Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Conservatory
Posted in Around the Garden, Gardens and Collections, Photography on February 18 2014, by Lansing Moore
It is time once again to announce another round of winners in our Tropical Paradise Photo Contest. We certainly hope you all enjoyed the long Presidents’ Day weekend in spite of the soggy weather. Appropriately enough, some of our best photographic entries this week captured the beauty of water. Of course, there is a world of difference between the warm mists of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and the ice covering the grounds.
If you’re looking to try your hand at photographing our permanent Conservatory collections, we’re now into week five of a total six judging windows to submit your work, so don’t wait long! Simply upload your photos of the Tropical Paradise exhibition currently in the Conservatory to our Flickr group (don’t forget the #tropicalparadise hashtag) before 6 p.m. on Friday, February 21, to be entered into this week’s judging. Until then, please enjoy the three winning photos in the Macro and Sense-of-Place categories, and stay dry out there!
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Posted in Programs and Events on February 14 2014, by Lansing Moore
In addition to the lively tours and guided walks taking place throughout the grounds, this weekend the Garden welcomes couples, friends, and singles alike for a romantic roster of Valentine’s Day events. After all, what says “be my Valentine” better than an effusion of flowers, and what are we if not the largest bouquet in the five boroughs?
This afternoon we’re featuring a special Valentine’s Day Tea Talk, where our own site history expert, Wayne Cahilly, will lead a lecture on the history of Valentine’s Day. Guests will enjoy tea, finger sandwiches, and sweets in our Garden Terrace Room while discovering the holiday’s fascinating origins.
This evening, February 14, is also the first Valentine’s Day Date at Tropical Paradise, with tickets rapidly disappearing. But even if you can’t get your registration in for tonight, there’s an additional Valentine’s Date taking place this Saturday night, February 15. You can find more information on these exclusive annual events, secure tickets, and more on our Tropical Paradise programming page!
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Posted in Photography on February 14 2014, by Matt Newman
The supporting players in this year’s Orchid Show don’t lack for flair.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Programs and Events on February 13 2014, by Lansing Moore
Start building up an appetite now, because the Culinary Kids Food Festival begins next Monday! Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden staff and the Growing Chefs culinary team will come together as part of the Garden’s Edible Academy initiative to put on this family friendly food festival.
There will be daily cooking demonstrations at 1 p.m., highlighting kid-friendly recipes and offering delicious samples. The rest of the day, the Dining Pavilion behind the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory plays host to several Activity Stations, where kids can grab a Festival passport and embark on a cultural and scientific tour of their favorite foods.
At the Cheesemonger’s Shop, lessons on making cheese go hand in hand with the science behind the plants that cheese-producing animals love, as well as the bacterial processes involved in cheese-making itself. Kids can test acids and bases at the Tip-Top Pickle Shop, while learning the science of food preservation in the chemistry kitchen. There’s a wealth of chemistry and biology behind our favorite deli fare!
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Posted in Photography on February 13 2014, by Matt Newman
Seems I was so preoccupied with the thought of winter wonderlands last night that I forgot to schedule a Morning Eye Candy. A thousand apologies! Here’s a cozy-looking cactus to tide you over.

Cleistocactus strausii in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in The Orchid Show on February 12 2014, by Matt Newman
Something tells me we’ve all had our fill and then some of polar vortices, luge-like sidewalks, and the inevitable, near-weekly session with the snow shovel. And winter fashion is fun, but let’s be real: donning four layers to hit the corner bodega is getting to be a headache. Thankfully, whether or not Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, there’s hope on the horizon. And it’s bringing orchids.
As I write this, our winter sanctuary—Tropical Paradise in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory—is shedding its late-season colors for the vibrant return of the year’s most flamboyant exhibition. Thousands of orchids in fuchsia, chartreuse, and vivid purple are warming up in the Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections, readying for the main act under the dome of our famed glasshouse. This year’s theme is a memorable one, too, especially if you’re prone to bouts of lazing in hammocks, sipping salt-rimmed margaritas in the shade of a coconut palm.
The Orchid Show: Key West Contemporary opens to the public on March 1. Here’s a teaser to hold you over!
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Posted in Photography on February 11 2014, by Lansing Moore
It is hard to believe that the time has come to announce the third round of winners in our Tropical Paradise Photo Contest. We are halfway through this six-week competition, with the fourth week beginning this past Saturday. But there’s still time to win! Simply upload your photos of the Tropical Paradise exhibition in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory to our Flickr group before the 6 p.m. deadline this Friday, February 14—Valentine’s Day—to be entered into this week’s judging. After all, we don’t want this contest cutting into any romantic plans you may have. Though if you don’t have any plans yet, may we recommend one of our Valentine’s Day Dates at Tropical Paradise?
The submissions have been very impressive thus far, and it took careful deliberation to choose the top three photos in the Macro and Sense-of-Place categories. We sympathized with the judges at Sochi in carefully weighing the qualities of each contender. So in honor of the Winter Olympics, here are our Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medalists for this week!
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Posted in Photography on February 10 2014, by Matt Newman
Ferns are still the apple of my botanical eye, in case anyone was wondering if I’d changed allegiance in the last few months.
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
If you love taking photographs, don’t forget to enter our Tropical Paradise Photography Contest!
Posted in Photography on February 9 2014, by Matt Newman

In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
If you love taking photographs like this one, don’t forget to enter our Tropical Paradise Photography Contest!
Posted in Photography on February 8 2014, by Matt Newman
The sculptures of Four Seasons still overshadow the courtyard near the Nymphaea pools for a few more months. Some are fully enveloped in their element right now.

“Winter” in the Conservatory Courtyard — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
If you love taking photographs, don’t forget to enter our Tropical Paradise Photography Contest!