Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Programs and Events on October 29 2010, by Plant Talk
| Ann Rafalko is Director of Online Content. |
Yep, that’s right ladies and gents. The giant pumpkins are so big, a man can fit inside. Matthew DeBacco from team-pumpkin.org climbed inside Steve Connolly’s 1,674.5 pounder this morning to harvest some seeds. He reported that it was nice and warm, and that if it were on the Lower East Side it would rent for about $1,500 a month!.
Check it out!
Posted in Programs and Events on October 28 2010, by Plant Talk
When life hands you three giant pumpkins, you might as well carve them into jack-o’lanterns! Really, really big jack-o’-lanterns.
This Friday and Saturday, World Record-holder Scott Cully (who will be carving the current World’s Heaviest Pumpkin) will be joined by Michael Anthony Natiello, the carver behind the 500 pumpkins decorating The New York Botanical Garden‘s Halloween Hoorah and creator of the Great Jack O’ Lantern Blaze at the historic Van Cortlandt Manor. Michael will be carving the 1,725 pound runner-up pumpkin.
Natiello’s collaborator Sara Mussen will be on hand on Friday to carve the third pumpkin, a 1,674.5 pounder grown by Steve Connolly.
Posted in Programs and Events on October 27 2010, by Plant Talk
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Rustin Dwyer is Visual Media Production Specialist at The New York Botanical Garden. |
Do you have giant pumpkin fever? Can you not wait to dig your trowel into the earth and take a stab at growing your own World Record-setter?
Us, too! So we went straight to the source and asked the growers of the three behemoths currently calling The New York Botanical Garden home for their best growing tips.
Here’s what they had to say:
Posted in Programs and Events on October 26 2010, by Plant Talk
| Ann Rafalko is Director of Online Content. |
The world’s heaviest pumpkin is calling The New York Botanical Garden home for just a few more days. And while its entrance was grand, its exit will be spectacular!
Beginning Friday, October 29, world-renowned pumpkin carver, and current holder of the Guinness Book‘s World Record for largest jack-o’-lantern, Scott Cully will be at the Botanical Garden to carve the 1,810.5 lbs beauty. The carving, which will take approximately one hour per 100 lbs. will continue through Sunday, October 31 (also known to some as Halloween!).
What will the pumpkin end up looking like, and will Cully break his own World Record? Only time will tell. But we do love daydreaming here at the Garden. So to get your imagination going about what the great pumpkin might end up looking like, we thought we’d share a few pictures of Cully’s past creations.
Learn more about the giant pumpkins here, here, and here. And to plan your visit for this fascinating Garden experience, click here.
Posted in Programs and Events on October 22 2010, by Plant Talk
| Ann Rafalko is Director of Online Content. |
The Guinness World Record-holding giant pumpkin is here!
The pumpkin, grown by Chris Stevens in New Richmond, Wisconsin weighs 1,810 1/2 pounds. It will be on display at The New York Botanical Garden through Halloween along with two other giant pumpkins. The second weightiest of the group (shown at right) clocks in at 1,725 pounds and was grown by Ken Sweet in Washington, Michigan. The third gourd in the giant pumpkin trio was grown by Steve Connolly in Sharon, Massachusetts and weighs 1,674 1/2 pounds.
Pictures cannot convey how impressive these amazing, sustainably-grown ‘Atlantic Giants’ are. So come see them for yourself! The pumpkins will be on display around the reflecting pool at the Leon Levy Visitor Center through Sunday, October 31.
On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, October 29, 30, and 31 renowned pumpkin carver Steve Cully will be at the Botanical Garden to carve the record-setting gourd. Cully will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the Largest Jack ‘O Lantern which he already holds!
To plan your visit and learn more about the pumpkins and the Garden, click here. And for eleven fun facts we learned about giant pumpkins from the growers themselves, click here.
Posted in Programs and Events on October 22 2010, by Plant Talk
| Ann Rafalko is Director of Online Content. |
Here are some fun facts I learned about giant pumpkins from the farmers that grow them.
– During peak growth, the pumpkins can add as much as 50 pounds of weight per day.
– The pale color of the pumpkins has been genetically selected for because the farmers think it looks nice. The pale salmon color also contains tinge of blue that highlights the genetic heritage of the Blue Hubbard squash.
For more fun pumpkin facts and an exclusive photo gallery head below the break.
Posted in Exhibitions on October 20 2010, by Plant Talk
| Ann Rafalko is Director of Online Content. |
The first of three giant pumpkins that will call The New York Botanical Garden home through Halloween (as part of Halloween Hoorah) arrived today. And what an arrival it was! The 1,725 pound beauty was grown by farmer Ken Sweet in Michigan–40 miles north of Detroit on the border of the towns of Romeo and Armada–and was driven here by his two buddies Don van Houtte and Mark Mikula. The two men set out yesterday, stopped in Pennsylvania for a rest and arrived behind the Conservatory around 11 a.m. They were greeted by a small fleet of golf carts bringing smiling Garden employees, and one very large forklift.
After a few photo ops with the employees, the giant pumpkin was lifted gently from its truck by the forklift, and carried in a caravan of golf carts to its resting spot by the reflecting pool in front of the Leon Levy Visitors Center where it will shortly be joined by two pumpkin buddies, including the new world record holder, a behemoth weighing in at 1,800 pounds!
Click here for exclusive pictures of the arrival of the first giant pumpkin!
Posted in Exhibitions, The Edible Garden on October 1 2010, by Plant Talk
Pumpkins will be center stage this month: at The Edible Garden Conservatory Kitchen, at a brand new display during Halloween Hoorah in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, in the Pumpkin Patch across from the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, and in a special showcase of champion giant pumpkins.
This weekend (October 2–3) don’t miss Classy Parker of Just Food and Jason Weiner of Almond restaurants whip up dishes with pumpkins (and potatoes, too!).
Columbus Day Weekend (October 9–11) brings more pumpkins and cooking with kids at a harvest celebration featuring celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich, crafts, tasty treats, and music.
Halloween Hoorah begins October 9—and runs all the way through October 31—treating visitors to a frightfully fun journey through a setting of hundreds of jack-o’-lanterns, parades, cider pressing, and more. Get a sneak peek of the spectacle, and learn about Michael Anthony Natiello, the artist who created the pumpkin sculptures.
The Pumpkin Patch has been growing all season, and now’s the time to see it at its best.
Some of the winning pumpkins from the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth weigh-ins will be at the Garden beginning October 22—last year a world record of 1,725 pounds was set! Bring your camera for great photo ops.
So make sure to “carve out” some family time to come to Garden this month. It’s so fun, it’s scary.
Posted in Programs and Events on October 23 2009, by Plant Talk
Plus Poetry Readings, Bird Walk, Greenmarket, and Kiku Celebrate the thrills and chills of the season at The New York Botanical Garden’s Halloween Hoorah! on Sunday. Come in your costume or make your own mask here and parade around the grounds. Follow the trail on your Halloween map and participate in hands-on activities along the route. End the day learning about bats during a live animal demonstration. On Saturday, listen to poets read their favorites as well as their own works inspired by nature, go on a bird walk, and shop at the Greenmarket. And on both days of the weekend, visit Kiku in the Japanese Autumn Garden, see taiko drumming performances, and more. Get Your Tickets |