Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Photography on November 21 2011, by Ann Rafalko
The Ladies’ Border, nestled on the southern end of the Conservatory, is a fascinating garden. Planted full of beautiful plants, trees, and flowers not normally hardy in this climate, it is a study in boundary-pushing. And beauty.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden on November 8 2011, by Paul Lisicky
| Paul Lisicky is the author of Lawnboy, Famous Builder, and The Burning House. His next book, Unbuilt Projects, is forthcoming. A New York City resident, he is a contributing member of the NYBG’s literary audio tours program, an opportunity for talented writers to add a touch of poetry to the exploration of the Garden. |
The sandy soil, the boggy ponds: whenever I feel an inexplicable sense of geographic safety (say, in parts of Cape Cod, coastal North Carolina, or Florida), I understand soon enough that I’m looking at a replica of my childhood backyard–or at least the woods and marshes nearby.
And yet I once wanted to be elsewhere. Or at least I wanted my plants and trees to be elsewhere. I wanted them to grow in unexpected shapes, leaves large as shovels. I wanted them to be a little scary, a little closer to life as I knew it, which felt to me both beautiful and a little brutal. (Don’t children always know that consciousness is darker than their parents remember?) On childhood trips to Florida or California, my eye went first to the plants. The plants in warmer climates weren’t bound to restraint or to the pressures of some unnameable force, the codes always changing, impossible to decipher. Their oranges could be brighter; their trunks could be thicker, their vines could grow and twist until they made a mess of themselves, until you had no idea that the plant had once been a beautiful thing.
Posted in Around the Garden on May 26 2011, by Ann Rafalko
| Ann Rafalko is Director of Online Content. |
The weather was just fabulous yesterday, so I decided to take advantage of it and left my cubicle for a stroll through the Perennial Garden. It was packed with happy visitors sitting in the sun, snapping pictures, and strolling through the long-awaited sunshine. I had a great time chatting about flowers, our current exhibition, Spanish Paradise: Gardens of the Alhambra, and the Garden in general. Here are a few pictures I managed to snap in-between conversations.
Posted in Photography on May 26 2011, by Ann Rafalko
Have you ever stopped to smell the irises? They’re sublime! Each one has a different aroma, like a mix of the finest perfume with just a touch of fruit soda. Sniff them while you can!
Irises on the Ladies’ Border (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Around the Garden on April 8 2011, by Ann Rafalko
Since no one has yet been able to invent the scratch and sniff Internet, you’ll have to come to the Garden in order to smell this incredible plant. Currently blooming on the Ladies’ Border on the southern end of the Conservatory Edgeworthia chrysantha, commonly known as the oriental paper bush is currently in bloom and suffusing this small garden with an ethereal perfume. A detour to visit this unassuming plant is an absolute must if you’re coming to the Garden this weekend to see The Orchid Show: On Broadway.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Here’s a quick Edgeworthia slideshow from our Flickr Photostream, where you can find thousands of the plants featured here at the Garden.
Posted in Around the Garden on February 18 2011, by Plant Talk
After weeks of snow and ice, we’ve gotten a break in the weather, and the Garden’s first flowers are taking advantage of the warmth.
First up? Snowdrops, hellebores, and the rare herbaceous perennial Adonis amurensis. See them all here.
Helleborus niger (photo by Mark Pfeffer)
Posted in Photography on December 7 2010, by Plant Talk
Camellias are considered by many to be one of the world’s most romantic flower. Come decide for yourself.
Camellia ‘Winter’s Cupid’ (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)