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Inside The New York Botanical Garden

The New York Botanical Garden

Chris Benz on What to Wear in a Winter Wonderland

Posted in Behind the Scenes on December 8 2011, by Ann Rafalko

Chris Benz Resort 2011
Chris Benz Resort 2011

One of the highlights of the winter social calendar is, without doubt, The New York Botanical Garden’s Winter Wonderland Ball. The Ball serves as an exclusive chance for the Garden’s Junior Patrons to enjoy the magic of the Holiday Train Show as well as cocktails, dinner, and dancing.

But what to wear when the invitation suggests “Winter white, and black, black tie”? We asked fashion designer and member of the Ball’s Benefit Committee Chris Benz what he thinks ladies should wear to this most festive event.

I think the Winter Wonderland Ball is the perfect moment to dress up in full holiday glamour Think white, silver, texture, glitter and luxury It’s also a great time to play with accessories A little bit of dramatic sparkle
and shine go a long way!

~ Chris Benz

The look at the right from Benz’s 2011 Resort Collection is a perfect example of this luxe look, and it looks perfectly delightful to us!

A Living Fossil in New York

Posted in Around the Garden on December 3 2011, by Matt Newman

Ginkgo biloba 'Pendula'The peak of fall foliage is an explosion of color, but the window of opportunity to catch this sort of beauty is sometimes slim. For some trees it only takes a week or two before the brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows that come with cooler weather have passed; you venture out one day to find every last leaf crunching underfoot, and a latticework of barren branches netting the sky above.

As I walked through the Garden recently, noting the trees which were heavy with leaves just a week or two ago, I found myself hunting out the stragglers. I suppose it’s more accurate to call them survivors–the last of the foliated plants, big and small, still stubbornly holding onto their leaves when many growing around them have already closed up shop for the coming winter. Somehow, the few holding out until the last minute seem that much brighter for their small numbers.

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Nikko Firs: Bringing Mt. Fuji to the Bronx

Posted in Gardens and Collections on December 2 2011, by Joyce Newman

Joyce H. Newman is the editor of Consumer Reports’ GreenerChoices.org, and has been a Garden Tour Guide with The New York Botanical Garden for the past six years.

Nikko FirsAcross from the Garden’s main Café is a grove of Nikko firs (Abies homolepsis) that was planted in 1928, and has since become part of the Arthur and Janet Ross Conifer Arboretum at the NYBG. Much like a few of the unique conifers we have previously discussed, these trees are native to Japan, and commonly grow in mountainous areas where they need cool, moist, and often snowy environments to thrive. But despite the tree’s native habitat, the word nikko in Japanese actually means “sunlight” or “sunshine.”

You could travel to Mt. Fuji in Japan to see these fir trees growing in abundance. However, the grove right here in the Bronx is an amazing example in itself, due to the fact that firs are difficult to grow in urban environments. In fact, it would be even harder to establish a healthy grove of these trees today given ongoing climate change.

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Video: Setting Up the Holiday Train Show

Posted in Holiday Train Show, Video on November 29 2011, by Ann Rafalko

One of the most frequent requests we get at the Garden is, “Can you make a time lapse video of what it takes to set-up the Holiday Train Show?” And finally, we can say, yes, yes we can!

If you would like an even more in-depth look at how the Train Show is put together, you can visit the Artist’s Studio in the Conservatory courtyard, where you will see one model dwelling in various phases of completion, and perhaps glean some inspiration for making your own plant-based model at home. Should you prefer houses of a more edible nature, be sure to stop by Gingerbread Adventures in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden where a miniature neighborhood of fantastical gingerbread houses from a cadre of creative bakers are sure to elicit “ooohs” and “aaahs” from children of all ages.