Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Membership
Posted in Around the Garden on December 9 2013, by Matt Newman
So right about now you’re probably in the throes of gift-giving season, hunting down the perfect gift for that special someone, or even something to wrap up for yourself. And I know, Black Friday has already passed (I think that’s a collective sigh of relief I hear). But don’t worry—the NYBG is home to a wide variety of thoughtful gift ideas that’ll help you win genuine smiles from family and friends. And part of the proceeds will support the Garden as well!
Whether it’s a unique domed terrarium from Shop in the Garden, a Membership that offers year-round enjoyment, an exciting Adult Education course in one of a multitude of interesting subjects, or a dedicated bench on our historic landscape, there’s a gift that will both bring joy to the recipient and help carry out far-reaching education, research, and conservation efforts in our New York community and around the globe—a mission we have been committed to for more than 120 years.
Our shop is the first stop for many gift-hunting visitors, and with good reason. It offers a bevy of gifts in rich botanical textures and seasonal themes, as well as books, music, home decor, edibles, and plants for the window sill or home garden. Looking to set someone up with all the necessary gardening kit? We’ve got you covered there, too, with plenty of tools to suit the trade.
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Posted in Programs and Events on August 7 2012, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education.
New York City has made a wonderful commitment to greening up the neighborhood and the High Line is one of its finest examples. It is one of many local initiatives–such as Hudson River Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park, A Million Trees, and Battery City Park–to bring nature back into the urban environment.
The High Line is the reclaimed site of an abandoned railroad track that has been turned into a vibrant park and a magnet for city dwellers. People swarm to the park during their lunch break or after work, and it has rapidly become a premier tourist attraction.
The park is emblematic of good city planning. It has user-friendly peel up benches that rise organically from the walkway and decadent chaise lounges that give a spectacular view of the Hudson. One of my favorite spots is the 10th Avenue viewing station. In an age where we are bombarded by electronic stimulation, the viewing station offers a place to congregate and quietly watch the city moving below.
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Posted in Monet's Garden on June 1 2012, by Matt Newman
Most of us aren’t keen to stand in line, and I doubt you think any differently. But in New York City it seems almost unavoidable. Key word being “almost.”
On weekends from now through June 24, Monet’s Garden offers our Members the chance to skip straight past the bustle of the afternoon crowd and view our visiting masterworks an hour before we open the gates. Consider it a show of our gratitude for your welcome contribution to the NYBG! And seeing as spring is staying put for a while longer, we thought it best to make this available to our Members while the pleasant weather is still teasing everyone to sneak outside.
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Posted in Around the Garden on June 27 2011, by Patricia Gonzalez
In previous posts, I encouraged my fellow wildlife photographers to visit The New York Botanical Garden, shared one of my red-tailed hawk encounters, and gave tips on how to make the most out of your visit.
Today’s topic is the one thing that I think every New York City wildlife photographer should consider investing in. With this, not only will you have access to the grounds and great attractions the Garden offers year round, but you’ll also be able to enter the Garden before the public does. What is it? It’s an Annual Supporting Membership.
As a Supporting Member, not only will you get a neat membership card for yourself and one other person (which in turn, gets you into the Conservatory, Rock Garden, Everett Children‘s Adventure Garden, and more) both of you will get what I like to call “the golden ticket:” An early-morning grounds pass which grants you access to the Garden’s stunningly beautiful 250-acres before they open to the public at 10:00 a.m. With this pass, you can arrive as early as 6:00 a.m. and shoot till your heart’s content.
Birdwatchers will tell you that some of the best activity takes place in the morning. Think about it … With this one pass you gain the opportunity to shoot red-tailed hawks, owls, muskrats, rabbits, turtles, frogs, and way too many other species of birds to list, 52-weeks a year.
An annual supporting membership is $250. Yes, that might seem a bit steep, especially in today’s economy, but you can cut the cost in half if you join with another person. I convinced my best friend who is also an amateur photographer to join with me, which brings the cost down to $125 each. Although the membership is in my name, we both got individual membership cards and early morning grounds passes.
I look at it this way; the money is going to keep a place that I love operating. Just the opportunity to photograph hawks, owls, and other wildlife with only a few folks around 52-weeks a year is enough to get me to re-up every year. My last four close-up encounters happened before 7:30 a.m.!
You just show your pass to the security guard at either entrance and you’re in. During one of my more recent adventures, I came across two young great-horned owls and one of their parents in the native forest around 6:45 a.m. I was able to get some great shots and video.
If you just want to go solo and don’t care about the pass, then join as an individual at $75. You can check out all the different levels of membership here.
If you still need convincing, then go to my photo site and see for yourself. Look into the eyes of the owls, hawks and other wildlife and imagine yourself in the Native Forest, camera in hand, the smell of damp earth in the air and the sounds of the natural world around you. It doesn’t get any better than this.
Posted in Members on January 5 2011, by Plant Talk
| Melanie Patterson is a Membership Coordinator. |
New Members of NYBG at the Holiday Workshop. Photo by Melanie J. Patterson2010 was an awesome year here at The New York Botancial Garden. I had the great opportunity to join Members on so many wonderful, enriching trips and programs–a great side-benefit to Membership. We enjoyed guided tours of New York City cultural hot spots, like The Cloisters and the High Line; were given exclusive, behind the scenes tours by NYBG curators of the Conservatory, the Nolen Greenhouses, and the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden.
Longwood Gardens at Christmas. Photo by Nicholas Perdikos, Member since 1992I asked a few of our photo-savvy Members to share their pictures of a special trip we took down to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pa. The Conservatory was beautifully decorated in holiday flair and the water fountain show was tons of fun.
Most recently, at the kids’ holiday workshop, Members and their children created holiday houses in the fashion as those in the Holiday Train Show, using natural ingredients like dried cedar, cinnamon sticks, pine cones, and magnolia leaves.
The water fountain show at Longwood Gardens. Photo by Nicholas Perdikos, Member since 1992Already scheduled for the New Year, Members will be able to go on guided historical walking tours of New York City, take mansion and garden tours across New York state, and attend the 2011 Philadelphia International Flower Show.
More Member trips and programs are being added all the time. Here’s to a great 2011!
So right about now you’re probably in the throes of gift-giving season, hunting down the perfect gift for that special someone, or even something to wrap up for yourself. And I know, Black Friday has already passed (I think that’s a collective sigh of relief I hear). But don’t worry—the NYBG is home to a wide variety of thoughtful gift ideas that’ll help you win genuine smiles from family and friends. And part of the proceeds will support the Garden as well!
