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
RSVP to gpisegna@hsny.org
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.
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.
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.