Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Sitting on what was once the site of an ash dump, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden has been a colorful addition to the city for nearly 100 years.

A Brief History

Citing the need for some dedicated green space, the New York legislature put aside 39 acres in 

Rose Garden

1897 for the building of a botanic garden. Though it took 13 years to design and open the garden, in 1910 it finally opened to the public. Through the first decade, the garden continued to grow with new additions including rock gardens, a Japanese garden, and a children's garden.

In 1917, an auxiliary was formed to support the garden and things

Palm House and Lily Pool

continued to expand within the 39 acres (16 ha), eventually stretching to 52 acres (21 ha) to include the addition of the Rose Arc Pool, the Steinhardt Conservatory, an education center, and the Palm House.
Since 2000, a number of elements have also been restored or renovated and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden now houses some 10,000 different kinds of plants from around the world.

What You'll See

It will take a few hours to sufficiently cover all that the garden has to offer and guests should make time for a leisurely stroll so as not to miss anything.

A good first stop is the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, the first Japanese garden created within an American public garden. 

Japanese Garden

Designed by a Japanese artist who lived in New York, it features not only water and highly-manicured gardens but also bridges, lanterns, gateways, and a Shinto shrine.

The Shakespeare Garden is a typical English cottage garden while the Fragrance Garden, originally created for the visually impaired, encourages visitors to touch and smell the blooms.

In March and April, the Magnolia Plaza is the most fragrant part of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Spread in front of the administration building, it features 17 varieties of fragrant magnolia trees.

Rock Garden

For a look at some tropical beauties, check out the Lily Pool Terrace, an area which includes 100 varieties of tropical water-lilies and sacred lotus, best viewed at their peak in July, August, and September.

Inside the Steinhardt Conservatory you'll find an impressive collection of greenhouse plants, and in the Children's Garden, young visitors are invited to garden, with 800 doing so each year. This is the oldest established children's garden in the country.

Sundial Statue

Finally, the beautiful Cranford Rose Garden features 5,000 bushes of 1,200 varieties of America's favorite flower. Open during the spring, summer, and early fall, the rose garden staff offers classes for potential rose growers.

Several other gardens also delight the senses, including a rock garden, daffodil hill and herb garden. For a more complete overview of the whole botanic garden, consider taking an informative and inexpensive 90-minute tour of the facility. Some tours also include a buffet lunch. In addition, public classes/programs are held nearly every day that the gardens are open.

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