Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Tropical Paradise
Posted in Photography on March 11 2014, by Lansing Moore
While we are well into The Orchid Show, I know our photography aficionados have not forgotten about this year’s Tropical Paradise Photo Contest. After lengthy deliberations over our six weekly winners in the Macro and Sense of Place categories, we are ready to announce the Grand Prize Winners in each category, recipients of a seat in the NYBG Adult Education photography class of their choice.
Most of all, I hope enjoying the outstanding weekly submissions on Plant Talk has inspired you all to enjoy the Garden through your own lens. If you want to challenge your skills and enhance your enjoyment of the Garden, then NYBG Adult Education offers a variety of classes to help you see the grounds in new ways. For those shutterbugs out there, the next class will be Photographing Birds, Bees, & Butterflies on April 26, but there are many more slated for spring as the Garden comes into full bloom. Whether with an iPhone or a full DSLR rig, there are classes for all subjects and levels of expertise.
Now for the moment that has been weeks in the making. We are very pleased to announce the Grand Prize Winners of the 2014 Tropical Paradise Photo Contest! Click through to find out.
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Posted in Photography on March 3 2014, by Lansing Moore
Here we are, at the end of our Tropical Paradise Photo Contest’s last round of finals. As we welcomed the colorful debut of The Orchid Show: Key West Contemporary this past weekend, we also had to say goodbye to Tropical Paradise for another year. Today we announce the last finalists who managed to capture the magic of that exhibition through their lenses.
While the Oscars may be over, we still have our own prize to give out for “Best Picture”—a seat in the NYBG Adult Education Photography class of the winner’s choice. We will now deliberate over the past six rounds of weekly winners, and announce the Grand Prize Winners next Tuesday. So without further ado, we announce the winners of Best Photo in the Macro Category, and Best Photo in the Sense-of-Place Category. The envelope please…
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Posted in Photography on February 24 2014, by Lansing Moore
The fifth week of our Tropical Paradise Photo Contest has come to an end, and once again it is time to announce the talented winners. This week’s Macro submissions focused on our pricklier specimens, while those in the Sense-of-Place category demonstrated some dramatic lighting. It is a treat to see the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory through the eyes of our talented participants, and this weekend the space will be especially brilliant for The Orchid Show: Key West Contemporary! In fact, our winning shot of the Conservatory captures the romantic atmosphere guests should delight in at our upcoming Orchid Evenings.
While we may have said goodbye to Tropical Paradise in the Conservatory this past Sunday, there is still one more week to enter the Photo Contest. Simply upload your photos from the exhibition to our Flickr group—don’t forget the #tropicalparadise hashtag—before the final deadline at 6 p.m. this Friday, February 28. You can find more information on the Photo Contest rules page. In the meantime, click through to see this week’s winners and get the details on when our Grand Prize Winners will be crowned. With only one week left, it could still be you!
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Posted in Photography on February 24 2014, by Matt Newman
While Tropical Paradise has officially called it quits to make room for this Saturday’s opening of The Orchid Show: Key West Contemporary, our Tropical Paradise Photography Contest is still running for the remainder of this week. This Friday, February 28, is the last day that we’ll accept submissions before we close our doors for final deliberations, so be sure and get your photos up on our Flickr group before then!
In the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Programs and Events on February 21 2014, by Lansing Moore
This weekend we bid farewell to the Tropical Paradise exhibition, so this weekend is the last chance to enjoy all the tours, demonstrations, and samples surrounding this trip to the tropics. After Sunday, it won’t be long before the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory’s next stop in the Florida Keys for The Orchid Show: Key West Contemporary, opening Saturday, March 1.
In the meantime, make sure to bring your appetite when you join us at the Garden this weekend. In addition to the usual samples of coconut, vanilla, and banana available to smell and taste during Tropical Paradise, Saturday and Sunday mark the final days of this winter’s Culinary Kids Food Festival in the Dining Pavilion! From the Cheesemonger’s Shop to Spice Adventures, expect a world tour of science and nutrition with plenty of hands-on fun.
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Posted in Around the Garden, Gardens and Collections, Photography on February 18 2014, by Lansing Moore
It is time once again to announce another round of winners in our Tropical Paradise Photo Contest. We certainly hope you all enjoyed the long Presidents’ Day weekend in spite of the soggy weather. Appropriately enough, some of our best photographic entries this week captured the beauty of water. Of course, there is a world of difference between the warm mists of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and the ice covering the grounds.
