The temperature is rising, the flowers are blossoming, and New Yorkers are looking for ways to get outside and enjoy the natural beauty of spring! New York botanical gardens offer a breath of fresh air among the urban landscape. Populated by an abundance of colorful plants from across the globe and intriguing art installations, you can find these gardens all over NYC. Discover your garden!
1. The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx
The New York Botanical Garden boasts one million different types of plants that grow within the Garden’s 250-acre site, the largest in the five boroughs. There are various types of natural settings you can wander through, including the Thain Family Forest, the Perennial and Herb Gardens, Chilton Azalea Garden, and the colorful Rockefeller Rose Garden. Each year, the NYBG invites artists to engage with the plants by creating large-scale installations. In the past, the garden has featured the work by the likes of Yayoi Kusama, and this year the garden will feature a site-specific exhibition by Ebony G. Patterson. On view from May 27 through September 17, 2023, Patterson’s work is titled …things come to thrive…in the shedding…in the molting…
In addition to the gorgeous natural scenes outside, the garden also has a handful of historic structures which are impressive on their own. The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is a centerpiece structure that was built by Lord & Burnham Company in 1902. Restoration of this glass-domed conservatory occurs roughly every twenty years to ensure it will stick around for future generations to enjoy.