We’ve been living with the grayscale aesthetic for so long that it almost seems as if things were never green to begin with. But the reminders of spring are creeping in from all sides, now. I don’t suppose there’s cause for complaint, hmm? —MN
Sylbia Safdie - Trees, charcoal on mylar, 2005
(via wowgreat)
We’re having a Winter Tree Tour beginning at 12:30 this Sunday, February 24. So this Heptacodium seems pertinent! (Even if it’s often considered a shrub.) —MN
Heptacodium
New York Botanical Garden
The freeze/thaw cycle at work! The concentric circles you see are ridges formed by the partial melting and refreezing of the water from day to day.
This image—entitled “Ice & Oak”—comes straight from the NYBG, taken by one of our SOPH students, Instagram user mikeditota. —MN
Some know it as the “snow flower,” a name ubiquitous enough among plants that thrive in cold. But what sets this one apart is not only its parasitism (it feeds on the symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi around tree roots, rather than supporting itself with photosynthesis), but the fact that it creates a stunning—if morbid—contrast as it pushes itself up from the clean white snow.
Despite the name, however, it’s not a true winter plant. The only time it matches its moniker is when its spring blooms meet with unmelted snow. For this reason, it’s best to catch it at high elevations in the northwest U.S. Oregon, for example. —MN
sarcodes sanguinea
There’s a lacy quality to the trees in winter that breaks up the monotony of resenting the weather, even with the nor’easter bearing down on us as I type this. Little joys, right? —MN
by: Jürgen Heckel
If you follow us on Instagram or on our blog then you’ll already know that we’re huge fans of the winter landscape. In case you thought we were a bit batty, the New York Times has our collective back and explains why you should love the starkness of winter, too. Hint: There’s more going on out there than you can ever imagine! ~AR
This beautiful photo seems like a good enough reason to let you know that we’re hosting our winter photo contest inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory again this year. We changed the name a little, Tropical Paradise instead of Caribbean Garden, but other than that, it’s still a guaranteed antidote to the winter blues. Grab your camera, join our official Flickr Group Pool, and say sayonara to Seasonal Affective Disorder with some sultry warmth.~AR
(via zsazsashoots)
Because I can’t get enough of these twists and curls. —MN
“It is as beautiful as it is rare. A frost flower is created on autumn or early winter mornings when ice in extremely thin layers is pushed out from the stems of plants or occasionally wood. This extrusion creates wonderful patterns which curl and fold into gorgeous frozen petioles giving this phenomenon both its name and its appearance.”
(via despicablealexis)
As we hoof it toward winter, we expect to be seeing more snowflakes in the Garden (barring another winter like last year, of course). What I didn’t expect to see was the extent to which these snowflakes resemble plants, be it a small shrub, the tip of a pine branch, or a spindly desert-dwelling tree. —MN
Remarkable Macro Photographs of Ice Structures and Snowflakes
Russian photographer Andrew Osokin has done a phenomenal job of capturing such bizarre ice formations, you can explore hundreds more photos over in his LensArt profile.
We get a lot of people wondering why they would want to visit the outdoor portions of the Garden after the leaves have fallen and winter has set in and there are almost no flowers to be seen. We always tell them “because of the trees!” but it’s a hard sell. What about the trees? The form, the function, the silhouettes; there’s so much to love about trees once the leaves are gone, and this beautiful photoset highlights exactly what I am talking about. ~AR
Forest textures before the snow hits in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
Snow in November. Is it fall or winter? According to Sarah Paulson, the Assistant Manager of the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, the pumpkin sculptures still in place after our Halloween festivities are embracing winter with a very slow, very still snowball fight.
The Times takes a look at the implications of this unseasonably warm winter. Above, VP For Horticulture and Living Collections smells the heavenly Dawn viburnum which has burst into bloom several weeks early on the Ladies’ Border at the Garden.
A Colorful Stroll Through the Winter
For the professional horticulturist, plant mutations are treasures. The New York Times recently caught up with Richard Jaynes of the Broken Arrow nursery in Connecticut, where he grows over 65% of the plants he sells, many of them oddities he himself has propagated from findings in the wild. And after 65 years, he’s been able to collect and breed some fascinating specimens.
Have a look; even if Mr. Jaynes’ rarities are a bit difficult to find, his suggestions for winter beauties are spot on. —MN
Artist Philip Haas installation of the Four Seasons in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory Courtyard at the NYBG (New York Botanical Garden)....
Imagined conversations from bygone times
What do we want?
A robust variety of naturally-occurring flora in bloom for campus beauty and...
Botanical Gardens, Bronx, NY.
People just accept that I love the New York Botanical Garden and look at the pictures of the pretty things.
BTW NYBG I love the new Native Plants...
Rosemary (in NYBG pot) and friend
Love you, Mom <3
Happy National Public Gardens Day! A female carpenter bee visiting the pea vines yesterday. She’s California’s largest bee.
