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QBG GARDEN NEWS FALL 2016 A special newsletter for friends of Queens Botanical Garden VOL 22 ISSUE 3

We think everyone benefits from being outside, enjoying a cool breeze, and taking in fall’s abundance. Be sure to pop over to smell the autumn roses, touch the fragrant herbs, and sway with the tall grasses.

So many ways to enjoy QBG! Look for our annual Harvest Fest on Sunday, October 16 and an old-fashioned Tree Lighting in the Garden on Sunday, December 4.

See you out in the Garden!

Susan Lacerte Executive Director

P.S. This summer we had the good fortune to welcome esteemed dignitaries and elected officials to QBG. Please look inside for more about our visit from Ambassador Lily Hsu from Taiwan and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and our own local Council Member Peter Koo.

Save the date for our biggest event of the year!

Join us for a fun-filled afternoon for the whole family—Live Music, Games, Nature Walks, Farm Tours, Bouncy Houses, Craft & Food Vendors, Petting Zoo, Beer Tent, Pumpkin Patch (additional fee) and more! Go to queensbotanical.org/HarvestFest2016 for program information.

SUNDAY, OCT 16

HARVESTFEST

11am to 5pm

Your gaze will soon move away from the flowers and up towards the trees. While taking in the rich autumnal colors of changing leaves, look closer to see what is growing among the foliage. When making your way into the Arboretum, veer off the path to the right to enjoy one of the more rare fruit trees at QBG. The Osage orange tree is recognizable by its gnarly brain-like green fruit. During September, the fruit will collect on the ground and will stay there until they’re cleaned up by QBG staff or rot down to fertilize the tree. Nothing today eats the fruit, but back in prehistoric times the fruit of the Osage orange was enjoyed by mammoths and ground sloths. Transported in their digestive tract and distributed around the continent, these trees grew in a variety of climates. Today, a majority of these trees are concentrated in the Midwest, but they just require fertile soil to prosper, which is why our Osage orange tree is so happy!

WHAT’S IN BLOOMOSAGE ORANGE

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A Letter from SusanDear Friend,

Fall is a spectacular time at the Garden. Full of bright colors and kids, QBG buzzes with activity!

Last year, we served over 32,000 school children who learned about nature, science, and the environment… and this year we are on track to do it again! Our education programs supplement science education that kids get in school, giving them the opportunity to visit the Garden where they can breathe fresh air, work with plants, and learn about the natural environment—all in a hands-on way!

JESSICA BREY

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Queens Botanical Garden Hosts Third AnnualTaiwan: A World of Orchids Exhibit

Queens Botanical Garden, in partnership with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO-NY), presented the third annual weekend-long exhibit Taiwan: A World of Orchids. QBG was honored to welcome Ambassador Lily L.W. Hsu of Taiwan, Rebublic of China, to a VIP Reception and Exhibit Preview on August 11, along with NYS Assemblymember Nily Rozic, NYC Councilmembers Peter Koo and Barry Grodenchik, and other luminaries and friends.

From Friday to Sunday, August 12 to 14, the exhibit featured a stunning display of orchids, including over 250 pots containing exquisite Taiwanese varieties. Orchid genuses showcased were Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium, Cymbidium, and Oncidium. Experts from the Long Island Orchid Society were available to answer questions about the different types of plants, how to keep them healthy, and how to help an ailing orchid.

Accompanying the flower exhibit was a weekend of live music by students of award-winning violinist Kevin Shue. A highlight was a stellar performance by world-class musicians Wei-Yang Andy Lin (erhu) and Nan-Cheng Chen (cello) who played traditional Taiwanese music.

“We were so delighted to bring Taiwan: A World of Orchids to the Garden for the third year! The event has become a wonderful Queens tradition. We thank TECO-NY and Ambassador Lily L.W. Hsu and all of our sponsors for bringing this wonderful event to QBG, the place where people, plants, and cultures meet!”

—Susan Lacerte QBG’s Executive Director

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS Taipei Economic & Cultural Office in New York

Pauline Huang, QBG trusteeUnited Orchids

Precious Tea Shop Inc.Fuse Taco

Long Island Orchid Society

Around the Garden

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ALLISON ENGJESSICA BREY

JESSICA BREY

BELOW, LEFT—Artist inspired by orchids. BELOW, RIGHT—A Long Island Orchid Society“Orchid Doctor.”OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM TOP—Taiwan’s Ambassador Lily L.W. Hsu; QBG Board members and Susan Lacerte, QBG Executive Director, joined by Ambassador Lily L.W. Hsu, NYS Assemblymember Nily Rozic, NYC Councilmembers Peter Koo and Barry Grodenchik, and other friends and luminaries; musicians Wei-Yang Andy Lin and Nan-Cheng Chen.

