It’s Mother’s Day this coming Sunday, May 8, and as every year, there’s no better place to celebrate the holiday than here at the Garden. We’ll be outside for our Mother’s Day Weekend Garden Party with lawn games, arts and crafts, and plenty of food trucks on hand to make an afternoon on Daffodil Hill that much more relaxing.
Among the highlights of what you’ll see this weekend is the Azalea Garden, which is just about to hit peak color for the season with a sea of blooming purples and pinks. From there, you’ll want to stop in at the Native Plant Garden, where pleasant ephemerals dot the landscape. And the Rock Garden, ever a star at this time of year, changes near-hourly with its collections of alpine flowers.
This is one of the biggest weekends of the year at NYBG, and did I mention the newly renovated Lilac Collection is fit to overflow with color and fragrance?
Syringa vulgaris ‘Firmament’
Auricula Theater in the Perennial Garden
Rock Garden cascade
Azalea Garden
Native Plant Garden
Paeonia suffruticosa ‘Lotus That Shines in the Sun’
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.
Gardening is often praised for the health benefits it provides. Those who garden or have gardened regularly can attest to the physical challenges and demands of the hobby or profession, and the full-body workout that gardening can often provide. Gardener’s Yoga positions itself as a resource that will allow readers to ease the aches and pains associated with gardening, and strengthen muscle groups often used in common garden chores. Additionally, the yoga poses that have been selected are intended to be easy on the hands and knees, as these areas of the body often withstand repetitious movement when gardening.
Patricia Gonzalez is an NYBG Visitor Services Attendant and avid wildlife photographer.
Wood ducks are among the most challenging wildlife to photograph at the Garden. Getting a close-up is quite difficult as they will fly off in an instant if I get too close. But the effort is worth it. I love shooting the drakes, who—as my new friend in the photo demonstrates—are very colorful.
Wood ducks (Aix sponsa) – Photo by Patricia Gonzalez
There’s some fantasy to be found in the shade of the dogwoods. They’re what’s popping among the Garden’s flowering trees this week—and they’re hard to miss.
Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) in the Ross Conifer Arboretum – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Each day this week we’re celebrating the past 125 years of The New York Botanical Garden with a different story from one of our many visitors, young and old—whether it’s an unforgettable day recently spent exploring our 250 acres or a treasured family memory that makes the Garden special. In honor of Arbor Day, today’s featured memory comes from a longtime member—and Adult Education student—who made a fond and lasting memory beneath one of our own trees.
Happy Arbor Day! There is no better time to show love for trees than during flowering tree season. Right now the crabapples have picked up where the cherry blossoms left off with their own colorful display—and that’s only the beginning of what’s beautiful now at NYBG!
The 25th Anniversary Antique Garden Furniture Fair opened last night with its festive Preview Party, and this weekend’s visitors can admire fine antiques and treasures for the garden and the garden room from 30 leading exhibitors in the Conservatory Tent. On grounds, spring’s progress continues across NYBG’s historic landscape. The Azalea Garden is at 75% of peak color, and the newly-reopened Lilac Collection is debuting its fragrant blossoms for the enjoyment of visitors. View highlights from across the Garden in the gallery below, and plan your visit today!
It’s Mother’s Day this coming Sunday, May 8, and as every year, there’s no better place to celebrate the holiday than here at the Garden. We’ll be outside for our Mother’s Day Weekend Garden Party with lawn games, arts and crafts, and plenty of food trucks on hand to make an afternoon on Daffodil Hill that much more relaxing.
