The New York Botanical Garden: a Garden of Delights

There was no better way to celebrate July 4 this year than to meet my friend Dorcas, take two buses from our neighborhood in The Bronx and visit The New York Botanical Garden. I had never been there before, and for me it was a revelation. I never knew such a vast, beautiful botanical garden existed. It was a scorching hot 100-degree day, but the shade of the many trees provided some refuge from the brutal heat, and we were able to tour the park by riding the trams, which also provided recorded descriptions of the various attractions as we went along. Unfortunately, on the day we were there the intercoms were not working properly, so we missed some of the descriptions, but the garden was so incredible that it didn't matter.

The New York Botanical Garden was founded in 1891 by Columbia University botanist Nathaniel Lord Britton and his wife Elizabeth, along with members of the Torrey Botanical Club. It was built on land that had been part of the estate of a wealthy tobacco merchant named Pierre Lorillard. In fact, one of the attractions of the garden is an old mill which was used to manufacture snuff tobacco.

To find out more about The New York Botanical Garden, and how to get there, go here:

The New York Botanical Garden

I couldn't resist taking pictures when I was there, and I am posting what I think are the best of them here. Enjoy!