JESSICA BREY

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Looking Forward • Fall 2016

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Now through Sunday, November 13 • Visitor & Administration Building Gallery • Free with Garden admissionArtist Manuel Macarrulla exhibits hand-crafted masks, drawings, and paintings inspired by carnivals and fantasies that incorporate nature and animal imagery, as well as his Dominican heritage.

Closing Reception—Sunday, November 13, 2 to 4pm • FreeMeet Macarrulla and take one last look at Fantasías y carnavales. Refreshments will be served.

Sunday, October 30, 12 to 4pm • Free with Garden admission • queensbotanical.org/HalloweenCelebrate Halloween early with the whole family! Make a seasonal botanical craft, and meet and take pictures with Flora, QBG’s friendly mascot! Show off your Halloween costume and bring your trick-or-treat bags! Add Caribbean flair to your Halloween costume by making your own carnavale mask with guest artist Manuel Macarrulla. Trick or Treating around the Garden, bounce houses and games, and mask-making with Manuel Macarrulla from 12 to 4pm. Costume parade at 12:30pm; Magic Show at 1:15pm; Storytime 2–3:30 pm.

Sunday, November 20, 1 to 2:30pm • $25 materials feeRegistration required: floraldesign.eventbrite.comTry your hand at creating your own holiday centerpiece! Participants will be introduced to tips and techniques used by pros, and take home their own centerpiece.

Sunday, December 4Get into the holiday spirit! Live musical performances, photos with Santa (fee required), garden tour, holiday crafts, tree lighting, and blowout sales at QBG Shop!

For more information, go to queensbotanical.org/QBGChristmas

November 22 through February 26, 2017 • Visitor & Administration Building Gallery Queens based photographer Vikram Dogra presents a photo series recording the unique and changing makeup of both the landscape and the people of Astoria and Long Island City from 2004–2015.

For more information on current and upcoming exhibits visit: queensbotanical.org/ArtintheGarden

Art in the Garden: Fantasías y carnavales

Christmas in the Garden & Tree Lighting

Halloween at the Garden

Floral Design Workshop: Holiday Centerpiece

Art in the Garden: East of East River

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Sunday, October 16, 11am to 5pmADMISSION: FREE for members$12 Adults and Seniors; $10 Children Free hours are suspended on this day.

Pumpkin Patch and select activities require additional fees.

FAMILY FUN! Live Music by Lonesome Moonlight String Band, Games, Nature Walks, Farm Tours, Bouncy Houses, Craft & Food Vendors, Petting Zoo, Beer Tent, Pumpkin Patch (additional fee) and more!

Special thanks to our Lead Harvest Fest Sponsor NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens.We also thank Amerasia Bank for Pumpkin Patch sponsorship and the NYC Council.

Harvest Fest & Pumpkin Patch

Queens Botanical Garden is a stunning location for your ceremony and reception. An intimate setting framed by flowering plants and charming bridges and gazebo, enclosed by a white picket fence, the Wedding Garden gracefully

blends elements of Eastern and Western garden design, and bursts with the brilliant palette of the changing seasons.

Reception spaces are available in our magnificent Cherry Circle, Oak Allée, or Auditorium, just steps away.

Come see for yourself! Appointments are required. Contact Ebony Wiggins, Special Events & Rental Manager, at ewiggins@queensbotanical.org or 718.886.3800 ext 201.

Your Wedding

& Receptionat QBG

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“This year, I fought for new capital and programming funding for our schools, parks, and other critical infrastructure, and I am especially proud that I was able to work closely with the Speaker, the Borough President and my colleagues in the Council to direct this funding to important improvements right here in Flushing.”

—Peter Koo, NYC Council Member

On Friday, August 19, City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and local City Council Member Peter Koo honored Queens Botanical Garden with a visit! The Speaker has made it a priority to visit all the boroughs—and to our delight, she chose QBG as the location of a press conference highlighting all that she and the City Council are doing for NYC’s immigrant population. The Speaker and our very own Council Member Peter Koo welcomed members of the City’s diverse media, representing the many different cultural communities in Queens, and took a stroll around the Garden, enjoying a spectacular summer day. QBG thanks the Speaker, Council Member Koo, the Queens Delegation, and all City Council Members for their ongoing devotion and support of the Garden and its programs.

