New York Botanical Garden

Diversifying our diet can improve humanity’s health AND the planet’s, but only if we protect the smorgasbord of options that exists beyond the supermarket. 🍎🌽 On our newest episode of the #PlantPeople podcast with PRX, we talk with Dan Saladino, a host on the BBC's Radio 4 show The Food Programme and the author of Eating to Extinction. Together we skip over the familiar produce section for a look at the wide world of foods you might not know about, and the threats that could erase them before they find their way to the store shelf. From rare cider apples on the brink of extinction to the vanishing Old Cornish cauliflower, and a variety of Indigenous plant-based edibles, come learn how preserving these endangered eats is important to our shared future. Listen, review, and subscribe! https://brnw.ch/21wM53K

NYBG’s science division has a longstanding history of field-based botanical research which continues to this day. Not long ago, we had an opportunity to see this in action and were invited by Rob Naczi, the Arthur J. Cronquist Curator of North American Botany, to jump into the exotic (to us) world in which our scientists work. The location: New Jersey. Check out our latest adventure in the Pine Barrens!

This month Mauricio Diazgranados, PhD, NYBG's Chief Science Officer, represented us at the 8th Global Botanic Gardens Congress in Singapore (August 6–9). The event, which is organized by the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) every two years, was attended by some 900 delegates from 73 countries. Dr. Diazgranados held several talks and workshops, on topics including NYBG's overarching science strategy, current important plant areas of study, plants with practical purposes to humans, and the role of botanical gardens in food plant diversity. Learn more about this year's event: https://lnkd.in/gAk6pqyw

At this year’s annual NYBG #ClimateWeek symposium, we’re putting biodiversity front and center as a tool for solving our climate crisis. 🔎🌱 Together with moderator Mauricio Diazgranados, PhD, “Nature’s Shield: Harnessing Biodiversity for Climate Resilience” welcomes anthropologist, ethnobotanist, author, and explorer Wade Davis, who’ll share his collaborations with the Amazon’s Indigenous peoples, as well as the ecologically rich zones there that we must protect for our shared future. Afterward, a panel of scientists leaps into the concrete ways that we can halt biodiversity loss to increase climate resilience, followed by a screening of “Blue Carbon”—a film spotlighting the hopeful conservation efforts focused on the sea’s miraculous ability to absorb atmospheric carbon. Want to join us for this important plant science discussion in Ross Hall? Grab your tickets for September 26.

This July, Dr. Rob Naczi spent time in Lima and the Loreto Region of Peru—teaching, conducting field research, and joining meetings with local collaborators on two research projects for the Amazon Research Initiative for Educators. Teachers and students from The Taft School and Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, among others, joined him in his research on phytotelmata (plant-held pools of water), which contributed to his ongoing research on the systematics of Western Hemisphere pitcher plants (Sarraceniaceae). It was a busy and productive trip that strengthened our important science partnerships abroad!

From September 27–November 30, NYBG comes alive with Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Light Trail. Select nights, 9 weeks only! Learn more and get tickets to this frightfully fun adventure in the Garden—coming this fall: https://lnkd.in/ebGV3Kda

If you’re looking to brush up on your plant propagation skills, tonight’s talk and demo with Hilton Carter is your best opportunity. But there’s little time left to register! Get your seat for tonight’s event starting at 6 p.m., where Carter, an artist, interior designer, and author, will share tools and techniques from his latest book—The Propagation Handbook—followed by a book signing. He’s got expert know-how to share when it comes to growing plants from clippings (just wait until you see his own home collection), and you can even buy a plant here to take home at the end of the discussion.

Is the modern focus on native plants really as important to our environment as claimed—and if so, how? 🌿🐝 In this week’s episode of #PlantPeople with PRX, we catch up with Doug Tallamy, Professor of Agriculture & Natural Resources at the University of Delaware. As an expert in their Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, he knows a thing or two about the benefits of planting natives, and feeding the birds and the bees (and squirrels, butterflies… you get the gist) is high on the list. Listen to find out how healthy ecosystems rely on these plants to thrive, and how the home garden is just the start: https://lnkd.in/eMvV8jzT

What’s in a lawn? Well, grass—lots of it. But there’s a lot more to dig into with this familiar suburban staple. Though the picture-perfect lawn seems harmless enough, it impacts our environment much more than you think. And once you start looking into alternatives, the grass is usually greener on the other side. Learn about downsizing YOUR lawn, and don’t forget to check out our recent lawn episode of the #PlantPeople podcast with guest Edwina von Gal for even more.

If you missed this year’s deadline to apply for the next class of the School of Professional Horticulture, good news: we’ve extended it to September 1! 🎓🌱 Come see why our professional horticulture training program—running strong for nearly a century now—is your best option for getting a start in the field, with instruction from working professionals, hands-on training throughout NYBG’s 250 acres, field trips to some of the most incredible green spaces, and an unbeatable job placement rate for grads. Apply today: https://lnkd.in/e3s5xQyh