Showing posts with label wave hill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wave hill. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Tribute to Garden and Horticulture icon Frank Cabot


Frank Cabot’s spirit and genius will remain forever among all those who love and admire and respect plants.



Mr. Cabot left this world November 21, 2011 and, as I Tweeted at that time, Mr. Cabot surely took a garden journey to “The Greater Perfection.”

It took three-plus extraordinary horticultural institutions to honor the always larger than life, icon of all things horticultural: Frank Cabot.

On Monday, April 30, 2012, The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) and Wave Hill co-hosted, a The Garden Conservancy tribute to Cabot.

The private memorial was held at NYBG, filling the Arthur and Janet Ross lecture hall with friends, family, and admirers of this great friend of gardens. 

The guests from Manhattan, were already greeting one another and chatting breezily on the train up to NYBG and the walk to the Garden on the impossibly clear and warm afternoon for the reflection on Cabot’s “new way of thinking about gardens in America.”

In the foyer, guests were checked in quickly; Frank’s books and the “Les Quatre Vents” DVD were available for sale.  There was continued happy hellos and seating courtesies, and soon, Envisioning a Greater Perfection was underway.

Antonia Adezio, President of The Garden Conservancy, the institution Cabot founded at the suggestion of his wife, Anne, welcomed the guests to the tribute and introduced Gregory Long, president of NYBG who welcomed all to the Garden and spoke a bit about Cabot’s contribution to NYBG and to horticulture.
Antonia Adezio, President of the Garden Conservancy opens the Frank Cabot tribute

Angela Lansbury, a friend of Anne’s from childhood and an honorary chair, the Garden Conservancy, spoke next.  

Angela Lansbury pays tribute to Cabot

She told us she was on that first garden visit to the The Ruth Bancroft Garden with the Cabots. This was the seminal moment, we were told, when Cabot lamented how sad and regrettable it would be to lose an extant garden like the Bancroft. 
Cabot & Lansbury were garden friends
Anne Cabot chided him to do something about it and to the endless gratitude of garden lovers, he did.  The Garden Conservancy was launched.  And with a garden angel like Cabot winging the organization’s development and inspiration, there was no doubt it would be a success.  

Envisioning a Greater Perfection
The Garden Conservancy Tribute to Frank Cabot was a 90-minute reflection presented by leading horticulturists, friends and family, followed by a wine reception in the Garden Terrace Room.

The guests were each given a lovely program with the day’s agenda plus quotes from other garden enthusiasts and luminaries including Mac Griswold and Paula Deitz.  The program is a very nice remembrance and a collectable.

Barbara Paul Robinson spoke after Ms. Lansbury. An attorney by profession, Robinson worked for Penelope Hobhouse, the National Trust and Rosemary Verey, and her book on Verey is due out shortly: Rosemary Verey: The Life and Lessons of a Legendary Gardener
Robinson also pointed out that Verey bequeathed her garden design plans to NYBG.  What a coup.  Lobbying of a sort was launched by her suggestion that the Garden install a Verey garden design for the public to experience and learn from.  Got my vote.

Robinson described how both Verey and Hobhouse admired and adored Cabot.
Hobhouse just wasn’t able to make the trip from England, so Robinson read the letter the garden legend wrote for Hortus magazine that honored Cabot and his garden vision.  She noted how Frank seemed like an immortal. His design sense and plant knowledge were on full display at Les Jardins de Quatre Vents Quatre Vents

She wrote about what she considered his most ambitious private garden construction since World War II and how it could be a dangerous drive with Frank when plants were on his mind, penning, “He almost worshipped plants.”

The next five speakers are all plants-people and spoke of their relationship to Cabot, “painting a picture of Frank in the firmament of plants and horticulture.”

Dan Hinkley
Dan Hinkley, founder of Heronswood Nursery the much-loved and respected Washington State plant nursery spoke first. 
Hinkley quoted T. Robbins, “Passion is the genesis of genius” paraphrasing, he said, to his North Michigan lexicon to mean, “Go big, or go home!”

