Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Back to NYC and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Part 1

No, sadly I'm not back in NYC. This is a leftover post from our trip last October. I wrote about Little Island, the High Line, New York Botanical Garden and Wave Hill, but somehow never got around to sharing my visit to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which was the first garden I visited on that trip...

Inside the gates I first encountered the semi-formal Osborne Garden.

The garden map indicated that sitting on the grass was allowed. This gets a big "thumbs up" from me. Public gardens that don't allow visitors to sit on, or even walk across, the lawn are way too caught up in some archaic idea of what a garden is.

Walking along the overlook in route to the Steinberg Visitors Center...

...and it's green roof.

There was a great interactive display just outside the restrooms.

I kind of wanted this t-shirt in the gift shop. If you only knew how many times I mean to type "plans" but it comes out "plants"...

I really loved this container grouping on the patio outside the visitors center.

Araucaria araucana (monkey puzzle) trees with Salvia discolor.

Aka Andean silver-leaf sage.

And chocolate cosmos, Cosmos atrosanguineus. Perfectly dreamy...

I ever-so-briefly detoured through the Japanese garden.

Enroute to the Shakespeare Garden and the Fragrance Garden.



Things were obviously being cleared out, I was here at the end of October.

This Furcraea foetida 'Mediopicta' was next in line.

The largest Oxydendrum arboreum (sourwood) I've ever seen.

Ah, the conservatories...

And lily pool...

There were four of those water-spewing verdigris fish heads.

The first door I tried. It was locked. As near as I can tell (post visit online research) this beautiful space is only used for events.

The second door I came too, also locked. At least there was an explanation as to why.

And agaves, strappy ones.

So the buildings weren't very welcoming, but the pool was lovely.


Finally! Buildings I could get inside.


There was an Aquatic House, Desert Pavilion, Tropical Pavilion, and a Warm Temperate Pavilion—but first, The Trail of Plant Evolution.



Drynaria quercifolia/Aglaomorpha quercifolia 

Selaginella braunii and S. moellendorffii

Cycas edentata


Into the Aquatic House we go...

Platycerium coronarium (I think... I tried to keep the ID on all these fabulous ferns correct but may have messed up).

Platycerium grande

Platycerium alcicorne



Platycerium angolense



Pretty fabulous, right? Friday we return to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and start in the Desert House...

—   —   —

To receive alerts of new danger garden posts by email, subscribe here. Please note; these are sent from a third party, you’ll want to click thru to read the post here on the blog to avoid their annoying ads. 

All material © 2009-2023 by Loree L Bohl. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

10 comments:

  1. I would absolutely mess up the names of the staghorn ferns. They look too similar for someone (me!) who isn't familiar with them. The photos are fantastic though. In fact, everything in 'The Trail of Plant Evolution' house is looking exquisite. I don't often feel zone envy but Cycas edentata... love those.
    Chavli

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I tried to photograph the plant and then the label so future me would know what order they were in. There's no way I could rely on my ability to know the different kinds of staghorn ferns I was looking at.

      Delete
  2. I haven't been there in years, but it still looks as good as I remember. Of course, we skipped the conservatories and spent time in the Japanese garden. Any id on that wonderful crinkly green and white foliage you went by after the big pond? I think all of us could use that t-shirt.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I almost didn't include that image (the wonderful crinkly green and white foliage) because I didn't have an ID, but it's so cool I had to! According to a Google image search it may be Silybum Marianum, milk thistle.

      Delete
  3. Despite the locked doors, this garden is pretty fabulous. I love the 'Trail to Plant Evolution', combining education with beauty just as a good botanic garden should do. I also enjoyed the swaths of fall color, something I see relatively little of in my part of the country. Do you have any idea what the plant in photo #13 is? It reminded me to Pelargonium peltatum 'Crocodile' but the leaf shape wasn't quite right...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As I told Linda I almost didn't include that image because I didn't have an ID, according to a Google image search it may be Silybum Marianum, milk thistle.

      Delete
  4. Even though late in the season there is still so much to see. The staghorns are fabulous. I didn't realize there were so many different species. Too bad about the inaccessable greenhouses. Looking forward to the desert house.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am afraid I'm going to disappoint you with my lack of coverage of the desert house.

      Delete
  5. This garden is so beautiful. I'd love to visit and just gaze around!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Comment moderation is on (because you know: spam), I will approve and post your comment as soon as possible!