The gorgeous victorian-era Enid A. Haupt Conservatory in The Bronx’s New York Botanical Garden, practically in my backyard.
These are a Few of My Favorite Things
Maybe it’s because I’m an April baby (Aries season!!!) or because I grew up in the northeast, where spring marks the start of warm(er) weather. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly where my love affair with plants first began. I’ll tell you this much: from picking sweet smelling lilacs to seeking out wooded trails to wander, flowers and trees have always been some of my favorite things.
I remember my first trip to the New York Botanical Gardens in The Bronx at the end of 9th grade for biology class. It was love at first sight: the wide open green spaces, the gorgeous victorian-era conservatory, the sweet scent of the rose garden, and meandering riverside wooded trails. Naturally, I had to buy a souvenir, a beautiful coloring book of various rose species (which I held onto until quite recently). I was so enamored that I returned just a few weeks later on my own.
Nearby thirty years later, I live blocks from the garden, which I frequent, and have since spent countless hours exploring and photographing. New York Botanical Garden was my gateway drug, so to speak. Now, I seek out gardens wherever I travel. No better place to start than with NYBG, which is practically my backyard.
Botanical Gardens Around the Globe: The Western Hemisphere Version
North America’s Green Gems
New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York City, USA
Did you know The Bronx has more parkland than any borough of New York City? It’s true: nearly 1/3 of our borough consists of parks, including New York Botanical Garden and The Bronx Zoo, located in Bronx Park and built along the Bronx River. Stand in the middle of the garden along the riverbank and for a moment, you forget you are in one of the largest metropolises on the planet. Complete with wildlife, you’ll see frogs, hawks, lizards, rabbits, and if you’re lucky, you might just spot a raccoon — or a wild turkey!
Incorporated into a forest, at 250 acres, NYBG is one of the largest, most renowned botanical gardens in the world, complete with a Pfizer lab, tram, and its jaw droppingly gorgeous Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, showcasing plants from various climates. Visitors descend on it from around the globe to experience its annual Holiday Train Show, an ode to model trains and New York City area landmarks crafted from plants, as well as its Orchid Show, with a new theme and curator every year. The one-off exhibitions are also a draw: guests were transported to Mexico City at its Frida Kahlo exhibition, which ran from May through November 2015, and to Giverny, France with the Monet’s Garden exhibition in 2012 (which I got to see in real life a few years later!)
Bronx residents can score free tickets to the grounds on the website (an adult ticket costs $35/39, depending on if its a weekday or weekend to enter the conservatory and exhibitions.)
New York Botanical Garden
2900 Southern Blvd.
Bronx, NY 10458
Website: https://www.nybg.org/
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn, New York City, USA
There’s always been a rivalry between boroughs: the Mets versus the Yankees, and if you’re old enough, the Dodgers. When discussing botanical gardens, The Bronx is the clear winner here. Yeah, I said it. After all, we are the New York Botanical Garden.
But Brooklyn Botanic Garden is nothing to sneeze at (unless you have allergies, then, yeah, you may want to pop a Claritin before a visit.) Like NYBG, it’s also considered among the best in the world. At 52 acres, Brooklyn Botanic Garden is nestled between Brooklyn Museum and the uber popular Prospect Park, making it a strategic location to spend the day. Due to its smaller size, it can get crowded.
One standout is its Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, designed by Japanese landscape designer Takeo Shiota in the early 1940s. Filled with koi and turtles, it features wooden bridges and stone lanterns, complete with a torii (the red gate that protrudes from the middle of the pond) and Shinto shrine. Maintaining the Japanese theme, adjacent to the pond is the Cherry Walk and Esplanade, where the garden hosts its annual Cherry Blossom Festival, incorporating aspects of the culture, such as live musical, dance, and food, a favorite event each year.
There’s the Lily Pool Terrace stretching out onto a rectangular plaza, great for relaxation and quiet reflexion. Visit in summer and you’ll catch the water lilies and lotuses in full bloom. Feet away is its Steinhardt Conservatory, which houses plants from diverse parts of the world, as well as the C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum. The bonsai collection celebrated its centennial last year!
Brooklyn Botanic Garden is smack dab in Flatbush/Crown Heights aka New York City’s Little Caribbean. The last week of August into early September is the best time to visit, as the West Indian Day Parade is New York City’s biggest culminating summer event takes place on Eastern Parkway every Labor Day. In partnership with local non-profit, I AM caribBEING, BBG’s end of summer garden fetes have recently become a tradition. Celebrate the rich Caribbean cultures that make up New York City with live DJs spinning Soca, Reggae, and Dancehall and a refreshing rum punch in hand.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
990 Washington Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11225
Website: https://www.bbg.org/
Atlanta Botanical Garden, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I don’t travel around the United States often. Spring of 2024, I was in ATL for a few days with some time to kill, so you know where I headed. Smaller than either NYBG or Brooklyn Botanic Garden, at just 30 acres, Atlanta Botanical Garden hits well above its weight. By late May, Atlanta is already humid in the 80s, which gave the garden a tropical feel. Atlanta Botanical Garden has taken advantage of the city’s mild year-round weather to showcase flora common to more temperate parts of the world.
