Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Groundbreakers

This Weekend: A Groundbreakers Curtain Call

Posted in Programs and Events on September 5 2014, by Andy Garden

The NYBG WeekendSeptember has kicked off to a beautiful start here at NYBG, which means there is still time to snap those enviable summer photos with your friends and family. From our Aquatic House to Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens, the scenery is so magnificent that a filter won’t be necessary.

Unlike the Garden’s luster, not everything across the 250 acres is everlasting. This weekend marks the end of the Garden-wide summer exhibition Groundbreakers: Great American Gardens and The Women Who Designed Them. With all of the Haupt Conservatory’s flowers and set pieces still looking as fresh as they did on day one, good luck not getting caught daydreaming of a sunny stroll through the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden in Maine. Still need more convincing? Have a look at what various media sources are saying about Groundbreakers!

Head beyond the jump for the full schedule of weekend programs at NYBG, including musical performances and film screenings. All-Garden Passes are available online and include admission to all of the exhibitions and public programs on the day of your visit.

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This Weekend: A Labor Day Lark

Posted in Around the Garden on August 29 2014, by Matt Newman

The NYBG WeekendAs one of the last gasps of summer, Labor Day weekend is a chance for NYBG to throw open its gates on a Monday and welcome everyone for what tends to be the closing week of our summer exhibition. And this year, things are no different—we’re rapidly approaching the September 7 end of our Groundbreakers exhibition! If you haven’t found a moment to get away and visit us here in the Bronx, now’s as good a time as any and maybe even better.

Those of you with kids in tow will be happy to know that we’re going full-tilt in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden with our SousaKazooza events, the last of the season. Bring your little ones for some music, marching, and crafts to keep them busy. And for the adults, we’re still offering our full suite of Groundbreakers events alongside a sweeping schedule of tours—Azalea Garden, Rock Garden, Conservatory, Native Plant Garden and Garden Highlights among them—to help you make the most of your afternoon.

Head past the jump for the full schedule, and don’t let the last few weeks of warm sunshine get away from you!

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This Weekend: A Highlight of Summer

Posted in Programs and Events on August 22 2014, by Lansing Moore

0814-purple-blossom-thumbnail-PT-250x280Happy Friday! After today’s rain, we have two days of sunny, mild weather to look forward to here at NYBG. Come admire the splendor of summer before August passes us by completely.

This weekend features a very special Garden Highlights tour focusing on poisonous plants! A Garden guide will lead two tours of fascinating plant species that with healing—or harmful—properties. When it comes to plants, the line between medicine and poison can be a narrow one indeed, and the myths and facts circulating in popular culture could always use a little more clarification. Learn more about plants’ effects on the body year-round with our award-winning Wild Medicine app.

Read on for this weekend’s complete schedule of programs at NYBG, including a whole new season of Dig! Plant! Grow!—this time focusing on those beloved and vital friends of any garden: pollinators.

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This Weekend: The Home Stretch

Posted in Programs and Events on August 1 2014, by Lansing Moore

0714-pink-hibiscus-250x280It’s already August, and summer is flying by. Groundbreakers has just over a month left in its residency, so come explore the great estates of the Gilded Age and the pioneering professional women who designed them before the exhibit closes on September 7.

Click through for the full program schedule for this weekend—including a special tour of the Aquatic House in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory—as well as ongoing children’s programs. If you’re looking for some hands-on family fun, tickets are still available for the next in our special series of Family Dinners with Mario Batali’s Chefs on August 10, featuring Chefs Alex Pilas and Fitz Tallon of Eataly. Get your tickets before they sell out!

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Jazz Age Evenings: Swing Under The Summer Sky

Posted in Programs and Events on July 18 2014, by Lansing Moore

Phonograph DJ Jazz Age Evenings NYBGNext Thursday, July 24, is the second of only three special Jazz Age Evenings here at the Garden. This special event series whisks visitors back in time to the age of Groundbreakers for a magical summer evening. Sip vintage-style cocktails courtesy of our friends at Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer, and dance the night away to big band music from the one and only Michael Arenella & His Dreamland Orchestra after an initial dance lesson at the start of the party.

Each evening is unique, so read on for the details on the special cocktail recipe and music theme for July 24! You will also see more exclusive photos of last month’s Jazz Age Evening, and get a peek of what’s in store for you and that special someone.

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This Weekend: The Garden Gets Some Color

Posted in Around the Garden on July 11 2014, by Lansing Moore

hemerocallis fulva daylilyThis humid week is finally giving way to a pleasant weekend, and it is the perfect time to visit NYBG! Groundbreakers continues to guide visitors through the monumental history of America’s gardening culture, and the summer season brings more color to the grounds each day.

Come check out the Perennial Garden and Seasonal Walk as they enter new and ever-beautiful stages of growth. Admire the lotus blossoms and water lilies emerging in the reflecting pools outside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Enjoy a summer walk beneath the pleasant shade of trees in the Native Plant Garden or the Thain Family Forest. There is a wealth of ways to enjoy the Garden this summer for people of all ages. Upcoming after-hours events include Jazz Age Evenings and Family Dinners with Mario Batali’s Chefs. For this weekend’s program offerings, read on!

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Upright Annuals for Every Occasion

Posted in Gardening Tips on July 1 2014, by Sonia Uyterhoeven

Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG’s Gardener for Public Education.


Ammi Green Mist
Ammi visnaga ‘Green Mist’

Much of the charm of the Conservatory’s Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden display comes from a glorious assortment of upright annuals. These make tall, statuesque, and often bold additions to any seasonal border. But while we often associate height in both perennial and annual borders with spires that guide your eyes upward—and there are certainly plenty of spires in this Groundbreakers display—what delighted me was the variety of other forms that gave height to the border.

One striking example was the monster-sized umbels of false Queen Anne’s lace, Ammi visnaga ‘Green Mist’. This opulent annual sports large Queen Anne’s lace flowers above ferny foliage. It grows to four feet tall and will create an impressive show whether placed in the middle or back of an annual border. It attracts beneficial insects into your garden and also makes a spectacular cut flower.

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This Thursday: The Jazz Age Comes to the Garden

Posted in Programs and Events on June 23 2014, by Matt Newman

Michael Arenella
Michael Arenella (Photo by: Walter Wlodarczyk)

It won’t be long now ’til Michael Arenella’s swinging away, horn in hand, backed by a wall of golden sound courtesy of his Dreamland Orchestra. For three exclusive events this summer, the legendary host and band leader of the famed Jazz Age Lawn Parties of Governor’s Island is setting up shop in NYBG—and everyone’s got an invitation waiting! The first of our Jazz Age Evenings takes place this Thursday, June 26, leaving you with just enough time to snag a few tickets and don your finest flapper ensemble.

That’s not to say period-appropriate outfits are required, though we’re certainly all for them.

Jazz Age Evenings are a chance to not only indulge in the swing, hot jazz, and big band melodies of Arenella and his renowned band, but to indulge in a specialty cocktail and stroll through our Groundbreakers exhibition. Intimate after-dark lighting in the Conservatory sets the tone for a memorable night out unlike anything you’ll find in New York City.

This Thursday night’s opening event features a spicy take on one of my personal favorite drinks. Crabbie’s Moscow Mule combines what I’ll call a “kicked up” ginger beer with crisp vodka and a touch of lime for a drink equal parts punchy and piquant. Remember: this is only the first of three special nights at NYBG, so you’ll have other chances to join us if you miss out on this week’s opening. But don’t wait too long—tickets are available now. Oh, and for those of you looking to make a full night of it, MasterCard holders are welcome to join us for our champagne pre-party in the Shop in the Garden. More info here!