and the techniques they used to capture these stunning images by simply scanning a code on each sign with your smartphone. And on Sundays, join one of two accomplished photographers for a brief course on the basics of garden shooting.
2012 Sense of Place Grand Prize Winner: Mika Sato’s serene shot of the Aquatic Plants Gallery
The contest is run on NYBG’s Flickr Group Pool, and this year it’s easier than ever to enter because Flickr has launched a fabulous new iPhone app that allows anyone to enter seamlessly and easily. Grab your camera or your phone and head to the sultry warmth of the tropics, capture the beauty you find, and you just might win one of two grand prizes: A photography class taught at the NYBG!
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on January 18 2013, by Matt Newman
When Bird Walk leader Debbie Becker makes the claim that winter is the best season for bird-watching, there’s no equivocation. Wayne Cahilly, our institutional mapping specialist, knows this. While hoping to capture the dawn sun filtering through the dome of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, he found this Red-tailed Hawk waiting patiently for breakfast to scurry past. The resulting photographs are worth sharing.
Photos by Wayne Cahilly
Posted in Around the Garden, Science on January 17 2013, by Matt Newman
Winter is … well, a weird time of year. We tromp around in oversized boots, brandishing umbrellas that hardly seem useful. The trees all stand–if a touch awkwardly–in stark and naked relief, while phases of matter bounce at whim between liquid and solid. As a gardener, it’s hard to be optimistic. Sure, there’s the arrival of seed catalogs to look forward to, and bulbs to be forced indoors, but repeated trips to the backyard to peek at the soil rarely prove fruitful … most of the time.
Patience, an early rising, and a northerly location can prove that there’s beauty to be found in nature’s colder months, assuming you know where to look, because when the conditions are just right, at the edge of sunrise, frost flowers glitter.
I’m not referring to snowdrops, elegant as they are in late winter and early spring. “Frost flower” is more of a literal term. And when you see the leaves, vines, and gossamer threads formed through this unique interaction between plant and atmosphere, you’ll rightly understand how they came to earn this nickname.