Inside The New York Botanical Garden
new york city
Posted in Around the Garden on March 19 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Despite today’s unfortunate weather, spring truly is right around the corner. Tomorrow in fact! And there is evidence all around. Just this morning I saw a robin–slightly disgruntled and a little damp, but a robin nonetheless–strolling around on Tulip Tree Allée.
Snowdrops, crocuses, tiny netted irises, hellebores, fragrant viburnum, and apricot blossoms (an early harbinger of cherry blossoms) are popping up all over in the Home Gardening Center, Seasonal Border, Azalea Garden, and along the Ladies’ Border. In the Thain Family Forest there has been a subtle change of tint to the trees brought about by nascent leaf and flower buds.
In the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, the cozy Discovery Center is home to the serious family fun of Little Landscapes. Little Landscapes allows children of all ages to explore the tiny world of terrariums with hands-on activities that includes making your own little terrarium to take home! If you would like to indulge in a more substantial bout of terrarium-making, MasterCard cardholders are invited to participate in an exclusive Priceless event where your child can create an adventure- or fantasy-themed terrarium to take home.
Read More
Posted in Around the Garden on January 23 2013, by Ann Rafalko
Forget the Valentine’s Day bouquet, give her (or him) a rainforest full of flowers instead! Thanks to our partners at MasterCard® this year we are offering two exclusive events that are the perfect Valentine’s Day treat.
Valentine’s Date Tour at the Garden
Currently Sold Out. For Wait List, call 718.817.8716 – Tour of Tropical Paradise with Chocolate and Champagne on February 10
Experience an inspired and romantic departure from the average date as we transform the historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory into New York City’s most romantic Valentine’s Day date destination. The evening begins with chocolates and champagne at Shop in the Garden. After experiencing these delicious plant-based treats head over to the Conservatory for a tour through the sultry warmth of Tropical Paradise. The tour will have a special focus on plants that are well-known for their love-inducing qualities, including delicious chocolate! Buy your tickets. Currently Sold Out. For Wait List, call 718.817.8716
Schedule of Events:
– 4:00-4:30 p.m. Champagne and chocolate in Shop in the Garden
– 4:30-5:30 p.m. Tour of Tropical Paradise
– 5:30-6:00 p.m. Free time to explore the Haupt Conservatory
The Botany of Indulgence Classes at NYBG
Chocolate, Beer, and Herbal Aphrodisiac Series on February 9
If you and your sweetie are more into the science behind the romance, then our Botany of Indulgence classes are for you! Delve into the world of plant-based aphrodisiacs with this three-part class at our Midtown Center. Explore how chocolate, beer, and herbal aphrodisiacs have been used through the centuries to influence human behavior. Begin the day by concocting your own “love potion,” then explore the science and art of fermentation. In the afternoon sample several varieties of chocolate and study the neurobiological effect of theobrome, the ingredient in cacao that can simulate the feeling of “being in love.” Class participants will leave with a goodie bag filled with treats including two All-Garden Passes you can use to visit the Garden and drop some serious science about the biology of love on your companions! Buy your tickets.
Class Schedule:
– 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Herbal Aphrodisiacs
– 12-12:45 p.m. Lunch break
– 12:45-2:45 p.m. Home-brewing
– 3-5 p.m. The Temptation of Chocolate
Posted in Exhibitions, Holiday Train Show on November 16 2012, by Ann Rafalko
The Holiday Train Show is just the beginning of the holiday fun at the Botanical Garden.
New this year, a world of buildings from Applied Imagination, the creative force behind the buildings of the Holiday Train Show. In the expanded Artist’s Studio, kids of all ages will have the opportunity to peer inside the inspired artistic process that goes into creating each meticulous miniature, along with the myriad plant-based ingredients that make them up.
In more train-related fun, the classic tale of The Little Engine That Could™ will be told through puppets, and after the New Year, Thomas the Tank Engine™ and friends will be at the Garden to help celebrate the arrival of 2011. (For a full schedule, click here.)
