Skip to main content
 
Plant Talk

Inside The New York Botanical Garden

rhododendron

Morning Eye Candy: Lady Barbara

Posted in Photography on July 21 2014, by Matt Newman

On a hint passed along by our Curator of Woody Plants, Deanna Curtis, Ivo headed out to the Azalea Garden for some hunting. His quarry was a flower, of course, and he was shooting with a camera—no worries there. He came back with photos of another winning deciduous azalea lighting up this collection during summer.

Rhododendron 'Lady Barbara'

Rhododendron ‘Lady Barbara’ by the Azalea Garden overlook – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Morning Eye Candy: Late Bloomer

Posted in Photography on July 9 2014, by Matt Newman

While their May-blooming cousins may get more attention for their all-at-once lightshow, the deciduous azaleas blooming now deserve some praise. As you can see.

Rhododendron 'Golden Showers' 06

Deciduous azaleas (Rhododendron) in the Azalea Garden – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Morning Eye Candy: Last Firecrackers

Posted in Photography on May 24 2014, by Matt Newman

The daydreamy colors of the Azalea Garden’s spring bloom have peaked and are on their way back down. The last of the fireworks aren’t at all quiet, of course.

Rhododendron 'Hinomayo'

Rhododendron ‘Hinomayo’ – Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

‘Pink Peignoir’ Awakens the Azalea Garden

Posted in Horticulture on April 11 2014, by Kristin Schleiter

Kristin Schleiter is the NYBG’s Associate Vice President of Outdoor Gardens and Senior Curator. She oversees the wonderful gardening team that keeps our flowering gardens looking topnotch, curates the herbaceous gardens and collections, and manages the curator of woody plants. She lives and gardens in Fairfield, CT.

Rhododendron mucronulatum 'Pink Peignoir'At very long last, spring has well and truly come to the Azalea Garden. I can tell because the Korean rhododendron, Rhododendron mucronulatum, is decorating the ridge at the top of the garden near the overlook with its delicious candy colors. My favorite is the earliest-to-bloom ‘Pink Peignoir’ in a shade of cotton candy pink that sings against our often drizzly grey skies and is cheerily visible from a long distance.

Korean rhododendron make marvelous garden plants. They prefer an acid soil (which is what most soil in the tri-state area is naturally) and at least a half a day of good light. They are hardy down to a chilly zone 4. They are deciduous and lose their leaves with a late and lasting foliage show of simmering orange, gold, and scarlet.

Read More

Morning Eye Candy: Nooks & Crannies

Posted in Around the Garden, Photography on June 11 2013, by Matt Newman

You can never count out the Azalea Garden. Even when we’ve moved on to more recent blooms, there’s still the spark of color to be found in the rocks of this hilly collection. (Just don’t tell the flowers I’m more enamored with the crayon green Hakone grass right now.)

Azalea Garden

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen