Inside The New York Botanical Garden
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on August 8 2013, by Matt Newman
Because I figured yesterday’s helping of lollipop-colored milkweed wasn’t enough for our collective visual appetite. Have some orange milkweed to start what I hope will be a lovely Thursday.
Asclepias tuberosa — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Science on August 7 2013, by NYBG Science
Scott A. Mori is the Nathaniel Lord Britton Curator of Botany at the The New York Botanical Garden. His research interests are the ecology, classification, and conservation of tropical rain forest trees. His most recent book is Tropical Plant Collecting: From the Field to the Internet.
Xavier Cornejo, a former Research Assistant at NYBG, is a curator of the GUAY Herbarium at the University of Guayaquil, Ecuador. His main research interests are the taxonomy of Neotropical Capparaceae and the conservation of mangroves and terra firme forests in western Ecuador.
Each year the Institute for Species Exploration of Arizona State University selects 10 species from among the estimated 18,000 new species of plants, animals, or fungi as the most interesting published in the previous year. In 2012, 140 species were nominated and only two of those selected were flowering plants—a miniature violet named Viola liliputana from the Peruvian Andes, and a species of the Myrtle family, Eugenia petrikensis from Madagascar.
We are especially pleased to see the violet selected because we know both of the authors: Harvey Ballard, now an Associate Professor at Ohio University, and Hugh H. Iltis, former Director of the Herbarium of the University of Wisconsin and research mentor to our research and Ballard’s alike. Hugh collected this spectacular violet nearly 50 years ago and was so impressed by the miniature high Andean plant that he took copious notes about the species, which was published in Brittonia by Springer for The New York Botanical Garden. We take this opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of Hugh Iltis in conservation and botanical science, and to thank him for the role that he has played in our careers.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on August 7 2013, by Matt Newman
Purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens) — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Programs and Events on August 6 2013, by Jennifer Caplan
Jennifer Caplan is an intern for the NYBG Greenmarket this summer season. She is an environmental studies and international affairs double major at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. She is interested in gardening and cooking the fruits and vegetables purchased at the NYBG Greenmarket and her local market.
The New York Botanical Garden Greenmarket is in full swing this summer! The weather has been incredibly hot until recently, but that hasn’t stopped the farmers and the patrons from coming to the market, showing how important local food and healthy living is to the Bronx community. Each week, vendors and farmers come together under white tents at the base of Tulip Tree Allée, each excited to share their fresh-picked produce and delicious baked goods with the local community.
Every week at the market is a surprise! For months people had been waiting for those ruby red tomatoes to come in. Then one day they finally arrived at the market in all different shades and sizes, and they stay in season until September. Last week Migliorelli Farm showed up with cantaloupe—something no one was expecting! It is obvious that Mother Nature is the one who decides what produce will be coming in each week. SPOILER ALERT: Fingerling potatoes should be coming in soon!
Posted in Gardening Tips on August 6 2013, by Sonia Uyterhoeven
Sonia Uyterhoeven is the NYBG‘s Gardener for Public Education
Last weekend I spent my Saturday and Sunday in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory teaching water lilies. We have two pools located in the side courtyards of the Conservatory. The pool on the right contains hardy water lilies while the pool on the left contains tropical water lilies. These pools mirror the structure inside the Conservatory, where the temperate houses are on the right and the tropical houses are located on the left.
The concrete pools are surrounded by glazed bricks, and the interior mechanics are made up of more bricks and cinderblocks used to elevate the water lily containers. A pump oxygenates the water and maintains a slight circulation to help deter mosquitoes, while the koi join in to help keep the water features bug free.
Water lilies prefer their pots to be wide rather than deep to accommodate maximum growth. Containers specifically designed for water lilies are generally 12-20 inches in diameter and 8-10 inches deep, as the size of the pot can have an influence on the size of the water lily. A smaller pot will restrict the growth of the water lily (in small pond situations this might be an asset) and a larger pot will give it more space to grow.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on August 6 2013, by Matt Newman
Kodai Nakazawa’s tools are as integral to his work as the know-how he puts behind them. Last week, I teased his efforts in the Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections as the return of a Garden favorite. And those who chimed in were right—Kiku is coming! We’ll have more for you in the coming weeks as we draw nearer to this meticulously prepared Japanese chrysanthemum exhibition.
If you appreciate the implements of a specialized artform as much as I do, you’ll understand why these leaf cutters—with their subtle dimensional differences—are so fascinating.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Gardens and Collections on August 5 2013, by Matt Newman
Because it’s an absurdly beautiful day, but also a Monday (we’re not open to the public most Mondays—our horticulturists need space and safety to work on weekly sprucing-up), I figured I’d throw together a little teaser for anyone planning to pay us a visit this week. The Native Plant Garden in particular is dancing in the middle distance between wild and dapper, and the effect is one of natural improvisation.
Our NPG horticulturists like to say that the space bleeds from one biome into the next—that plants and colors are painted in swathes and mingle at the edges, dry forest melting into wet forest, meadow phasing into wetland. There’s so much to see growing in the Native Plant Garden in midsummer, and all of it wrapped up together in a subtly but carefully curated space. It’s utopian in the best way.
[Not a valid template]The Native Plant Garden is an absolute must-see all year round, but whether or not this picturesque weather keeps up through the rest of the week, it’s still your one-stop shop for peace of mind. That’s what the benches are for, after all.
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on August 5 2013, by Matt Newman
Sabatia kennedyana — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on August 4 2013, by Matt Newman
Lilium philadelphicum — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on August 3 2013, by Matt Newman
Seeing the ferns in the Azalea Garden always reminds me of Dr. Oliver Sacks’ book, Oaxaca Journal. His descriptions of these delicate, prehistoric plants put me in mind of ancient forests, and the shade of deep, unbroken green so antithetical to stressing out.
Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen