Women’s History Month

Throughout March

Online & At the Garden

We’re proud to honor the lives and accomplishments of women pioneers and trailblazers, researchers and innovators, activists and advocates, and the many people past and present who’ve advanced our knowledge of plants and worked to protect our planet’s biodiversity. Throughout March, join NYBG as we dive into the work that not only made the Garden the cultural institution it is today—but contributed to advancements in science, horticulture, and education that even now continue to steer our work to protect the planet and empower communities.

A garden bordering a pond, full of pink azaleas and green foliage

25th Annual Winter Lecture Series: Cassie Banning

March 27; 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
Ross Hall

The Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve located in Seal Harbor, Maine is a place of serenity spanning across 1,400 acres of breathtaking natural lands and historic gardens adjacent to Acadia National Park. Cassie Banning, Director of Farm & Gardens at the Preserve, oversees the horticultural standards across the Preserve’s three gardens, each of which is a unique work of art that reinforces a strong sense of place and contributes to the wonder of coastal Maine. Banning will share a brief history of these three gardens and take us on a behind-the-scenes tour into the craft of the gardens as well as horticulture maintenance practices used to preserve their historic nature.

Learn More & Register

An aerial view of the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden

Women in Garden Design Tours

March 20 & 27; 11:30 a.m.
March 16 & 30; 1 p.m.
Meet at the Visitor Center Reflecting Pool

Join NYBG volunteer experts on a one-hour guided tour of NYBG’s collections that were designed by women, including the Ladies’ Border, Perennial Garden, and Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden. The tour will not only highlight these collections, but the momentous contributions of the women who cultivated them.

Learn More

Rooted in Plants

Hear from our Teen Explainers as they profile the lives and work of two remarkable women:

Explore plant connections between the wetland ecology of the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden and Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, the land where abolitionist Harriet Tubman (1822–1913) was formerly enslaved.

Learn about the important contributions of Janaki Ammal (1897–1984), the first woman from India to earn a doctorate in botany in America. Through her studies of plant breeding, she is credited with developing improvements for commercial plants to feed the Indian population and use her influence to preserve indigenous plants.

Rooted in Plants: Janaki Ammal
Rooted in Plants: Harriet Tubman

Inspiring Women in the Plant World

Here at the Garden and beyond, women are leading the charge in plant science, gardening, and beyond. Get to know a few of our current staff members, young volunteers, and figures from throughout history who’ve contributed to our love and understanding of plants.

A girl with a black hat and blue shirt stands in front of the ocean and holds a bunch of kelp.

Field Studies in Panama: Researching Aquatic Flora

During a trip to Panama, Dr. Ana María Bedoya leads a team of students through forests, over mountainous trails, and to some of the most remote river communities in the country in search of aquatic plants. Learn more about her often challenging field studies tracking down plants in extreme environments.

A person in a hat and blue shirt takes a photo of a green fern

How Ferns Inspired Dr. Emily Sessa's Lifelong Career

Dr. Emily Sessa’s office is flooded with light—fit for a scientist who studies plants. She sits facing out onto the Garden, from a perfect vantage point overlooking the grounds—and the flora encompassed within. Plants have been a mainstay of Sessa’s life since childhood, driving her interests in researching one of the lesser understood, yet incredibly important plant groups: the ferns.

A person in black clothing walks through a greenhouse full of green foliage while explaining something

What's Growing in the Nolen Greenhouses?

Did you know that NYBG grows and cares for over 1 million plants across its 250 acres? Join Summer Rayne Oakes along with Kelly Ivanoski, Manager of our Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections, as they explore the state-of-the-art space where so many of NYBG’s plants get their start.

A person in jeans, a white shirt, and a gardening apron crouches by a tree holding a plant with red leaves

Women of Bronx Green-Up

Bronx Green-Up has spent decades working closely with Bronx neighborhoods to develop local gardens and urban farms—and empower the people of New York City to grow food in their own communities. Hear from some of our staff as well as the women discovering their love of plants through this important part of NYBG’s outreach.

Kaylah Paramore: My Summer Internship with Bronx Green-Up

Women of Bronx Green-Up: Ursula Chanse

A group of six people pose for a black and white photo outdoors

NYBG's First Women Gardeners

During World War II, as many men were fighting overseas, NYBG welcomed a number of new women gardeners, librarians, and other staffers to the team. Take a look back at the work they tackled, and the ways they became key figures in the Garden’s 134-year history.

A person sits at an easel inside a home, painting

Spotlight on Helen O'Gorman

Learn about American sculptor and botanical illustrator Helen Fowler O’Gorman whose most well-known work focused on the native flora of Mexico. Enjoy select images of O’Gorman’s work that features plants on display in The Orchid Show: Mexican Modernism exhibition.

Collage of dried plant collections and collectors featuring black and white oval images of prominent female cryptogamic botanists.

Historic Women in Science, Botany, and Horticulture

NYBG’s The Hand Lens dives into the stories of innovative women in botany and horticulture who have contributed to science through cutting-edge research and activism. Learn about groundbreakers such as Sarah “Sadie” Frances Price (depicted here) and others who are recognized for their significant contributions to our current understanding and appreciation of botany.

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