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TWEET FROM SPEAKER MARK-VIVERITO

TOP—Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and NYC Councilmember Peter Koo were joined by media representatives on a tour of QBG.ABOVE—Speaker Mark-Viverito and NYC Councilmember Koo share information with the press.

City Council Members Visit QBG

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Spotlight • Corporate Volunteers: Astoria Bank and Con Edison

ANNETTE FANARA

Each year as part of their Corporate Membership, employees from Astoria Bank and Con Edison come to the Garden for volunteer days. The five employees of Astoria Bank who came this fall planted 124 chrysanthemums in the Circle Garden. They were joined for part of the time by participants from Life’s Worc, an organization that is dedicated to ensuring that those with developmental disabilities are afforded the opportunities, compassion and dignity all of us deserve.

Twenty Con Edison employees participated in our September 10 Community Volunteer Day. They spent time working in the Perennial Garden and mulching trees. Our Corporate Members benefit not only from privileges of membership for their employees, but also in knowing they are providing vital support to help us fulfill our mission of offering inspiring gardens, innovative educational programs and demonstrations of environmental stewardship.

QBG’s Corporate Membership program invites businesses of all sizes to join. Contact Stephanie Ehrlich at sehrlich@queensbotanical.org or Annette Fanara at afanara@queensbotanical.org to find out how your company can participate and be part of the place where people, plants and cultures meet!

Employee volunteers from Astoria Bank (left) and Con Edison (right).

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BELOW—Some of the 124 mums planted by Astoria Bank volunteers.

JESSICA BREY (left); STEPHANIE EHRLICH (right)

QUEENS BOTANICAL GARDEN is located on property owned in full by the City of New York, and its operation is made possible in part by public funds provided through the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the NYC Council, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The Queens Borough President and Queens elected representatives in the City Council and State Legislature provide leadership funding. Corporations, foundations and individuals provide additional support.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Rovena Schirling ChairSuzanne Brienza Vice ChairNeil Fleischman TreasurerMichael Bronstein SecretaryJoanne ChaoNadine Cino Julia Ermish Nazneen ‘Lucy’ HossainPauline HuangEdith MeyerJudy NgLarry OskowskyGary ParkFrank SantoroMichelle Stoddart

QBG GARDEN NEWS

Jessica Brey ContributorStephanie Ehrlich ContributorAnnette Fanara ContributorSusan Lacerte Executive DirectorAnne Tan-Detchkov Editor

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Dr. Joon J. Bang Theresa BonavolontaBrian Carey Do H. Chung Jack EichenbaumHoward FreilichStefanie F. Handsman Stephen D. Hans Neil HernandezSoraya HernandezBill HuismanSaul Kupferberg Emily Lin Frank MacchioGeorge S. Meyer Frank Mirovsky Joyce & Ed MorrillJacqueline Newman Georgiana Reese-BenattiWalter SanchezRobert Schirling Janet Schneider Patricia ShanleySpencer J. Shin Al SuarezMartha & Robert Taylor Henry WanTai WangYoung S. Woo

We extend our gratitude to the following elected officials and government bodies:

New York City CouncilNew York City Department of Cultural AffairsNew York City Department of SanitationNew York State AssemblyNew York State SenateNew York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic PreservationNew York State Department of Environmental ConservationQueens Borough President Melinda KatzQueens Delegation of the New York City CouncilQueens Delegation of the New York State Assembly

We are pleased to thank the following corporations and foundations for their support of QBG’s botanical displays, programs, and operations:

HSBC Bank USA, N.A.Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc.Resorts World CasinoThe Frank Antun FoundationAstoria BankThe Kupferberg FoundationNew York Community BankNew York Community Bank FoundationNewYork-Presbyterian/QueensPfizer, Inc.The Port Authority of NY & NJRose M. Badgeley Residuary Charitable TrustDr. Robert C. & Tina Sohn FoundationTD Charitable FoundationWAC Lighting

Queens Botanical Garden43-50 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11355

queensbotanical.org | 718.886.3800

QBG GARDEN NEWS FALL 2016 A special newsletter for friends of Queens Botanical Garden VOL 22 ISSUE 3

THANK YOU to our MEMBERS, SPONSORS, and FRIENDS!

Queens Botanical Garden | 43-50 Main Street, Flushing, NY 11355 | queensbotanical.org | 718.886.3800

H. DAVID STEIN