I fully intended to walk from the metro (I swear!), but rather than to sweat it up, I grabbed an Uber from Midtown, just a short ride away. As we made our way up the hill, the verdant canopy of forest was striking. Above us, I spotted metal platforms that spanned between trees, which I learned was the Kendeda Canopy Walk in the garden’s Storza Woods, a hardwood forest occupying one-third of the property. After purchasing my ticket, I practically ran there.
Next, was the Cascades Garden, a fountain complete with waterfall, backed by a 25′ tall sculpture covered in lush vegetation, aptly named “Earth Goddess”. Erected as part of an exhibition called, “Imaginary World’s”, which ran from 2013-2024, it was so wildly popular that they kept it.
Another highlight is the Japanese Garden, a quiet, peaceful spot, overlooking a tiny pond, which is a popular place for weddings. Nearby is the Perennial Garden, the oldest part of the garden, a beautifully serene section, adorned with small statues and a mini pond covered in lily pads. The garden also features some permanent installments by glass artists Dale Chihuly (yes, the same Chihuly whose work was featured at NYBG in 2017.)
I loved the Dorothy Chapman Fuqua Conservatory, which features some unique touches, like tanks with live animals endemic to jungles, such as tree frogs, and even a misting machine so that you feel like you’re walking in a tropical cloud forest.
Atlanta Botanical Garden
1345 Piedmont Avenue NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
Website: https://atlantabg.org/
Latin America and the Caribbean: Exquisite Floral Sanctuaries
The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Botanic Gardens, Kingstown, Saint Vincent
Did you know that St. Vincent Botanical Garden is believed to be the oldest botanical garden in the Americas? Founded in 1765, it’s one of the diminutive country’s top tourist sites. The 20 acre garden is in the capital, Kingstown, about a fifteen minute walk northwest of the ferry terminal.
The garden is situated at the bottom of a hill with a dramatic backdrop. On a rainy day (like the one we visited on), you can see clouds rolling off of the mountains. The property contains mature trees that are said to be hundreds of years old.
Here, you’ll get up close with Caribbean plants, which you may not recognize at first, but probably use products containing them everyday. Nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, hibiscus (or sorrel), and allspice, to name a few. If you have a green thumb and collect houseplants like I do, you’ll immediately recognize some of your favorites.
The garden includes a small aviary, the Nicholas Wildlife Aviary Complex. It’s home to the St. Vincent Amazon parrot, which they breed on-site as a conservation effort. The birds do talk and get excited if you speak back to them!
St. Vincent Botanical Garden
5Q7C+7VM New Montrose
Kingstown, St. Vincent & Grenadines
Website: http://botanicalgarden.gov.vc/
Quindío Botanical Gardens, Calarcá, Colombia
My favorite kind of botanical garden is one that showcases local flora. You don’t need an extravagant conservatory or Insta-ready exhibitions when you can tap into natural beauty. That’s exactly what they’ve done with Quindío Botanical Gardens. With Colombia coming in #2 for world biodiversity, they’ve got nature at their fingertips.
Set in the heart of Colombia’s idyllic coffee region, Quindío Botanical Gardens is a few miles outside Calarcá city limits, which quickly fade into rustic countryside. The uniqueness and beauty of this region made it one of UNESCO world heritage sites: Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia.
Open to the public since December 2000, aside from the obvious (coffee), visitors will learn about other botany from this part of the country, such as guadua, a local bamboo, as well as the national flower, the orchid, and the wax palm (Ceroxylon quindiuense), endemic to Quindío and the tallest species of palm.
The trails and suspension bridge cut through dense forest, giving a feel of adventure. There’s even a 22 meter high observation tower you can climb for a spectacular view – you’re going to want to take some pictures. But wait, there’s more…
There’s also a butterfly farm housed in a metal structure in the adorable shape of a butterfly, which you’ll get a bird’s eye of from the observation deck. Boasting over 50 butterfly species, it’s a destination in its own right. Several of the butterflies landed on me, allowing for some excellent close-up shots.
Fun fact: butterflies enjoy a stiff drink. It’s true: if you’ve ever visited a butterfly farm, you’ll notice the fruit kept out – usually citrus – which they suck the nectar from. In the sun, especially in warmer climates, the fruit will begin to ferment meaning…yes, those butterflies are getting a buzz.
Quindío Botanical Gardens
Km 3 vía al Valle del Cauca
Calarcá, Quindío, Colombia
*No website
What’s your favorite botanical garden?