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Inside The New York Botanical Garden

fall

The Really Big Three: The Giant Pumpkin Showcase of Champions

Posted in Around the Garden on October 14 2011, by Karen Daubmann

The New York Botanical Garden is proud to announce the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth’s Showcase of Champion’s winners for 2011!

Beginning Friday, October 21 the three largest pumpkins in the United States will be on display in the Garden’s Visitor Center. Come take a look at Dave and Carol Stelts’ 1,807.5 lb pumpkin grown in Edinburgh, PA. Also, be on the lookout for a plane from California bearing a 1,704 lb pumpkin grown by Leonardo Urena as well as the 1,693 lb pumpkin grown by Brant and Eleanor Bordsen.

Here is a look at the standings for all 1,471 entries at the 54 GPC weigh-off locations nationwide.

Come out and take a look at these giant pumpkins beginning Friday, October 21. Mingle with the giant pumpkin growers, tweet us a picture of yourself with the pumpkins, and don’t miss our first carving weekend featuring Ray Villafane on October 22 and 23.

Check out some of these giant gourds as they make their way to the Garden!

Mum’s The Word

Posted in Gardening Tips on October 11 2011, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Chrysanthemum 'Cockatoo'
Belgian mum 'Cockatoo'

Weather generally has the upper hand when it comes to gardening. There are lots of things we can do to foster the care of our plants, but ultimately we end up at the mercy of Mother Nature. This year was no exception. The New York-area had a wet spring, baking hot July with no sign of rain, and then a record-breaking, near-constant deluge in August.

And now we’re seeing the effect of this weird weather around the Garden; many of our fall bloomers are one to two weeks behind schedule, most notably our late September rose display and our chrysanthemums. It has also been a lousy year for tomatoes.

In July, when the temperatures rose into the high 90s and we lacked any rain, our plants responded by shutting down. This is a protective response which helps them survive difficult times. If the plants had continued to push growth under these conditions they would have lost too much moisture and wasted a dangerous amount of energy. In this respect, plants are just like people; they get sluggish and slow down in the heat.

Learn how to get amazing color in your fall garden with hardy mums below.

Three-Day Weekend at the Garden

Posted in Around the Garden on October 5 2011, by Ann Rafalko

The Haunted Pumpkin GardenFor a lot of people in the New York-area this weekend is a three-day weekend! To celebrate, the Garden will be open Monday, October 10, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. And you know what makes it even better? The weather forecast is looking gorgeous! Such a welcome change after so many grey, rainy, dreary weekends.

What is there to do on a beautiful fall weekend at The New York Botanical Garden? So much! There’s kiku and bonsai, leaf peeping in the Forest, the Haunted Pumpkin Garden, walking tours, birdwatching, home gardening demonstrations, music performances, and so much more (don’t forget to stop and smell the roses). The Garden is never the same two days in a row, so come spend a day in one of the world’s greatest urban gardens, The New York Botanical Garden! See the full schedule below, and plan your visit now.

Check-out all the Columbus Day-weekend fun below!