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Plant Talk

Inside The New York Botanical Garden

Spring

Morning Eye Candy: February Gold

Posted in Photography on March 22 2016, by Matt Newman

The daffodils are waking! And with the first bloom of our massive expansion of the historic Narcissus collection on Daffodil Hill just beginning, it’s likely to be a huge year for these sunny flowers. Stay tuned.

Narcissus 'February Gold'

Narcissus ‘February Gold’ in the Liasson Narcissus Collection – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Jenny Holzer Projections for FRIDA KAHLO: Art, Garden, Life

Posted in Programs and Events on June 10 2015, by Plant Talk

Jenny HolzerPremiering tonight, Wednesday, June 10, an incredible live presentation by internationally renowned artist Jenny Holzer will take place at the Garden—and we hope you’ll join us for the opportunity to experience it! For four consecutive nights during our Frida al Fresco evenings, Jenny Holzer in conjunction with The Poetry Society of America and The New York Botanical Garden will present a program of scrolling light projections on the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

For more than 30 years Jenny Holzer has presented her astringent ideas, arguments, and sorrows in public places and international exhibitions. Her medium is always writing, and the public dimension is integral to the delivery of the work. Reflecting Kahlo’s intense relationship with her culture and the natural world, Holzer’s hour-long presentation will include poems by Mexico’s Nobel Prize winner Octavio Paz, verses from contemporary Mexican female poets, and even a selection of powerful passages from Frida Kahlo’s own diary.

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A Tale of Two Caterpillars

Posted in Children's Education on June 8 2015, by Joyce Newman

Joyce H. Newman is an environmental journalist and teacher. She holds a Certificate in Horticulture from The New York Botanical Garden.

"Frida"
“Frida”

To the delight of all visitors, two giant caterpillar topiaries—dubbed Frida and Diego—have recently been designed and planted by NYBG gardeners, Diana Babbitt and Katie Bronson, in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden.

“We thought it would be fun to try to make a Frida caterpillar,” explains Katie. “So we looked at a lot of her pictures where she is wearing flower headdresses and we tried to make one of those.”

Frida is filled with deep purple-red coleus punctuated by bright pink Zinnia elegans that contrasts with nearly black Salvia discolor on her body. Her raised head is softened by green ‘Round Leaf’ Hedera, and her eyes look straight ahead, portrait-style, under those famous bushy eyebrows.

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Weekly Wildlife at the Garden: Fishy Business

Posted in Photography on June 2 2015, by Patricia Gonzalez

Patricia Gonzalez is an NYBG Visitor Services Attendant and avid wildlife photographer.

I shot this photo in the wetlands of the Native Plant Garden on April 12 of this year. It’s great that these wetlands are attracting all manner of wildlife, including this mallard drake.

Shortly before the Native Plant Garden opened to the public, my department was given a tour. That’s where we learned that when mallards and other ducks fly into the water for a swim, they also carry in fish eggs that have stuck to their feet during visits to other bodies of water. How cool is that? The fish eggs hatch and populate the new location, and the circle of life continues.

Mallard

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) – Photo by Patricia Gonzalez