Read More
Posted in Around the Garden on October 31 2012, by Todd Forrest
In the aftermath of this week’s storm, people have been asking about the status of The New York Botanical Garden‘s living collections. We wanted to update you on the damage inflicted by the storm at the Botanical Garden.
[Not a valid template]
Hurricane Sandy caused significant damage to trees, fences, small structures, signs, and one building across the 250 acres of The New York Botanical Garden. While we are still assessing the damage, initial surveys reveal that over 100 native trees in the Forest and throughout the landscape, including some of our ancient and most magnificent oaks, were destroyed. Hundreds of mature pines, spruces, and firs in the Ross Conifer Arboretum and Benenson Ornamental Conifers and other irreplaceable collections of trees across the Garden were damaged. Over the next few days, curators and arborists will carefully inspect trees across the landscape for broken and damaged limbs and other substantial damage not immediately apparent after the storm.
Staff members of the Garden’s Operations and Horticulture Divisions began clean-up efforts even before the storm had moved inland. Their initial efforts focused on the clearing of roads and the removal of downed trees from buildings and structures. Certain areas of the Garden, including the Forest, the Azalea Garden, the Ross Arboretum, and the Benenson Ornamental Conifers will remain closed until the damage in these areas can be fully assessed and paths and roadways cleared.
While Sandy’s fierce winds have altered the tree canopy that lends singular grace and beauty to our historic landscape, we are working hard to re-establish the calm beauty that makes the Garden an oasis for all New Yorkers, particularly during trying times. Many sections of the Garden, including the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, will re-open to the public on Thursday, November 1.
Posted in Around the Garden on August 14 2012, by Ann Rafalko
Thanks to a tweet from the Cooper-Hewitt I learned that August is National Peach Month. And boy, what a summer it has been for peaches! Have you had one yet? If not, I urge you to run out to your closest greenmarket or farmer’s market (a bodega just will not do) and buy two or three right now. Go on … go ahead, I’ll wait.
Got one? Good, now go eat it over the sink. Yep, they’re that juicy this year! And it’s not just peaches, all the stone fruit are having a stellar season; nectarines, plums, cherries, apricots (though their season is over now), they have all been sensationally delicious. And while I cannot vouch for every peach at every greenmarket in New York City, I have been buying mine at our weekly Greenmarket, so I can vouch for those being sold by Red Jacket Orchard and Migliorelli Farm as fantastic!
Read More
Posted in Around the Garden on July 31 2012, by Ann Rafalko
It’s tomato time, and that can only mean one thing, that it is also gazpacho time. Gazpacho (or gaspacho) is a cold soup from Spain. It is refreshing, healthy, delicious, and a great way to showcase the intense flavor of summer’s most perfect tomatoes.
Gazpacho generally consists of a few basic ingredients; tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, garlic and olive oil, but as with most “simple” recipes, the variations are endless. We have rounded up a handful of our favorite gazpacho recipes below. Do you have a favorite variation we haven’t mentioned? Feel free to tell us in the comments!
Summertime is also a good time to brush up on your food safety smarts. To that end the Cornell Cooperative Extension will be at the Greenmarket this week 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. to offer tips and answer all your food safety questions.
The weekly NYBG Greenmarket occurs every Wednesday through November 21, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. near Tulip Tree Allée. Admission and parking for the weekly Greenmarket is always free, and EBT, WIC, and FMNP and NYC Health Bucks are accepted.
Read More
Posted in Around the Garden on July 24 2012, by Ann Rafalko
It is a bountiful time of year. Just about any fruit or vegetable you can imagine is available and at the peak of flavor. It’s the best time of year for vegetable lovers; tomatoes, corn, cucumbers, peppers, garlic, peaches, nectarines, cherries, they’re all available at the weekly NYBG Greenmarket! Last week we featured recipes for salads that use lots of vegetables and require little or no cooking. This week we’re giving you recipes that involve cooking, but also take full advantage of all of summer’s amazing produce. See our picks below.
