Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Photography on May 24 2011, by Ann Rafalko
The new Azalea Garden is about so much more than azaleas. The garden is a sun-dappled Eden; the perfect place to sit and enjoy the warmth of summer.
In the Azalea Garden (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Photography on May 22 2011, by Ann Rafalko
Spotted koi, still pool
Ripples of wind, stormy sky
Encircled by glass.
Koi in the Conservatory Courtyard Pool (photo by Ann Rafalko)
Posted in Spanish Paradise; Gardens of the Alhambra on May 20 2011, by Ann Rafalko
| Ann Rafalko is Director of Online Content. |
Spanish Paradise: Gardens of the Alhambra doesn’t open to the public until tomorrow, but today, Members get a first look, or maybe I should say first sniff, at our latest exhibition. Why first sniff? Because this exhibition in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory smells AMAZING! And it sounds pretty good, too. The tinkling of water, soft strains of guitar music, and bird tweets meld together with the heady perfume and sublime gardens to create a true paradise on earth.
Posted in Photography, Wildlife on May 18 2011, by Ann Rafalko
NYBG Member and photographer Laura Meyers sent this picture in to us. She says, “This nest is right off the bridge between the Twin Lakes. Took the picture this Friday, May 13. The Garden looks soooo beautiful this time of year.”
Thanks for the picture and the kind words Laura!
See more of Laura’s fabulous photos on her website: www.laurameyers.com and on her blog: Bird’s Eyes and Butterflies.
Do you have a photo you’d like to share with us? You can send it to us at blog AT nybg DOT org, or you can submit it through our tumblr blog here.
Posted in Photography on May 18 2011, by Ann Rafalko
It’s just a few more days until we fling wide the doors of the Conservatory on our latest exhibition, Spanish Paradise: Gardens of the Alhambra. It’s going to be incredible! Here’s a mirador into the preparations. Are you planning to visit?
Posted in Around the Garden, Video on May 17 2011, by Ann Rafalko
We seem to have hit a bit of a rough patch in the weather in New York City; it has rained everyday since Saturday, and the forecast says that there’s more in store. But, that needn’t put a damper on your plans to visit the Garden. The Garden is beautiful in the rain. Here’s a little video we put together celebrating the Garden in the rain, featuring the poetry of iconic New York City poet Langston Hughes.
Narration by Henry Kaiser. Find Henry on twitter @KaiserHenry.
Posted in Photography on May 16 2011, by Ann Rafalko
Spring is just awesome (photos by Ivo M. Vermeulen)
Posted in Around the Garden on May 9 2011, by Peter Kukielski
Ed. note: The Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden is swinging back into life! Here’s a quick look at some of the year’s first blooms from Peter Kukielski, the Rose Garden’s curator.
As expected, the early species roses have begun blooming. These are quick to come into bloom and are only around for a couple of weeks.
R. Virginiana (native)
A handsomely foliated plant which shares much in common with other North American species; densely suckering, tall canes with abundant foliage, somewhat smooth, small but charming pink flowers with soft-yellow stamens and a fine crop of round red hips. Tops on Rosa virginiana‘s list of attributes though should be its fall foliage which runs the full spectrum from gold and yellow to amber, rose and crimson.
R. spinossissima var. ‘Altaica’
A larger-flowered clone selection of the well-known and much-loved wild Scots Briar. Its rich, creamy, almost yellow flowers are well scented, and are borne on a tall and spreading plant.
R. eglanteria
A lovely, deep pink form of the Eglantine, with its fragrant and handsome foliage, large and arching and very productive of small, round, scarlet hips. The Eglantine has naturalized in North America, where it is found far and wide. Britton and Brown documented it in Virginia and Tennessee as R. rubiginosa.
R. blanda (native)
Wide, crepey petals of lightest rose-pink with pale-buff stamens and a pungent-sweet scent. A native of the Northeast of North America R. blanda is nearly thornless with soft green foliage. Sets a crop of small, round red fruit. Synonym: Hudson’s Bay Rose, Labrador Rose.
R. sericea pteracantha
Noted for its four-petaled white flowers, but more particularly for the elongated red thorns that stud its canes, R. sericea pteracantha makes a stunning focus in a mixed planting. Tall and arching, and perhaps most effective if older canes are removed annually to make way for new ones, whose thorns are yet translucent and red.
Posted in Adult Education, Around the Garden on May 2 2011, by Jane Ayers
| Jane Ayers is Director of Adult Education. |
Medals for excellence were awarded to selected artists for their work in Green Currency: Plants in the Economy at the festive opening reception on Wednesday, April 20. This is the first medal-awarding international juried exhibition of contemporary botanical art in the United States, and is presented by the Botanical Garden and the American Society of Botanical Artists. The exhibition, which features 43 plants used in medicine, food, clothing, and shelter, will be on view in the Arthur and Janet Ross Gallery through July 31.
Dr. Shirley Sherwood, renowned contemporary botanical art collector and chair of the jury, along with Gregory Long, President of The New York Botanical Garden, presented the awards. Honorable Mentions for excellence in specific categories were also selected and announced. Click on an image below to see the commended works of art.
Gold: Beverly Allen, Coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, watercolor on paper
Silver: Asuka Hishiki, Garlic, Allium sativum, watercolor on paper
Bronze: Ingrid Finnan, Common ginger, Zingiber officinale, oil on paper
Honorable Mention, Prints: Monika deVries Gohlke, Jade-stripe bamboo, Bambusa vulgaris ‘Vittata’, hand-colored aquatint on paper
Honorable Mention, Drawing: Carrie Megan, Morels, Morchella sp., graphite on paper
Honorable Mention, Artistic Merit: Rosemary Bauman, Princess tree, Paulownia tomentosa, watercolor on paper
Honorable Mention, Work on Vellum: Karen Kluglein, Grapes, Vitis vinifera, watercolor on vellum
The New York Botanical Garden Acquisition Prize: Karen Kluglein, Grapes, Vitis vinifera, watercolor on vellum
A full-color exhibition catalog featuring all of the works in the show is available for purchase at Shop in the Garden. An audio tour in the Gallery includes personal statements from each of the artists; signage throughout the Garden grounds identify the living plants portrayed in many of the featured works of art.
The Garden’s Adult Education Program offers classes in Botanical Art for all levels. Browse courses, or order a free catalog to learn more.
Posted in Around the Garden on April 29 2011, by Ann Rafalko
| Ann Rafalko is Director of Online Content. |
I just got back from a walk around the Antique Garden Furniture Show and Sale, and boy are my arms tired! No, no. I didn’t fly over to the Conservatory and back, but I did impulse purchase a rather heavy cast concrete statue for my very own garden that I had to carry back to my cubicle. The Show is chock full of all sorts of gorgeous things, so I thought I would throw together this highly subjective slide show of some of the fascinating pieces that caught my eye.
I noticed one big trend: Bunnies are hot. Maybe it’s because it’s the Year of the Rabbit? Maybe it’s in the hope that placing one in your garden will scare the real ones away? I just can’t say. One thing I can say though, is don’t forget your checkbook. Many of the vendors cannot accept credit cards. Oh, and don’t worry. You won’t have to carry your own purchases as far as I did. The vendors are happy to hold onto your garden goodies until you can bring your car around.
The Antique Garden Furniture Show and Sale runs Friday, April 29 – Sunday, May 1; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The show is held in the tent behind the historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. To get to the show, enter the Conservatory through the Palm Dome, then exit at the opposite side. Entrance to the Show is included in your All-Garden Pass. Happy shopping!
