Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Holiday Train Show, Photography on November 18 2011, by Ann Rafalko
The trains are on the track (complete with caboose). The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory (in miniature) is in-place under the dome of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory (full size), as are other significant New York-area landmarks.
The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory in the Holiday Train Show (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Holiday Train Show, Photography on November 17 2011, by Ann Rafalko
Fifteen miles separate the Statue of Liberty from The New York Botanical Garden … Or do they?
Posted in People, Video on November 16 2011, by Rustin Dwyer
In recent weeks, we’ve been telling you about the addition of a literary element to our collection of audio tours. We’ve also been working hard to recover from October’s unseasonably early snowstorm in time for the dedication of our 50-acre Forest.
In the spirit of this drive, here’s a video of author Camille Rankine‘s poem, “Instructions on the Forest,” which was filmed in and inspired by our recently rededicated Forest.
Posted in Around the Garden, Gardens and Collections on November 16 2011, by Joyce Newman
The Arthur and Janet Ross Conifer Arboretum at The New York Botanical Garden covers nearly 40 acres of rolling landscape in the heart of the garden. It became the first collection of living plants at the Garden with plantings started in 1901, and now boasts more than 250 mature conifers, some of which are more than 100 years old.
Some of the earliest conifers to arrive at the garden–planted in 1908–are the Tanyosho pines, conifers that display a beautiful, orange-red bark with branches that can often be seen spreading in an umbrella shape. Our grove of five mature specimens is a very unique example of the species in the U.S., especially when considering that each tree is more than a century old.
Did you know that globally, boreal conifer forests cover more land mass than any other type of forest on the planet? In fact, they take up more space than all of the tropical rain forests combined. This makes conifers an extremely important family of trees, not to mention record-holders for the world’s oldest, tallest, and most massive trees.
Posted in Holiday Train Show, Photography on November 16 2011, by Ann Rafalko
The tracks are laid, and the trains are out. Just two more days until the Holiday Train Show!
Posted in Around the Garden, Gardening Tips, Gardens and Collections on November 15 2011, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
I went up to our Native Plant Garden the other day to check on the progress of the restoration, an undertaking being handled by my colleagues, John Egenes and Michael Wronski.
Our Native Plant garden has been closed for the past year and is undergoing a full-scale redesign that is spearheaded by the design firm Oehme van Sweden, whose work has been seen in the Chicago Botanic Garden and United States National Arboretum. As part of the firm’s plan here at The New York Botanical Garden, the location will be broken down into disparate native habitats that include a wetland, a sizable pond, and a meadow. It will also have a large woodland area.
My colleagues spent most of their time over the last year preparing the soil in different sections of the garden, adding truckloads of compost and leaf litter. The topography of the garden has since changed and many areas have been graded, making paths ADA accessible for wheelchairs.
Posted in Holiday Train Show, Photography on November 15 2011, by Ann Rafalko
The bridges are up, and the trains are here, but you can’t have the Holiday Train Show without a quarter-mile of tracks!
Posted in Photography on November 14 2011, by Ann Rafalko
The buildings and bridges are setup, but the Holiday Train Show wouldn’t be the Train Show without the trains!
Posted in Photography on November 13 2011, by Ann Rafalko
Celebrating the subdued hues of fall at the Garden, one color at at time.
Posted in Photography on November 12 2011, by Ann Rafalko
Celebrating the subdued hues of fall at the Garden, one color at at time.