In soft and frequent emotional tones, Hinkley described meeting Cabot at his home garden, Stonecrop, and how that visit permanently determined his future. 
Cabot evidenced a passion for the “wants and needs of the plants vs. the garden,” he explained.
Hinkley said his back grew weary carrying forth Cabot and his Les Quatre Vents inspiration….
“And no singing frogs at Heronswood, though” he said to more laughter.
Hinkley shared a touching insight into Cabot’s passion for plants; telling a story about walking in a cool Japanese ravine, filled with lilies and primrose.  “Frank stooped to pick one flower, held aloft to admire the sepal, design and fragrance. 
“He was alone in the moment – seeing the universe in that moment. It is a moment of a true plantsman and showed his passion for life.” Hinkley said.

Marco Polo Stufano, founding director of horticulture at Wave Hill, a hobbit of a gardener, happily fuddled with his slides, the mere presence of which made him an anachronism, he laughed.
Stufano declared, “Gardening is one of the fine arts.”
He told his Cabot garden stories in pictures and spoke glowingly of Cabot’s dedication to enduring design.
“He painted a garden with living materials,” said Stufano.
Good garden design is filled with repeated failure, he offered to much head-nodding. “Good gardeners kill plants,” he added.  Gardens are trial and error, and plans must be thought of in decades not immediate gratification.  The enjoyment of creating a garden is the point of it all…

Stufano showed a number of the Garden Conservancy’s garden network, including Peckerwood Garden


Burgess showing Cabot working at Stonecrop
Caroline Burgess, director of Stonecrop Gardens, once the home of Anne and Frank Cabot, but since 1992, a public garden and a school of practical horticulture under Burgess’ leadership.  

A British national, Burgess provided the most fun and intimate profile of Cabot, starting with how she placed a phone call – from one of those red London phone booths, I imagine, saying Rosemary suggested she contact Frank for help networking a job at Wave Hill -- He has connections,” she told Burgess.
He could possibly help getting her work in the States. 
Burgess worked up the courage, and with a few coins, placed the call to Mr. Cabooo, she said in her high-pitched Downton Abbey high tea voice. 
With all the juggling of the phone on Cabot’s end, she was soon running out of money.
Just in time, Cabot said, “Give me your number. I will call you back,” he commanded.  Then said, “And FYI, in America, we say CaboT,” she mimicked, emphasizing the “T.”
Cabot added, “But please call me Frank.” 
The audience roared with laughter.

When she picked up the receiver for the return call from Cabot, he told her to forget Wave Hill and come to work directly for him at the their home estate, Stonecrop garden. 
She did.

She described that the Cabot estate was being nurtured by Frank and Anne who had taken an adult education course at NYBG, titled, “How to Improve Your Yard.”
She paused for emphasis and sent the guests into much endearing laughter for the sheer charm of that anecdote.
She added, “Obviously, that was quite a good course!” sending the audience back into peals of laughter.
Burgess related examples of Cabot’s kindness, plant knowledge, and hort networking. “He was a genius at placing people – and plans, “ she said.

Over the years, he wrote her countless letters of support and inspiration.
She cited one delightful letter in particular when he wrote her early on to encourage her to move to New York, quoting a 1909 song that preached, “Heaven will protect the working girl!”
It gave her confidence, she smiled. 

I think there is a book waiting to be written with these letters into the heart and mind of the relationship between Burgess and Cabot and the gardens.

“Frank was a jokester, a comedian and a great cook,” she noted, launching into a story about his winning a Blue Ribbon at a local plant show for his dead plant, vomitas Rigormatis!”   The guests roared with laughter at this one.

“He was so good at so many things and we are most fortunate he chose plants as his overarching passion,” she concluded while showing images of some of Cabot’s favorite plants including double hepatica and the blue poppies.  

Dick Lighty, founding director of Mt.Cuba Center began his advocacy-themed tribute to Cabot with a Disraeli quote about the man and the time to get things done, that served as a context for Cabot’s personal character and traits that made him so successful.
Dick Lighty

“Frank believed in public gardens and served on many boards and offered his support to help the gardens achieve stewardship,” said Lighty. “He was a sought-after speaker on this topic.”

Frank was the epitome of the gentleman gardener, noted Lighty.

Colin Cabot, chairman, Stonecrop Gardens, and son of Frank and Anne Cabot was the last speaker of the day, and provided a robust, rousing tribute and a few fun reflections, all delivered in a theatrical and poignant way.  Colin looks like the quintessential prep school lad and full of spunk and style. 
Colin Cabot
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. 

