New Yorkers All !!!
If you haven’t yet discovered the absolute wonder in your midst, the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), then I would have to say to you it is time. It seems to be your cities best kept secret. Currently they are showcasing until Sunday, April 28, 2019, The Orchid Show: Singapore.
Arial view of the Edith A Haupt Conservatory in the NYBG at dusk
When I meet travelling Americans from New York here in Australia I always ask if they know about its famed botanic garden. Then there are those people I know who have lived there on and off over a long period of time and either didn’t know it existed or hadn’t visited.
Artist Elizabeth Murray in The New York Botanical Garden at Monet’s Garden show 2012
If that is the case for you, what a great treat you are missing out on by not knowing about your own horticultural heaven right there in The Bronx.
A complete expression of the vastness and beauty of nature, the NYBG is at this time of year a horticultural dreamland… where what you can imagine will come true. Now in the care of the NYGB the Bronx River has been rejuvenated so that it can continue to offer society spiritual refreshment.
Must say I love the idea there is always something to ‘see, smell and smile about’.
Magnificent Trees in the New York Botanical Garden, The Bronx, New York
There is an endless array of flowers, plants and magnificent trees to both engage your senses and delight you in all seasons. At any time of the year there is lots to see in the ‘What’s Beautiful Now‘ category.
All the plants and trees have their own unique beauty and ecological importance.
Then there is the famous old-growth trees, a stunning library, a great deal of music and poetry, many stunning celebrations and the wondrous Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.
So, hop off your chic Corbusier chair or your much-admired contemporary couch, grab your friends and family and go to see a very special exhibition The Orchid Show: Singapore. It has been developed in partnership with Gardens by the Bay and Singapore Botanic Gardens.
It will be sure to dazzle with its dramatic vertical habitats and famed arches showcasing thousands of colourful orchids while highlighting Singapore’s achievements in orchid cultivation.
There are Orchid Evenings, Orchid Insiders Tours, Orchid Care Demonstrations (give your poor old tired Phaleonopsis a wake-up call) a Q&A about Orchids, Entertaining with Orchids, as well as Orchid Classes, where you can create a stunning arrangement sure to impress your friends.
Divide, re-pot, rejuvenate, you are also sure to learn how to keep your orchid décor living happily in its Terrarium, alongside your trendy new air plant or in a mini rain forest you can create for yourself.
Public transportation is the easiest way to get to the NYBG. It covers 250 acres and includes historic architectural wonders, dozens of plant collections and more.
During peak visitation times, parking in and around the Garden may be at capacity.
Members however, enjoy free admission all year long. They also have special programs and invitations that will blow your mind; the garden’s professionals are involved in science, education and horticulture, helping communities locally and around the world.
In case you didn’t know it, the NYBG also has its own forest; or should I say, safeguards what is left of the original fantastical and simply stunning forest now known as the Thain Family Forest, which was felled to build New York city.
So, when you have been overwhelmed by all that colour via the orchids, then you can visit the trees as they change their mantles to suit the seasons and say hello to this natural world of wonder.
Gosh, I do wish I was in the NYBG right now!
Carolyn McDowall, The Culture Concept Circle, 2019
New York Botanical Garden
Presents
THE ORCHID SHOW: SINGAPORE
Now on Show until Sunday, April 28, 2019
All images used with permissions.
NYBG is open all year-round, Tuesday to Sunday, and select holiday Mondays and hours are typically 10 a.m.–6 p.m. 2019 Monday Openings still to be held are on April 22 (Earth Day), May 27 (Memorial Day), September 2 (Labor Day), October 14 (Columbus Day), December 16 (Holiday Train Show), December 23 (Holiday Train Show) and December 30 (Holiday Train Show)