If you’re looking to try your hand at photographing our permanent Conservatory collections, we’re now into week five of a total six judging windows to submit your work, so don’t wait long! Simply upload your photos of the Tropical Paradise exhibition currently in the Conservatory to our Flickr group (don’t forget the #tropicalparadise hashtag) before 6 p.m. on Friday, February 21, to be entered into this week’s judging. Until then, please enjoy the three winning photos in the Macro and Sense-of-Place categories, and stay dry out there!
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Posted in Programs and Events on February 14 2014, by Lansing Moore
In addition to the lively tours and guided walks taking place throughout the grounds, this weekend the Garden welcomes couples, friends, and singles alike for a romantic roster of Valentine’s Day events. After all, what says “be my Valentine” better than an effusion of flowers, and what are we if not the largest bouquet in the five boroughs?
This afternoon we’re featuring a special Valentine’s Day Tea Talk, where our own site history expert, Wayne Cahilly, will lead a lecture on the history of Valentine’s Day. Guests will enjoy tea, finger sandwiches, and sweets in our Garden Terrace Room while discovering the holiday’s fascinating origins.
This evening, February 14, is also the first Valentine’s Day Date at Tropical Paradise, with tickets rapidly disappearing. But even if you can’t get your registration in for tonight, there’s an additional Valentine’s Date taking place this Saturday night, February 15. You can find more information on these exclusive annual events, secure tickets, and more on our Tropical Paradise programming page!
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Posted in Photography on February 11 2014, by Lansing Moore
It is hard to believe that the time has come to announce the third round of winners in our Tropical Paradise Photo Contest. We are halfway through this six-week competition, with the fourth week beginning this past Saturday. But there’s still time to win! Simply upload your photos of the Tropical Paradise exhibition in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory to our Flickr group before the 6 p.m. deadline this Friday, February 14—Valentine’s Day—to be entered into this week’s judging. After all, we don’t want this contest cutting into any romantic plans you may have. Though if you don’t have any plans yet, may we recommend one of our Valentine’s Day Dates at Tropical Paradise?
The submissions have been very impressive thus far, and it took careful deliberation to choose the top three photos in the Macro and Sense-of-Place categories. We sympathized with the judges at Sochi in carefully weighing the qualities of each contender. So in honor of the Winter Olympics, here are our Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medalists for this week!
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Posted in Programs and Events on February 7 2014, by Lansing Moore
After this icy week, we’ve all earned some down time. Luckily the Garden has many opportunities to explore this weekend, both indoors and outdoors.
You can admire trees a hundred years old or a hundred feet high with Sunday’s Winter Plant & Tree Tour, or the many bird species roosting within them along a Saturday Bird Walk. Another tour will guide curious visitors through the historic heart of the Garden, our Beaux Arts Library Building. Completed in 1901, the LuEsther T. Mertz Library contains a rare collection of books and artifacts, and has been declared a New York City landmark along with the adjacent Tulip Tree Allée.
Away from the snow, Tropical Paradise continues to fill the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory with brilliant colors. Beyond what there is to see, this weekend’s tour groups will smell and feel samples of historically and culturally significant plants. This Saturday also marks the fourth week of our photography contest, so consider snapping a few shots during your visit. Each contestant will have a chance to win a certificate for one Adult Education photography course of your own choosing. There are two categories, Macro and Sense-of-Place. To better understand the nature of each category, feel free to admire our past entries. You will find more information in our photo contest rules.
Tropical vines, passion flowers, and all the warmth you have been missing during this unpredictable winter—everything is waiting for you at the Garden!
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Posted in Programs and Events on February 6 2014, by Taylor Viens
This Valentine’s Day, skip the usual dinner-and-roses routine and immerse yourself in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, a sultry escape from the winter chill if ever there was one! Inside, you’ll find Tropical Paradise in full swing with complimentary champagne and delectable chocolates setting the mood for the perfect night out.
Whether you come to stroll hand-in-hand with a loved one, learn about our permanent tropical collections, try some equatorial aphrodisiacs, or simply escape the frigid February weather, there’s a little something for everyone on these loveliest of evenings. Valentine’s Day Dates this February 14 and 15 at the Garden are sure to be a welcome change from your annual norm!
And for your little ones, our pals at Priceless NY present the MasterCard Budding Masters Chocolate workshop on Saturday, February 15. During this interactive experience, kids have a chance to learn all about the life of chocolate and vanilla—from cocoa seeds and beautiful orchids all the way up to their favorite treats. As amateur botanists for the day, they’ll study living cacao trees, put together a field notebook to record their discoveries, and (of course) sample some Mayan-inspired hot chocolate of their own.
This year, think about leaving the cut flowers at the bodega and opt for an entire rain forest of blooms instead. Tickets to our Valentine’s Day Dates are beginning to disappear, so register while you can!
