Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on May 24 2012, by Matt Newman
I’m making the solemn vow hereafter that not a single, tongue-in-cheek Wizard of Oz reference will make it into this update. I just felt the poppies, with all their resplendent reds, deserved a gallery show of their own.
Papaver rhoeas ‘Shirley’ group
Posted in Around the Garden, Gardens and Collections on May 23 2012, by Matt Newman
After last week’s press preview of Monet’s Garden, staff photographer Ivo and I took a short hike to see what we could of the rosarians’ handiwork. The mercury was climbing in lieu of an evaporating early morning chill. The tree shade, in turn, had the afternoon wavering in range of a decent spring temperature. We reached the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden a few minutes later.
Spring’s early arrival (in the middle of winter, no less) made an impression on the NYBG‘s roses, pushing them to bloom ahead of schedule and lining up their peak of color alongside the early days of the Monet exhibition. In fact, we’re hovering at around 90% bloom right now, making the Rose Garden a must-see stop over the coming weeks.
The fine geometry of the garden seems arbitrary at first, but you soon realize how carefully everything has been placed–just as the great landscape architect Beatrix Farrand intended. Airy perimeters of climbing roses encompass dense beds of Grandiflora, Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, and other sustainable cultivars. Bobbing in and about the blossoms are bumble bees, more accurate and methodical than their name suggests. The space is landmarked with concentric circle stonework at the corners and entrance, curving stairways, and a trellised gazebo at the center. Altogether a striking place to walk and reflect.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on May 23 2012, by Matt Newman
Just try and find a couturier who can stitch together ruffles like these! The Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden is once again making a name for itself as spring rounds its way toward summer. More to come later in the day!
Shrub rose ‘Sharifa Asma’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden on May 22 2012, by Ann Rafalko
Thank you! Yes you! And you, and you, and you and you and you! Thank you to every one of you who voted to help the Garden win a $250,000 grant from Partners in Preservation to help restore the cascade in the Rock Garden!
Posted in Gardening Tips on May 22 2012, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
When I think of companion planting, color, creativity, combinations and good garden fun come to mind. The premise behind companion planting is that some plants give off substances in their leaves and roots that affect other plants. It is true that plants have unique and complex chemical properties that help them fend off attack from pests and diseases.
It makes sense to extrapolate that they are capable of influencing other plants that are grown in their vicinity. Some people swear by the principle of companion planting and others eschew the concept. This blog is for those who embrace it or for those who simply like beautiful vegetable gardens.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on May 22 2012, by Matt Newman
Japanese shrub mint. Not what you’re used to seeing crushed at the bottom of your Mojito glass, is it?
Leucosceptrum japonicum ‘Variegatum’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Adult Education, Learning Experiences, Programs and Events on May 21 2012, by Joyce Newman
John Gembecki was going through some very tough times. Downsized after working 28 years for a major corporation, he knew he had to reinvent himself.
“How do I begin?” he kept asking himself. Then one night at a seminar offered by his local Yorktown Heights conservation board, he met Lauretta Jones, a teacher at The New York Botanical Garden, and everything fell into place.
“I took the landscape design five-week summer intensive program and it was an experience I’ll never forget,” John recounted. “It had been a long time since I had been in school and the ‘intense’ part of the program was hard to handle. But my children reminded me of all the things I told them when they wanted to give up because something was hard.”
Posted in Photography on May 21 2012, by Ann Rafalko
Sometimes, two photographs end up next to each other in our photo database, and all I can think is, “I wish I had a wardrobe made exclusively from these color palettes and shapes.” Such is the case with these two.
Magnolia x wieseneri (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Shrub Rose ‘Lady of Shalott’ (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Photography on May 20 2012, by Ann Rafalko
Do you like your roses best when they’re in full-blown full bloom?
Shrub Rose ‘Sophy’s Rose’ (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Or …
Posted in Photography on May 19 2012, by Ann Rafalko
Bienvenue à Monet’s Garden!
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen