New York Botanical Garden, the broadest collection of gardens in America’s biggest metropolis, offers a year-round horticulture fill and then some.
For more than a century, New York Botanical Garden, the largest in the city, has been an escape into the natural world—acting as an oasis of green in the concrete jungle—known for its old-growth native forest, its spectacular rose garden, its fragrant herb garden, and most of all, its great Victorian-style glass house. This is where plantaholic New Yorkers and tourists regularly drop in for a botanical fix and to seek a verdant refuge from urban whirl. A veritable feast for garden junkies, it’s one of the most diverse horticulture displays in the country, if not the entire world. Visitors can explore its 250-plus acres of naturescape and specialty gardens or take in a nonstop rotating selection of interesting exhibits, informative lectures, hands-on classes, social events and regular guided tours, some led by our very own Joyce H. Newman. Currently on tap are What’s Wonderful in Winter at NYBG; the Four Season sculpture installation; Close, an exhibition of the work of acclaimed landscape photographer Allan Pollok-Morris; and Tropical Paradise, which showcases the permanent collection of Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. nybg.org.
If You Plan to Visit
Sure, the city that never sleeps is a mass of trendy hotspots, stylish cultural attractions and cosmopolitan humanity woven into an landscape of concrete, brick, steel, glass and asphalt. But surprisingly, according to the Trust for Public Land, the Big Apple leads the nation in green space, with more than 19 percent of the city’s area being parkland—the most magnetic is Central Park, the 843-acre island-like swathe complete with its own lake. And there’s plenty for gardenites and lovers of things eco to see and do, including sustainable dining at restaurants like the trailblazing GustOrganics, healthy sipping at juice bars (Juice Press is a multi-location favorite among organic devotees and vegans), shopping for farm-fresh produce and agricultural products at Grow NYC greenmarkets and browsing artifacts and materials at the American Museum of Natural History. Just don’t be surprised if day quickly stretches into night and you find yourself the one getting little shut-eye.
Learn more: Nyc.go is the official website of New York City’s tourism organization.
—Shannon Roxborough
In Wanderlust, Shannon Roxborough, Garden Variety’s founding editor-in-chief, introduces GV readers to gardens, arboretums, parkland and other destinations across the U.S and around the world that appeal to gardeners, outdoor lovers and natural foodies.
All photos courtesy and property of New York Botanical Garden and Ivo M. Vermeulen.
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A couple of reminders: Should you be so inclined, please don’t forget to support GV’s Kickstarter campaign to become a full-blown online magazine (we still have a way to go to reach our goal) and to enter our free giveway (for a chance to win a Garda Dibble, ThinkEco2 planter and EcoScaps compost, potting mix or garden soil), since they both end this weekend on Sunday, February 2nd.
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Lovely vistas!