The Botanical Garden’s Own Waterfalls

Posted in Gardens and Collections, Video on July 24 2008, by Plant Talk

Nick Leshi is Associate Director of Public Relations and Electronic Media.

With Olafur Eliasson’s ambitious New York City Waterfalls project receiving so much attention, it’s worth mentioning our own cascading waterfalls that visitors can see at The New York Botanical Garden. Not to detract from the multi-million dollar display along the East River presented by the Public Art Fund in collaboration with the City of New York, the four waterfalls here at the Botanical Garden are just as captivating and mesmerizing in their beautiful settings.

Glenn Collins wrote in The New York Times about the many other aquatic falls located throughout the city, including the ones here at NYBG. In his follow-up the next day on the “City Room” blog, readers also identified the Garden’s falls as sites to see.

Read about what you’re seeing below in the video after the jump, in Nick’s rundown of the four falls that flow at the Botanical Garden:

The Waterfalls of The New York Botanical Garden from The New York Botanical Garden on Vimeo.

• In the Rock Garden, a picturesque stream tumbles down a stone cliff. One of the Henry Moore sculptures, Seated Woman, part of the popular Moore in America exhibition, rests nearby. Colorful plantings highlight the view, making it one of the more romantic destinations at the Botanical Garden.
• The most dramatic waterfall at the Garden is on the Bronx River, near the landmark Snuff Mill, part of the historic artifacts built by the area’s previous landowners, the Lorillard family. Surrounded by the towering trees of the 50-acre Forest at the heart of the 250-acre Garden, the waterfall is a wonder to behold, requiring adventurers rafting down the City’s largest fresh water river to disembark before continuing down its rapids.
• Families visiting the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden are always delighted to see the large waterfall located past the Discovery Center and near the Bendheim Greenhouse. A path enables visitors to walk above the falls. It’s the perfect spot to take a picture with the kids!
• Finally, a small but charming waterfall can be found in the permanent exhibition A World of Plants in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, almost hidden around a corner in the Highland Tropical Rain Forest Gallery. Be sure to look for it.

My favorite Eliasson waterfall is the one at the Brooklyn Bridge, but I have difficulty selecting a favorite waterfall at The New York Botanical Garden. Each one captures my imagination in its own special way.