Sure, the first things you think of when hawks come to mind are probably hooked talons, beaks, and stealthy swoops on unsuspecting (and occasionally adorable) rodents. But beneath their noble profiles and well-earned heritage as the monarchs of the sky (sorry, butterflies), even our Red-tailed Hawks have moments of awkward indignation that border on the cute and fluffy. Bath time in particular—with all its flopping and splashing about—is usually cause for giggles. And lucky for us, this often takes place in the Fountain of Life just outside our offices in the Library Building.
Our resident hawk aficionado and Visitor Services Attendant, Pat Gonzalez, happened to be outside filming one of the local hawks as it fed, dodged resentful bluejays, and washed off the day’s exertions. I’ve bumped the video forward to the most comical bit, but you can catch the rest by dragging the cursor to the beginning.
Let’s just say it’s not your everyday cubicle. The grids of Victorian glass and arching metal framework make for a view you’ll never find behind drawstring blinds. Come to think of it, desktop computers have a rough time with the falling mist in the rain forest houses, too. But as Manager of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, Christian Primeau’s workspace is as much an office as yours or mine. Just bigger, brighter, and more…flush with growing life. For our part, we make do in the Library Building with a potted basil plant, and one or two ferns to hold down the window sill. But that’s not to say a novelty cactus is your last hope for office decor!
Instead, take a hint from the Tumblr crowd’s fascination with these living bubbles and get involved with terrariums; it’s like having a mini conservatory sitting on your desk, and you don’t even have to get a permit to run hose attachments into the building.
We’re now into weeks three and four of this year’s Holiday Train Show, and as you’d expect, we can’t help but gather momentum from here on out! Thousands of fans have already toured this year’s exhibition, walking the paths between dozens of nostalgic miniatures and beneath the many bridges recreated by Paul Busse and his team at Applied Imagination. The crowds are certainly growing as we get into the December holidays, so you may want to consider grabbing up tickets sooner rather than later. But there’s more to the season than what you see under the glass of the Conservatory, as Kevin Character explains below.
Nothing drives home the sheer enormity of our latest exhibition, Manolo Valdés:Monumental Sculpture, like seeing it built from the ground up. Over the course of two weeks, dozens of people and at least a few multi-ton machines were on the scene to put the final strokes on a work many, many months in the making. Naturally, we couldn’t pass up capturing some video.
From the first sketch put to paper in Valdés’ Manhattan studio, to the foundry in Madrid, and back across the 4,000 miles separating Spain and New York City, this production has proven nothing short of a massive undertaking. Carrying the collection of sculptures from the docks required a fleet of seven flatbed trucks. Once at the Garden, towering cranes were called in, gingerly rolling onto our lawns to settle each piece into its chosen site. And at 50 feet across and weighing nearly 20 tons, shipping any one of these sculptures as a single piece was out of the question; assembly called for even more precision cranework, with muscle on the ground to ensure everything was arranged to specification.
As NYBG horticulturists preen the nasturtiums and primp the poppies, we draw closer to the opening of the year’s most spectacular exhibition. Monet’s Garden goes live this weekend! And just in time for our grand opening, we’re putting the finishing accents on the scenery that makes Monet’s Giverny a destination for gardeners and art aficionados the world over.
Karen Daubmann, Director of Exhibitions and Seasonal Displays, gives us a rare peek at the behind-the-scenes efforts taking place under the glass of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. But by the time you visit the NYBG on Saturday, what you see below will have come a long way. Claude Monet’s garden has always bridged the gap between untamed art and flawless design; we think you’ll see that our homage is taking things in the right direction.
Creating a masterpiece takes more than simple inspiration. It requires preparation–arranging each color and readying the canvas. And as with a painting, Monet’s Garden at the NYBG is a work of art with as much going on behind the scenes as happens in the open.
Marc Hachadourian, Manager of the Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections, takes us through the expansive collection of delphiniums, poppies, nasturtiums and other flowers that will soon embody our homage to Claude Monet’s garden at Giverny. Months of careful tending in specialized growing environments have allowed us to tease the flowers into bloom all at once, re-creating the artist’s living muse at its kaleidoscopic peak. But you won’t have to wait that long to see them.
If you haven’t reserved your tickets yet, get to our ticket page! The doors to the French master’s private paradise open to New York on May 19.
To punctuate the beauty of the tenth annual Orchid Show with a glimpse of the prismatic flower pageant taking place outdoors, Friend of the Garden Jim Franco was generous enough to share some of his latest video footage with us. The man clearly has a knack for capturing just what it is that embodies the perfect spring day (and I can say without question that today is one of those days–the packed tour trams are a pretty good indicator if the blue skies aren’t enough).
There are so many flowers bursting to life throughout the Garden that we’re almost having trouble keeping track of them all. But that’s our job. All you have to do is show up, explore, and take in spring’s colors.
The 10th annual Orchid Show may be the most alluring exhibition in the northeast, but the vivid, climbing blooms under the glass of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory are surely complemented by the stunning landscape just beyond the doors. Arriving weeks earlier than expected, a new season is sweeping across The New York Botanical Garden, waking the sublime flowers and foliage that make spring in the Bronx the most memorable time to visit!
Join NYBG President Gregory Long as he tours the grounds, stopping in to see the jewel-like miniature orchids and tropical jade vines of the Conservatory before setting out across a Garden in colorful transformation. You won’t believe how quickly our outdoor collections have burst into life with the first hints of warm weather. From the soft white petals of the Kobus magnolia to the delightful fragrances of the Rock Garden‘s petite blossoms, The New York Botanical Garden’s season of renewal is already well underway.
The Garden’s many diverse landscapes will only grow more dazzling as we move further into this early spring. If you haven’t already picked up your tickets for the Orchid Show, be sure to reserve them soon. And when the day comes, feel free to explore! The beauty of New York City is here.
In case you hadn’t heard, the Garden offers a range of audio tours providing additional insights into our collections and exhibitions, as well as information about horticulture and the research initiatives going on here and across the world. Recently we told you about our partnership with the National Book Foundation and the Poetry Society of America, a collaboration undertaken to add a literary element to our tours.
Sure, the first things you think of when hawks come to mind are probably hooked talons, beaks, and stealthy swoops on unsuspecting (and occasionally adorable) rodents. But beneath their noble profiles and well-earned heritage as the monarchs of the sky (sorry, butterflies), even our Red-tailed Hawks have moments of awkward indignation that border on the cute and fluffy. Bath time in particular—with all its flopping and splashing about—is usually cause for giggles. And lucky for us, this often takes place in the Fountain of Life just outside our offices in the Library Building.
