New azalea exhibit for Mother's Day & to mark Botanical Garden 120th anniversary

 
In many ways, the lush Azalea Garden debuting this Mother's Day weekend is the embodiment of the New York Botanical Garden's past and its future.
The colorful blossoms stem from a collection started in the 1930s.
During a recent dedication ceremony that also marked the Botanical Garden's 120th anniversary, officials expressed hope that visiting this 11-acre floral wonderland will endure as a city tradition.
"This project is a present to the people of New York City. It is a legacy gift that is only going to get better," NYBG President Gregory Long told the audience.
"This garden is quite extraordinary," added Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, "and it should never be taken for granted."
The NYBG was the ambitious vision of founders Dr. Nathaniel and Elizabeth Britton, who were inspired to create the cultural gem after visiting the Royal Botanic Gardens in London.
"They understood that in order for New York City to be one of the greatest cities in the world, it needed an institution devoted to the study and celebration of plants," said Todd Forrest, vice president of Horticulture and Living Collections.
On April 28, 1891, the state Legislature set aside 250 acres of land to build "a public botanic garden of the highest class."
At the heart of it were 50 acres of "virgin" forest - ancient trees - surrounded by farms, estates and orchards with a freshwater river, "as close to paradise as anyone had seen in New York City," Forrest said.
In 1902, the stunning Victorian-style glasshouse conservatory was erected, and later named for Enid A. Haupt, a philanthropist who gave $10 million for its restoration and upkeep.
The herbarium is now the largest in the Western Hemisphere with more than 7 million specimens. The Botanical Garden's scientists collect specimens and work to unlock their genetic secrets.
Its team of researchers, who have long championed conservation in North America, have expanded their scope to the Caribbean, Brazilian coastal forest, Amazonia and Micronesia.
Educating the public has always been central to the Botanical Garden's mission. Today, more than 275,000 school children, families and teachers take part in informal science programs each year.
"Plants are so integral in our day-to-day lives, from the food we eat to the air we breathe," said Jennifer Rothmann, associate vice president for education. "That's why we try to make that connection between why and how plants play a role in our lives."
Exhibits like Emily Dickinson's Garden, re-creating the flower beds that inspired her poetry; the annual Holiday Train Show, featuring replicas of historic landmarks made from plant materials; and the Edible Gardens cooking demonstrations draw visitors.
Later this month, the garden will host Spanish Paradise: Gardens of the Alhambra, a 15,000-square-foot interpretation of the Islamic fortress' gardens.