Colin began with a quote from “Candide” to reference Les Quartre Vents and the idea of  maintaining gardens.  Saying, “Voltaire agreed, ‘Let us cultivate our gardens’ We too must take care of this earth,” Colin said.

“Frank had a visceral response to plants,” Colin observed.
“He could weep at their beauty and ephemeral quality.”

“This passion could also lead to botanical excess,” Colin remarked. And then he told the story about how the New Zealand Cabot home came about after Frank saw plants he loved it was suggested he visit the island nation.  “A common suggestion can take a permanent life change when it came to Frank…”

Colin also told how his father insisted on preparing the soil and digging in for a row of thuja hedge plantings, evidencing patience and practicality in his quest for perfection.

On a humorous aside, Colin noted how all their dogs were named after single malt scotches, Dalwhinnie being a favorite (mine too J  Not the dog, but the scotch.)

When he and his father took overnight plant explorations, Frank was known to bring a rasher of bacon, cast iron pans and a bottle or two of wine and scotch, to be enjoyed during cocktail hour, thus achieving a gastronomic and artistic level of perfection!

Colin completed his prideful reflection of garden love with a few pronouncements that are sure to keep
Frank Cabot’s vision alive:
·      To respect the vision
·      To inherent the legacy
·      To inhabit – to get to know the land
·      To invest in the gardens well-being (I won’t ask for a check today – but “Just you wait,” he bellowed affectionately.
·      To interpret – to keep the gardens in good hands

Antonia thanked everyone.
Todd Forrest, vice president of Horticulture at NYBG invited everyone to take advantage of the peak blooms in the Azalea Garden before heading to the wine reception in the Garden Terrace Room.

I scooted over.

It was a perfection that Frank would have loved. 
The garden was brilliant: the colors, the planting, and the chirp of chipmunks and birds were otherworldly.

The reception was lighthearted and gave the guests a chance to share garden stories about Frank Cabot and springtime, renewal tales. 
Susan Cohen, Landscape Architect, Coordinator of NYBG Landscape Design program














Garden Author extraordinaire, Ken Druse (L) Latest is gorgeous & practical, "Natural Companions"

HSNY's brilliant director, George Pisegna, (L) & Nathan Lamb, Stonecrop manager













Garden writer Elizabeth Barlow Rogers (L) & curator & author, Magda Salvesen















Following the reception, the bus was filled to take guests to Wave Hill for a private a garden re-dedication ceremony in honor of Frank Cabot.

Note: I have a priceless photograph of Mr. Cabot and me from an NYBG event that, initially, I was a bit reticent to share. However after telling the story about it with Colin at the reception, I think it will be just fine. 
All good fun. Up next…



Thursday, January 26, 2012

Wave Hill Garden Kicks Off Horticultural Lecture Series with Larry J. Wente & Country Life: Integrating Architecture & Landscape Design


This was the inaugural horticulture lecture of the new year/new season: (Beat out NYBG by about half a day…)

It was a fitting kick-off, too. 
Wave Hill bills the much anticipated Horticultural Lectures as “Architectural and Garden Design: Three Perspectives.”

The first guest speaker, Larry J. Wente, is a quiet, persistent gardener and architect.   
The expansive gardens for his country home, which is essentially an estate in my humble opinion, embraced years of dedicated planning and artful landscape design.
The property is 41 acres, and while he clearly is passionate about his gardens and the intimate, detailed planning he poured his life into for every garden room, he said, “It had to end sometime!”

From a lecture review standpoint, Wente’s presentation was a good mix of “before” and “after” gardening magic. 
He took the audience on a garden tour that spanned a decades-long timeline and virtual tour around the estate -- and from blueprint layout to finished garden room – in a mix of seasons.  
The preview was almost better than an on-site tour, allowing the audience to see the expanse of the garden rooms, vistas and maturation of plant material over time and place. 
OK, we didn’t get to experience heady fragrance or feel the brush of the grasses or see the sun set across the fields.  No. We weren’t seduced by any of those garden art come-hither flirtations. But then again, we did didn’t linger. And we learned a lot.

