Skip to main content
 

Plant Talk

Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Jabuticaba: Fruit of a Different Sort

Posted in Around the Garden on January 5 2012, by Matt Newman

JabuticabaI had never seen a tree sprouting fruit from its trunk before. It seemed absurd. Why all the effort to push out those long, sprawling branches? Why not fruit like an apple, or an orange? The Jabuticaba I came upon while trolling Tumblr struck me as an evolutionary anomaly, at least up until the moment I was pointed toward a similarly peculiar tree in the NYBG’s own Conservatory.

But let’s first deal with the strange case of the Jabuticaba itself. Myrciaria cauliflora also goes by the simple but less entertaining alias of the Brazilian grape tree. (The native moniker has so much more rhythm to it, don’t you think?) And while to most North Americans it looks like something recently escaped from a genetics laboratory, our friends in South America are likely more familiar with the confused-looking tree and its delectable fruits.

Read More

A Day at the Holiday Train Show

Posted in Around the Garden on January 4 2012, by Rustin Dwyer

Holiday Train ShowTaking the time for a trip to the Holiday Train Show is a family tradition New Yorkers have been revisiting for two decades–it doesn’t matter how old you are! But if you’ve never had a chance to see it before, making this year’s show your first visit might be one of the best ways to get in a little of that increasingly rare family time you’ve been looking for.

As we move through the last two weeks of holiday celebrations here at The New York Botanical Garden, we hope you’ll take a day and stop by. You really can’t know what you’re missing until you see it for yourself.

There’s still time to see the Holiday Train Show before it’s gone! Be sure to reserve your tickets online.

A Belated Present: Thomas and Friends at the NYBG

Posted in Around the Garden on January 4 2012, by Matt Newman

Holiday Train ShowThe holidays have come and gone, you’re well into your New Year’s recovery, and most of the kids are trudging back to school. But if you’ve still got little ones at home, you don’t have to feel trapped with them (it can be understandably harrowing). The New York Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show is still up and running through January 16, and as of this week we begin our two-week run of All Aboard with Thomas and Friends™.

Read More

Revisiting ‘Snow-tober’ — No Tree Left Behind

Posted in Around the Garden on January 3 2012, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG’s Gardener for Public Education.

October Storm at the NYBGPicking up from last week’s weird weather exposé, I would like to take time today to reflect on the unexpected snow storm that hit New York and New England on October 29th. While the damage from hurricane Irene was devastating for many areas, the damage from the snow storm was far worse for the Metropolitan New York area. There wasn’t a tree that was safe from its perils.

The aftermath of the snow storm resulted in one of the most extensive clean-up operations I have experienced in my seven-year tenure at The New York Botanical Garden, and it is still ongoing. Large sections of the grounds were closed off until they were deemed safe. The public came in hordes to see both the unexpected winter wonderland and the magnificent scale of destruction. If the power and fury of nature evokes awe, she was in fine form that day.

Read More

Looking Back: December 2011

Posted in Around the Garden on January 2 2012, by Matt Newman

With 2011 rounded out, we look back on a month of whirlwind activity and holiday charm the likes of which you seldom see elsewhere in the city. It’s downright busy here. And with the string lights bright and families strolling all about the grounds, we ring in the new year with one last look back.

Not just for kids, we invited guests throughout December to join us for a viewing of the Holiday Train Show with a pair of slightly more grown-up themes. Shopping and Champagne and Bar Car Nights were a hit with our adult crowds, offering a chance to leave the rest of the family at home and enjoy the night with a glass of champagne or a cocktail.

Holiday Train Show

Shopping and Champagne: The Garden After Hours

Read More