Wildflower Week in New York City

Posted in Programs and Events on May 15 2013, by Ann Rafalko

The landscape of our new Native Plant Garden is evolving daily. Each day brings a new bloom, a new leaf, a new hue, or a new resident to this amazing 3.5-acre landscape. It is a celebration of the native plants of the northeast, of which wildflowers are the most delicate and ephemeral. And we’re very happy to be participating in the sixth annual NYC Wildflower Week!

On Friday, Wildflower Week participants are invited to a very special tour of the Native Plant Garden, Thain Family Forest, and Azalea Garden. The tour, Native Flowers, Forest & Azaleas of NYBG, will be conducted by Jody Payne, Director of the Native Plant Garden; Jessica Arcate-Schuler, Director of the Thain Family Forest; Deanna Curtis, Curator of Woody Plants; and Kristin Schleiter, Director of Outdoor Gardens. The tour–offered rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on May 17–is free with paid admission and participants should meet at the Leon Levy Visitor Center Reflecting Pool.

The tour starts in the Native Plant Garden where you’ll get an exciting look at a garden that the New York Times called “a shifting, transforming web of interactions: Nature, shaped, nudged, guided and cultivated, by its human servants.” The Native Plant Garden flows seamlessly into the Forest, the largest remaining swath of the woods that once covered all five boroughs. The Forest isn’t just a collection of trees, it is also a living, breathing outdoor laboratory for scientists, ecologists, and horticulturists studying urban ecosystems. Exit the Forest and enter the Azalea Garden which is in absolute peak bloom. Featuring the highest elevation of the Garden’s 250-acres and an absolute riot of color, be dazzled and delighted by the native shrubs and wildflowers of this spectacular garden.

If you can’t make it to the Bronx there are plenty of other Wildflower Week events. See the full schedule here.