Wave Hill wrote “His Dutchess County property, where the integration of a barn-like home with the surrounding farmland and meadows intentionally blurs the line between house and garden, is a favorite on Garden Conservancy Open Days.” 
We could readily see why.
This garden is a jewel – it’s been lovingly crafted and tended over time, with the plants and the design leading Wente’s aesthetics to integrate a garden for all seasons with the architecture. Like two peas in a pod or two sides of the same coin or…
Well, some garden lovers don’t get this integration concept. 
Sometimes it seems everyone wants an English garden.  As if nothing else existed or was possible. So it was satisfying to learn how a master accomplished this feat of fusion.

Also, Wente seems so special because unlike many architects I’ve encountered, he clearly Loves plants!
You can see it in his exuberant display gardens and the great variety of plants and plant textures and structures. 
He quoted the beloved New York City public garden designer, Lynden Miller, from her book, “Parks, Plants & People: ”Beautifying the Urban Landscape” http://tiny.cc/fc60i, saying he too believes good garden design is “painting with plants.” Lynden smiled from the audience. 

He showed inspiring use of color.  
Besides the color combinations of the blooms in full blossom and the mix in the perennial borders, he showed a lovely end of season garden palette when the colors transition from blue to purple to grey.  He mixes with yellow for contrast. 


He says he abandoned his original color scheme for the pool garden and instead followed his color aesthetic. The use of Japanese red blood grass punctuates the garden and acts as an accent in the gold and bronze-colored plant garden there.   

Most outstanding is how he made the blue solar panels integrate into a garden design with the use of contrasting red poppies. Brilliant!  

















Wente noted many of his garden “rooms” have been featured in Martha Stewart Living magazine. He pointed out a few times that he and his partner’s curious tuteurs –  rather large-sized, bold silver creations that were paced among the giant alliums -- were omitted by the MSL photography team. “They seemed to think they were a bit tacky,” he grinned.    

He went on to point out his influences, including the Spanish landscape designer, Fernando Caruncho, best known for his minimalist and classic garden design and use of light and shadow.
Here is a recent article written by my amazing garden friend, Donna Dorian.  I think she is something of a Caruncho expert, having lectured and written about this masterful designer on more than a few occasions: http://www.elledecor.com/decorating/articles/earthly-delights

Wente introduced a vertical design element in his gardens to create mystery -- taking inspiration from the Italian gardens he visited.   

He also substitutes natives to achieve a look. For example, Wente can’t do olive and cypress trees, but he can do apple and spirea. “It’s a different feel but essentially the same style and look,” he added.



He also showed a great use of bamboo in pots.  


He uses a fair amount of grasses, especially the Karl Foerster grasses because of the all-season color and texture and contribution to pollinators in the winter months.  
The textured view of apple trees is ethereal.
The images elicited a soft wave of “Ohhhs.”
The gardens boast a great variety of plant material, including perennials and grasses  - -Wente says he loves to see them blowing in the wind.  (Don’t even think about Dylan here.)

He employs turf grass walkways frequently throughout the garden because it’s cool on the feet.  Nice. One doesn’t always need pavers or gravel or stones.

As a successful architect in the design firm, Gertler & Wente Architects, LLP, it’s not a surprise to see how Wente made excellent use of designing gardens on the axis.
The pool garden, for example, has an axis point to the pool house so that the view slows the walking there.  
In another place, the use of a large blue pot at the end of an arbor walkway acts as a designed focal point. 
Wente knows how to draw the eye.
And the heart.

Wente concluded his garden tour and lecture by including images of family and friends IN the garden.  Silly how this is rarely if ever done at presentations, now that I think about it.   
Wente narrated the portfolio of family members delighted to be in the garden.  “The best thing about having a garden is to have people in the garden.  Look at my granddaughter – she looks like something out of a Sargent painting,” he beamed.   His partner Jack and their families could be seen enjoying and embracing the beauty of the gardens.  





   







Wente quickly showed two of his clients’ design projects.  There was an intriguing Hudson River green roof cover that screened the home for the neighbor’s house up above.  The green roof allowed an un-interrupted view for the neighbor and an energy-efficient, beautiful roof alternative for his client.  Nice neighbor to have…  
He also showed a modern, mid-century take on a courtyard garden that opened up the space to draw the eye to a reverse side valley view.  