Also this week you can also learn how to take your vegetable scraps and turn them into the gardener’s version of black gold–compost! Representatives from the NYC Compost Project will be on hand 11 a.m – 1 p.m. to offer composting tips and tricks and to answer all your questions.
Admission and parking for the weekly Greenmarket is always free, and EBT, WIC, and FMNP and NYC Health Bucks are accepted. The Greenmarket is situated near the Mosholu Gate entrance near Tulip Tree Allée and occurs every Wednesday through November 21, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Read More
Posted in Around the Garden on July 17 2012, by Ann Rafalko
It’s hot, I cannot lie. Another thing I cannot lie about: I’m really bad at dealing with the heat. My favorite ways to cope include sitting in the shade along Tulip Tree Allée, drinking lots of cold water, indulging in an occasional popsicle, and staying as far away as possible from the stove; in other words, it’s time to eat lots and lots of salad.
But, as I’m sure you know, plain old iceberg and tomatoes can get a bit repetitive. What’s the solution? Hit the weekly Wednesday NYBG Greenmarket for inspiration (and check out our recipes below)!
This week, in addition to the usual abundance of fruits and veggies, you will also find representatives from the Montefiore Office of Community Health and Wellness offering advice and screenings, and educators from St. Barnabas Hospital offering advice on healthy habits and staying well. And though it may seem hard to motivate in this intense heat, a bit of gentle exercise is still important, so pull on your sneakers and go for a walk with the members of the Weekly Walking Club.
Admission and parking are free to shop at the Greenmarket and EBT, WIC, and FMNP and NYC Health Bucks are accepted. The weekly NYBG Greenmarket near Tulip Tree Allée happens every Wednesday through November 21, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Read More
Posted in Around the Garden on July 3 2012, by Ann Rafalko
What’s more American than barbecuing on July 4? How about barbecuing locally-sourced, American-grown produce! The Garden, along with the Greenmarket, will be open this Independence Day, Wednesday, July 4 so that you can pickup all your barbecue and picnic needs from the farmers who grow them. Why not celebrate America’s 236th birthday with an all American buckle, grunt, betty, or cobbler featuring Red Jacket Orchard‘s beautiful berries or cherries. Not a baker? Then pickup one of the Little Bake Shop‘s delicious–and already baked–seasonal pies!
And don’t forget that most American of grains, corn, which is delicious boiled or grilled and slathered in butter, or with lime, chile, and cheese. In addition to corn and cherries, I’m hoping for summer squash and green beans from Migliorelli Farm, maybe a tomato or two, and pickles from Millport Dairy and spring onions from Gajeski Produce to serve on top of hamburgers!
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., stop by the Greenmarket information booth to pot up a plant to take home and grow on your window sill. The weekly NYBG Greenmarket near Tulip Tree Allée happens every Wednesday through November 21, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission and parking are free to shop at the Greenmarket and EBT, WIC, and FMNP are accepted.
Read More
Posted in Around the Garden on June 26 2012, by Ann Rafalko
At the Garden’s weekly Greenmarket you’re going to find more than just beautiful veggies and fruits for sale. At the Greenmarket, we’re hoping you will also find the inspiration to grow your own healthy crops! And we’re here to help you along the way.
This week, amid the greens and beans and peas and cherries, you will also find experts from the NYC Compost Project who will demonstrate how to turn your food scraps into beautiful, rich garden soil that can feed you for years to come! While they say there’s no such thing as a free lunch, growing your own and using what would normally be thrown comes pretty close.
The weekly NYBG Greenmarket near Tulip Tree Allée happens every Wednesday through November 21, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission and parking are free to shop at the Greenmarket and EBT, WIC, and FMNP are accepted. Stay tuned to Plant Talk for information on weekly special events, produce updates, and recipes for using your freshly bought produce.
For a special healthy grilling recipe, head below the jump!
Read More
Despite today’s unfortunate weather, spring truly is right around the corner. Tomorrow in fact! And there is evidence all around. Just this morning I saw a robin–slightly disgruntled and a little damp, but a robin nonetheless–strolling around on Tulip Tree Allée.
