Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Learning Experiences on March 26 2012, by Matt Newman
Monotropa uniflora. The scientific name isn’t particularly menacing; it suggests the singular–mono-, uni-. But on a register of local vegetation, you’d likely overlook it. It’s a passing Latin designation in a sea of other plants, many of them named after scientists. And this remains the case up until you get to know this pale, vampiric oddity of the plant kingdom.
A friend (one altogether disinterested in botany, strangely enough) happened to post an image and a scientific name on Tumblr the other day. I was hooked from that moment. What was this “plant,” with its ghostly presentation, and what other traits were so interesting that it would distract a chemical engineering student from her studies long enough to share it? With its singular, slumped flower, it looked like a tulip under the cloud of an awful malaise; from petal to stem, there was not a single blush of color.
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Posted in Around the Garden, Photography, The Orchid Show on March 26 2012, by Matt Newman
The Orchid Show means thousands upon thousands of orchids, curling and spiraling their way across nine separate vertical walls of exotic foliage. It’s a family reunion of sorts in the Conservatory.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on March 25 2012, by Matt Newman
A sliver of trivia: this flowering cherry hybrid was developed at the U.S. National Arboretum in D.C. by the prolific Dr. Donald Egolf, back in 1982. However, it wasn’t until 2003 that ‘First Lady’ made its way onto the horticulture scene at large. It boasts the abundant flowers and hardiness of the mother plant, ‘Okame,’ with the coloration of its father, the Taiwan flowering cherry (P. campanulata).
I suppose it also technically shares its birthday with Tron, Bladerunner, and Conan the Barbarian. It’s not like I was going to give you a dossier without a few oddball connections tacked on.
Prunus ‘First Lady’ — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on March 24 2012, by Matt Newman
Prunus pendula var. ascendens — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Photography, The Orchid Show on March 23 2012, by Matt Newman
Judging from our Morning Eye Candy posts, you might think the unconscionably talented Ivo Vermeulen is one of only a few people on NYBG grounds gallivanting about with a camera in tow. He’s certainly prolific enough. But if you follow us from day to day, you’ll come to notice that photography in general is a core interest here at the Garden. There are so many colors, shapes, and fantastical landscapes on these 250 acres to share with the rest of the world, and we’re encouraging anyone and everyone to jump in with their gear of choice–smartphone, fully-fitted Nikon, homemade pinhole or otherwise.
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Posted in Around the Garden, The Orchid Show on March 23 2012, by Matt Newman
If the flowering magnolias and budding bottlebrushes around the Garden are any evidence, New York really has shifted gears to full-on spring pleasantry. You know it was satisfying to leave your coat on the hook before work all this week! And with the Orchid Show now settled into its groove and flourishing with its thousands of exotic flowers, this is the time to head up to the Bronx and see what everyone is swooning over. You finally get to start off without the screech of an alarm clock, ditch the briefcase, and leave your uncomfortable shoes near the front door for a couple of days–make the most of it!
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Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on March 23 2012, by Matt Newman
Magnolias in spring–I’ll keep posting them so long as they’re this appealing. This shot of airy pink saucers under a sky of curly clouds is further giving me amnesia (what winter?)
Magnolia x soulangeana — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on March 22 2012, by Matt Newman
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils
— William Wordsworth
It’s never too early for pastoral verse. Even the overtly mushy kind.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Behind the Scenes, Exhibitions, The Orchid Show on March 21 2012, by Rustin Dwyer
Patrick Blanc‘s travels and expertise have taught him that no one plant can convey the true beauty of a vertical wall–the living art, as Francisca Coelho, our VP for Glasshouses and Exhibitions explains, can’t realize its full potential on the shoulders of an individual flower. That’s why this year’s Orchid Show is not only about spotlighting these captivating tropical blooms, but about complementing their place in one of our most complex and beautiful presentations of the last decade!
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Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on March 21 2012, by Matt Newman
Daffodils are delightful and plum blossoms relaxing (who said I was alliterating here?), but I’m awarding spring to the magnolias. Yes, that’s right: I have bestowed an entire season.
Magnolia stellata — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Monotropa uniflora. The scientific name isn’t particularly menacing; it suggests the singular–mono-, uni-. But on a register of local vegetation, you’d likely overlook it. It’s a passing Latin designation in a sea of other plants, many of them named after scientists. And this remains the case up until you get to know this pale, vampiric oddity of the plant kingdom.