The last garden design example was another one near the Hudson River. The house and garden was appointed with waterfalls, and water features to create a fairyland of a “natural” garden.

There was a two question Q&A, the most salient one asked:   
How do you manage the maintenance? Larry smiled.  “We have a woman - with help. Otherwise, Jack and I used to do it all.” Wow.  That’s garden love and commitment. 

Audience guests were keen to say hello to each other after the Holidays so there was the post-lecture hugs and kisses and catching up.  Our little group went across the street for some delicious seafood dinners, wine and some garden catching up of our own. 
A perfect evening for garden lovers.

From a Duchess to a Queen! 
I am very much looking forward to the next Wave Hill lecture: February 22 with Rosemary Verey: Queen Of Horticulture.  http://www.wavehill.org





Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Holiday Garden Calendar of Events

Garden Calendar of Events in around Gotham:

Horticultural Society of New York - HSNY

Wednesday, December 8
New York City Gardens
A talk with Betsy Pinover Schiff

Leave the pavement behind and enjoy thirty of New York's most outstanding gardens including luxurious roof gardens and private courtyard oases in this illustrated presentation by photographer Betsy Pinover Schiff. Her new book, written with Veronika Hofer, features gardens designed by noted landscape architects (Hideo Sasaki, Ken Smith and Halstead Wells) and some very talented home owners. Sam Roberts of The New York Times writes: "Readers get rare, lush glimpses" of city gardens in this "ambrosial paean to public and private spaces." A book signing will follow.

Doors open at 6pm; Talk starts promptly at 6:30
Hort Members $10; Non-members $20
REGISTER ONLINE or call (212) 757-0915 x100

Thursday, December 9
Contemporary Heirlooms
Art from the Hudson Valley Seed Library

On view December 9 – 23, 2010

Opening Reception
Thursday, December 9, from 6:30 to 8:00pm
Free and open to the public.
Reception sponsored by Tuthilltown Spirits.

The exhibition showcases for the first time in New York City original artworks commissioned by the Hudson Valley Seed Library for their unique Art Pack seed collection. Each season, the Seed Library looks for a diverse range of artists to interpret the herbs, flowers and vegetables from their catalog for the designs of their seed packets. The focus this year was on the heirloom varieties currently available through the Seed Library. All sixteen artworks from the 2011 collection will be on view. Drawing from a range of different styles, materials, and experience, Contemporary Heirlooms includes works in a variety of mediums, including collage, encaustics, oil, ink, watercolor and digital art by a diverse selection of artists. The diversity of the artwork and artists chosen is meant to reflect the genetic and cultural diversity of the varieties offered by the Seed Library.

Preview Party & Exhibition Walkthrough
Join us for an intimate reception with local hors d'oeuvres from Katchkie Farm and Great Performances and drinks from Hudson Real American Whiskeys.
A talk and guided tour of the exhibition will be led by Ken Greene, co-founder of the Hudson Valley Seed Library.

Thursday, December 9th, 5:00 to 6:30pm
Hort and Seed Library members $10;
Non-members $20 online, $25 at door
Purchase tickets online or call 212-757-0915 x121

Thursday, December 16
A Tribute to Mark Lewis
The Natural History of the Chicken and
Cane Toads: An Unnatural History

Unlike many other producers of nature films, Mark Lewis makes films that do not attempt to document the animals in question or their behaviors, but rather the complex relationships between people, society and the animals they interact with. We have chosen two such films that both endear and edify us to the human/animal condition. Join us for a double feature screening of The Natural History of the Chicken and Cane Toads: An Unnatural History.

The Natural History of the Chicken
The humble chicken finally gets the big-screen tribute it so richly deserves in this documentary, which offers an inside look at America's $40 billion a year poultry industry, while also casting a gently humorous eye on domesticated chickens and the people who care for them.

