To say there are a lot of plants at the Nolen Greenhouses at the New York Botanical Garden is an understatement.

The sprawling facility in the Bronx is responsible for growing and maintaining an extensive array of botanical life for the entire garden.

What You Need To Know

  • The Nolen Greenhouses at the New York Botanical Garden are responsible for growing and maintaining an extensive array of botanical life for the entire garden

  • The William and Lynda Steere Herbarium also houses nearly 8 million plant specimens

  • Garden scientists are delving into the world of plants on a new podcast, “Plant People”

"We not only maintain our extensive botanical collections, but also grow all of the living content for the grounds and exhibitions here at the garden," said NYBG Director of Glasshouse Horticulture Marc Hachadourian — who was recently featured as a guest on the garden's new podcast, "Plant People," hosted by NYBG CEO and President Jennifer Bernstein.

Adjacent to the greenhouses, amidst the garden's 250-acre expanse, stands the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, housing nearly 8 million plant specimens.  The Herbarium — which is almost like a museum of plants — is one of the largest in the world and many of the specimens housed there were brought there by garden curators doing field work.

"They are used for research that serves conservation, that helps people make management decisions, and helps us understand what is happening to plants and fungi on Earth today," said NYGB Herbarium Director Emily Sessa — also a guest on the "Plant People" podcast.

Sessa said staff, interns and volunteers digitize specimens in the imaging lab, a project that has been going on for some 30 years.

The Herbarium itself, where the millions of specimens are stored and filed by plant family, features specimens from Charles Darwin's trip to the Galápagos Islands. Some of the plants stored there are also extinct from the wild, just one reason why collecting the specimens is so important, according to Sessa.

"We have really representatives of all of these different groups, from all around the world and from hundreds of years through time," Sessa said.

She noted scientists all over the world, and at the garden, are still naming new species of plants — about 30 to 40 new ones each year.

Those eager to delve into the world of plants and flowers can explore more on the "Plant People" podcast, available on major podcast platforms.