Morning Eye Candy: Abundance
Posted in Photography on July 19 2016, by Matt Newman
In the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden – Photo by Marlon Co
Plant Talk
Inside The New York Botanical Garden
A Botanist’s Vocabulary
Posted in From the Library on July 18 2016, by Esther Jackson
Esther Jackson is the Public Services Librarian at NYBG’s LuEsther T. Mertz Library where she manages Reference and Circulation services and oversees the Plant Information Office. She spends much of her time assisting researchers, providing instruction related to library resources, and collaborating with NYBG staff on various projects related to Garden initiatives and events.
The library staff at The New York Botanical Garden has been eagerly awaiting A Botanist’s Vocabulary arrival on the market and in our collection. Finally, this beautiful new book from Susan K. Pell and Bobbi Angell has arrived!
The first, visceral impressions were positive. The size and heft of the book is pleasant, and not overwhelming. Those who have studied botany, or interacted much with botanists, will know that talking about plants in technical terms can sometimes feel like speaking another language altogether. How can one begin to pack all of that vocabulary into a single book, or even, really, a single brain? A Botanist’s Vocabulary is a beautiful and balanced start.
The red cover catches the reader’s eye right away, especially considering how frequently books about plants are accented in green. A quick leaf through the pages immediately draws the reader in—Angell’s illustrations are lovely in their botanical detail, and also in their simplicity. Angell, writing about this project in the June 2016 issue of The Botanical Artist, says of the book, “My focus was to make clear, crisp drawings for easy understanding by gardeners and botanical artists,” a focus that carries through beautifully in the work.
Helen Dillon’s Dublin Garden
Posted in People, Shop/Book Reviews on July 14 2016, by Joyce Newman
Joyce H. Newman is an environmental journalist and teacher. She holds a Certificate in Horticulture from The New York Botanical Garden.
Helen Dillon, Distinguished Counselor to the NYBG Board of Trustees, has created an exquisite garden in the suburbs of Dublin, and she is considered one of Ireland’s greatest gardeners, as well as a world-famous teacher and garden writer.
In her book, Down to Earth with Helen Dillon (Timber Press, $29.95), available at NYBG Shop, Dillon describes the evolution of her garden, first started in 1972 with her husband Val. Surrounded by stone walls on less than an acre, the property, including a house built in the 1830s, already had roses, apple trees, a wobbly greenhouse, hen houses, a large bed of bearded iris, a vegetable patch, and a rockery pile of stones in the middle of the lawn. But all of this was to change.
The main garden is at the back of the house facing south where Dillon has organized plants by their preferred habitat. The biggest change was replacing the lawn in the main garden with a lovely canal set in Irish limestone. Several small gardens are tucked behind the main garden with gravel pathways and a charming sitting area that features lovely bird cages. There’s also a Victorian style greenhouse built in 1976.
Weekly Wildlife at the Garden: Peek-a-boo
Posted in Wildlife on July 13 2016, by Patricia Gonzalez
Patricia Gonzalez is an NYBG Visitor Services Attendant and avid wildlife photographer.
An Italian wall lizard (Podarcis sicula) in the Native Plant Garden – Photo by Patricia Gonzalez
What’s Beautiful Now: Summer Color at NYBG
Posted in What's Beautiful Now on July 8 2016, by Lansing Moore
At NYBG we’re enjoying a lush summer season, with flowers and greenery abounding across our historic landscape. The Native Plant Garden is full of colorful perennials and graceful ferns, while Daylily Walk is ablaze with these warm flowers. In the Rose Garden, you’ll still find a wealth of blooms—hundreds of varieties of floribundas, hybrid teas, and shrub roses creating an unbelievable palette of colors.
Come admire the seasonal beauty of summer at NYBG, and be sure to experience Impressionism: American Gardens on Canvas in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, which features an exciting array of weekend programs and events! View more highlights from the Garden below.
Morning Eye Candy: Stocking Up
Posted in Photography on July 6 2016, by Matt Newman
Carrots, string beans, black raspberries, sugar snap peas, and fresh-baked brownies are just a few of the summer highlights from today’s Greenmarket. Stop by until 3 p.m. today—and don’t forget your reusable bag—to stock up for the week!
At the Greenmarket – Photo by Emily Hubbard
Small Treasures in the Library: From Bibliothec Bignon
Posted in From the Library on July 5 2016, by Jane Lloyd
Jane Lloyd is a volunteer in the LuEsther T. Mertz Library of The New York Botanical Garden.
Old and rare books are most prized for their special characteristics of publication and form, less so for inscriptions and signatures put in them by their owners. However, these inscriptions and signatures, bookplates, and other marks of ownership often vividly illuminate the lives and times of their owners.
A copy of Quadripartitum botanicum de simplicium medicamentarium facultatibus… by Simon Paulli (1603–1680), published in 1708, in the Rare Book Collections of the Mertz Library reveals through its notable first owner European society being transformed by science and a new spirit of international cooperation at the beginning of the 18th century. This thick volume of materia medica written by a Danish scholar and court physician was regarded at the time as the standard work on medical pharmacology and an essential reference volume for contemporary physicians and scientists.
Morning Eye Candy: In the Pool
Posted in Photography on July 5 2016, by Matt Newman
The lotus blossoms are the stars of early July. Find them presiding over the water lilies in the Conservatory Pools.
Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) in the Conservatory Pools – Photo by Brian Sullivan
What’s Beautiful Now: Flowers for the Fourth
Posted in Programs and Events on July 1 2016, by Matt Newman
Before the cookouts and the fireworks, and the red, white, and blue of the Fourth of July, take a moment to appreciate all the other colors of summer right here at NYBG. Thanks to the Rose Garden, the jewel of our summer collections, you can explore every hue in the rainbow through the thousands of flowers at bloom there!
The Garden will be open for the holiday on Monday, making this one a can’t-miss long weekend to celebrate the best time of year to get outside. Stop in to see our Impressionism: American Gardens on Canvas exhibition while you’re here, and maybe snap a few photos using our Impressify™ app to remember your visit!
Here’s just a hint of what you can expect to see while you’re here:
What’s Wonderful in Summer
Posted in Around the Garden on June 30 2016, by Matt Newman
Summer at the Garden is a season of abundance, but there’s so much to see—so many collections to explore—that sometimes the rich greenery and thousands of blooms can be a bit overwhelming. Luckily, we have Kristin Schleiter, our Associate Vice President for Outdoor Gardens & Senior Curator.
Follow along with Kristin for some quick tips on some of the highlights of the Garden during this thriving season!