Cane Toads: An Unnatural History
Cane toads - Bufo marinus, natives of central America - were imported by the sack-load to Australia in 1935 in an attempt to rid the country of the Greyback beetle, which was rapidly destroying the sugarcane crop. The cane toads adapted beautifully to their new surroundings. Problem was, the beetle could fly and the cane toad couldn't. What the cane toad is unusually proficient at, however, is making more cane toads - thousands upon thousands more. Cane Toads: An Unnatural History tells the story of this amphibious assault - warts and all. Join us for the screening of this cult classic.
Doors open at 6pm; Film starts promptly at 6:30
Holiday Special: FREE admission

Wave Hill Garden

Gather your loved ones and celebrate the season at Wave hill! Drop by this weekend to create your own gifts and holiday decorations inspired by the gardens and galleries at Wave Hill. Children eight and older welcome with an adult. Registration not required. First come, first served while supplies last. 11AM—3PM
Amaryllis Gift Pot
Pot up a bulb in a terracotta pot, cover it with a saucer and decorate the "kit" for a beautiful, unique and environmentally friendly gift. $15 Member/$20 Non-member per project.
Natural Wreaths and Swags
Create one-of-a-kind holiday decorations using fresh greens harvested from Wave Hill's extensive gardens. Each participant designs a verdant wreath or swag accented with natural materials and elegant accessories. $25 Member/$30 Non-member per project.
Felted Soaps 
Artist Teresa Berger guides you through the process of creating a felted bar of soap. Roll up your sleeves and practice the art of felting—bonding and shrinking the fibers using water, heat and agitation. $9 Member/$12 Non-member per project.

Nature in the Garden: Discovery Walks
SUNDAYS, DECEMBER 12, 26, JANUARY 9, 23, FEBRUARY 13, 27   
Explore Wave Hill’s woodlands and gardens and discover the world of insects, trees,
birds and their fascinating habitats on these naturalist-led walks, offered jointly by
Wave Hill and NYC Audubon. Ideal for ages five and up and their curious adult companions. Light rain, snow or shine, so dress for the weather!
Free for Wave Hill
Members/$5 Non-members. Free for NYC Audubon Members
with two-for-one admission to the grounds. Registration recommended, at
www.wavehill.org, by calling 718.549.3200 x305 or at the Perkins Visitor Center
when you next visit.  Severe weather cancels. Call 718.549.3200 x245 by 8AM, day of,
for weather-related updates. 9:30–11:30AM

Horticulture Lecture Series
Wednesday, January 19, John A. Gwynne, a Harvard-trained landscape architect with a long career at the Wildlife Conservation Society, and Mikel Folcarelli, a sculptor with a fine arts degree from Rhode Island School of Design and now global head of visual identity for Façonnable,trace the stages in developing their own garden in coastal Rhode Island, beginning with fiendish plant collecting, then designing the space and learning to better grow plants there and now starting to develop a wild meadow garden with native flora.

Wednesday, February 23, Potter Frances Palmer discusses her work, her process and how botanical interests influence the classic, one-of-a-kind vases and bowls that she hand-throws for a wide array of clients, each piece a perfect vessel for the myriad dahlias and other flowers lovingly grown in the spectacular, organic cutting garden adjacent to her sunny, windowed studio.

Wednesday, March 16, Margaret Roach, until three years ago EVP/Editorial Director of Martha Stewart, settled upstate, fulfilling a craving for solitude, a daily connection to nature and her first passion, the weekend garden she’d nurtured for 20 years. Her blog AWay to Garden.com has been called the best garden blog by The New York Times.

Order online or call. This is a great series!  http://tiny.cc/u0xw5


Full a full December Wave Hill calendar: http://tiny.cc/hukdq

Longwood Gardens

The holidays shine like never before. Imagine half a million brilliant lights strung with over 39 miles of cord.
Lit trees the soar 75 feet, dancing fountains that reach the sky:
Throughout the Christmas season, beginning November 25, dancing fountain shows are set to holiday music once every hour from 10:00 am–4:00 pm. From 5:00–9:00 pm, shows run frequently, with 2-5 minute delay between each show (weather permitting). The shows illuminate the night with vibrant colors and a glittering backdrop of snowflakes. 
And a 4.5-acre heated indoor Conservatory, featuring a giant Art Nouveau tapestry made from pink poinsettias and ferns, and the richest floral displays imaginable.
A Longwood Christmas is a celebration months in the making—with hundreds of amaryllis, cyclamen, narcissus and literally thousands of poinsettias.
And if all the must-sees aren't enough, there is plenty of must-hears, too—with special performances throughout the holidays.
Holiday music performances every day.
http://www.longwoodgardens.org/2010HolidayPerformances.html
Horticultural highlights this season:General Indoor Highlights 
Amaryllis
Begonias
Calla-lily (Zantedeschia)
Coleus (Solenostemon)
Cyclamen coum (Cyclamencoum)
Euphorbias
Heaths (Erica)
Heathers (Calluna)
Lilies
Narcissus
Orchids
Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima)
Primroses (Primula)
Red Stem Dogwoods (Cornus stolonifera)
Roses
Winterberry Hollies (Ilex verticillata)

