seed packets

Earth Day Every Day: Planting the Seed of Conservation

Posted in Programs and Events on April 22 2014, by Matt Newman

While it’s clear that every day is Earth Day at The New York Botanical Garden (look around!), we think of April 22 as another opportunity to break out our megaphone and remind the world that conservation and environmentalism are some of the most important concerns facing humanity today. But those are big, scary words to some people, and everyone could use some hints as to how they can best serve and better this planet we’ve been riding around on. That’s why, each year, we take part in hands-on activities that make it easy to learn greener, more sustainable means of supporting both yourself and our big blue-green orb.

If you’re out and about in the city today and feeling peckish, stop by one of Mario Batali’s gourmet restaurants for lunch or dinner and don’t forget to snag one of our seed packets on your way out. As always, our close pal Mario is dedicated to fresh, seasonal ingredients, and he’s paired up with us this year to provide these packets as part of our combined Edible Academy efforts. Each packet contains a healthy handful of Insalata Mista lettuce seeds ready to be sown at home, soon to save you a trip to the supermarket and provide healthy, delicious options for cooking at home. And if you can’t make it out to eat, we’ve also got a booth in Union Square for today only, giving out seed packets to anyone who’d like one!

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From the Library: Mastrantonio’s Colorful Legacy

Posted in From the Library on November 15 2012, by Mertz Library

Ed. note: Getting a heads-up from the folks in the LuEsther T. Mertz library is always a treat, if only because we never know what kind of surprise they’re going to pass along. Often it’s an interesting bit of history in the form of an old landscaping book, or a quirky tome on classical botany. This time around, however, the history in question is far more visual. Library Director Susan Fraser was kind enough to explain the how and when of the colorful collection that recently fell into their laps.

The Mertz Library recently received a collection of research material from the estate of J. Louise Mastrantonio, who worked for the U.S. Forest Service in Oregon and California from 1961 through 1986. After retiring, she began researching the history of the American nursery industry and compiled a collection of artifacts from the late 19th and early 20th century. In time, she began writing a book about the nursery trade, though she died before completing it.

This collection came to the LuEsther T. Mertz Library as a bequest from Mastrantonio’s estate, and includes nursery and seed trade catalogs, seed packets, postcards, advertising art, and wooden seed display boxes (known as commission boxes). Among the literature included are books, agriculture newspapers, and photographs–including 10 stereoscope images.

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