New York Botanical Garden

My first trip to New York, I went with a Meet-Up group to the New York Botanical Garden. Surprisingly, it was not a bad drive, just over 2 hours from my door to the front gate of the Garden. What an amazing place! The Garden, a beautiful 250 acre park in the middle of New York City's Bronx borough, has been in existence since 1891 and is home to over 1 million plants and 30,000 trees, some of which are over 100 years old.

I contacted a Facebook friend who lives in New Jersey, and asked her if she would like to be my Meet-Up guest. She took a train up to meet me at the front gate. It was wonderful to see her again after our trip to Magic Wings, in Deerfield, Ma. The Meet-Up group had planned this trip to coincide with the exhibit of world famous French botanist and artist Patrick Blanc. The exhibit was inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. What a stunning delight to the senses.

This beautiful sight was the first thing that greeted you as you walked into the Conservatory.


The orchids, ferns, and other epiphytes came in all sizes, colors, and fragrances.











The Conservatory had other exhibits, each of the major deserts had their own native plants on display, such as the South African Desert and the American Southwest Desert.





By early afternoon, the Conservatory because outrageously hot and humid, so we took a break and went out to photograph the other plants in the Park.





The Wisteria were just starting to bloom, and their fragrance filled the air.


There were quite a few people simply out enjoying the beautiful weather, including some artists who were taking advantage of the Cherry Trees blooming. The Cherry Trees were at the height of blooming, and their beauty was simply stunning.










We made our way through part of the park, vising the Azalea Garden, the Stone Mill, the Lilac Garden and the Cherry Collection. Unfortunately, we ran out of time before we could see the rest of the park. We missed the Magnolia garden by about a week or so, they had already gone by, but the Tree Peonies were in full bloom.









All in all, it was quite a delightful day, and I can't wait to go back again. I never thought I would say I enjoyed a trip to New York City, but I did. I'm glad that I got to spend the day with my friend, and made a new friend who carpooled with me on the way down and back.