General Outdoor Highlights 
Topiaries
Conifers

The New York Botanical Garden

The Train Show, The Train Show, The Train Show! 
Not to be missed! This traditional display is as much a part of the New York Holidays as the tree in Rockefeller Center.  Plus every year there are new, incredible New York building icons to astonish!

Conservatory Exhibition

Saturday, November 20, 2010, through Sunday, January 9, 2011
The Holiday Train Show in The New York Botanical Garden’s Victorian-style Conservatory beckons visitors to enter a magical world under glass brimming with history and enchantment. Experience the wonder of large-gauge model trains and trolleys wending their way past more than 100 replicas of New
York landmarks, including the original Penn Station and Yankee Stadium, Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, and Radio City Music Hall—all created from plant materials such as bark, moss, twigs, berries, and pine cones. Debuting in the 19th edition of this favorite family outing is a re-creation of Eero Saarinen’s icon of modern design, the Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight Center at JFK International Airport.

Everett Children’s Adventure Garden Program
Gingerbread Adventures

Saturday, November 20, 2010, through Sunday, January 9, 2011
Vibrant vignettes of a gingerbread town deck the halls of the Discovery Center, where children smell, touch, taste, and view under a microscope the spices and other plant ingredients that go into a classic gingerbread recipe. A gingerbread jazz band, ice skaters, and a farmer are among the colorful characters providing a festive atmosphere as participants also plant up wheat seeds, develop field research notebooks, and decorate their own gingersnap cookies in the Gingerbread Adventures program. The entire family can enjoy the display of elaborate gingerbread creations by renowned bakers: Lauri DiTunno, Cake Alchemy, Manhattan; Irina Brandler, Sugar and Spice Bake Shop, the Bronx; Kay Hansen, Riviera Bakehouse, Ardsley; Patti Paige, Baked Ideas, Manhattan, Kate Sullivan, Lovin Sullivan Cakes, Manhattan; and Mark Tasker, Balthazar Bakery, Manhattan.

Puppet Show
The Little Engine That Could™ Puppet Show (©Penguin Group USA)
Tuesday–Thursday, November 30–December 3, and December 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 11:30 a.m.
Daily, December 27–31 at 1, 2, and 3 p.m.
The Arthur and Janet Ross Lecture Hall is the site for this whimsical production of the classic tale, presented by New York City’s puppet master Ralph Lee. Trains and fun go hand-in-hand as the story comes to life through old-fashioned steam engine puppets, each with its own eccentric personality.
For more information on dates and times, please visit http://www.nybg.org/hts/
 
Ongoing
Have you ever wanted to talk to the Garden's staff and learn more about the Garden's plants or collections? Now you can by listening to the Garden's audio tours, which cover a breadth of subjects from horticulture to garden history. Learn more about the research scientists are doing at the Garden, find out what's in bloom, and leave your comments for Garden staff. 

There are over 100 stops to choose from; enjoy them at your own pace and in any order. The tour can also be accessed by phone by calling 718.362.9561.


The New School

Tuesday, December 7, 6:00 p.m.
Theresa Lang Community and Student Center, 55 West 13th Street, 2nd floor
Admission: Free, but RSVP required.
New School President Bob Kerrey engages in a one-on-one discussion with Bill Shore, founder and executive director of Share Our Strength, a national nonprofit working to end childhood hunger in the United States. The forum features Shore's most recent book, The Imaginations of Unreasonable Men, which profiles a group of scientists' effort to develop a malaria vaccine despite tremendous odds. Their persistence and hope reveal the entrepreneurial strategies and qualities of character required to solve problems affecting people so voiceless, vulnerable, and economically marginalized that the solutions themselves have no market.