First-time visitors to New York, on a tight schedule, sometimes skip the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, imagining it less worthy of their focus than the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, which hogs all the glory.
Photography by Marie Viljoen.
While it is true that the BBG is much smaller than its mainland cousin, it remains an immersive experience, a botanical escape from the city that presses on its edges.
Seen from above the Cranford Rose Garden, cherry trees in bloom are a pink haze in the distance.
The double pink flowers of 76 Prunus ‘Kanzan’ trees on the Cherry Esplanade are a magnet for Brooklynites in spring and draw visitors from all over the world.
One of the best places to enjoy the blossoms is from an overlook facing south, where the texture of young leaves and fresh blossom fills the view.
Wisteria follows on the heels of cherries, and the clusters of purple drip from sturdy pergolas to fill the air with perfume.
Wisteria and the new growth of clipped yew (Taxus species) flank the wide steps leading from the migraine-bright azaleas on the Osborne Terrace to the lilac garden below.
The highly anticipated annual BBG Plant Sale starts on Wednesday. On Thursday, from 9 am to 8 pm the sale will be open to the public.
South of the Cherry Esplanade, Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica ‘Excelsior’) spread like a reversed spring sky under the towering beeches and oaks.
In May the luscious tree peony garden begins to bloom, with some full-blown flowers the size of dinner plates.
The Cranford Rose Garden is bursting with familiar flowers by the end of May, but visit early to see some of the older roses, whose single blooms appear just once, and not again in the season.
For ecological purists, the recently expanded Native Garden is a refuge from exotic ornamentals. Here in the pond, you can find golden club (Orontium aquaticum) in bloom.
The bushy Clematis ochroleuca is best appreciated at close quarters where each exquisite flower can be seen in detail. Dip into the kitchen garden or admire the meticulously curated perennial borders on the Lily Pond Terrace.