‘Heart of the Garden’ Blooms in New York
By Todd Forrest, Vice President for Horticulture and Living Collections, The New York Botanical Garden
Known around the world as a museum of plants with far-reaching botanical science and educational programs, The New York Botanical Garden also is the steward of a 250-acre National Historic Landmark landscape in New York City. The Botanical Garden’s historic landscape features 50 gardens, plant collections, and displays developed over the past 120 years to serve our research and education programs and to delight the public with the beauty and diversity of plants.
Over the past decade, we have been restoring the Garden’s historic landscape, with an emphasis on the 85-acre “Heart of the Garden,” a unique mosaic of old-growth native forest that pre-dates the Garden and naturalistic gardens created during the implementation of a 1920’s master plan, developed by the Olmsted Brothers firm. Working with renowned landscape architect Laurie Olin of Olin Partnership, we created a plan to restore and enhance the Heart of the Garden with the goal of celebrating the unique qualities of the natural landscape while providing exciting new horticultural spectacles to inspire and delight our visitors.
The new Azalea Garden, which opened on May 7, is the first major project completed within the Heart of the Garden. This 11-acre garden features encyclopedic collections of azaleas, rhododendrons, and extensive sweeps of woodland perennials, planted amidst some of the Garden’s most dramatic topography and venerable native trees. From 2009 to 2011, horticulturists planted more than 2,500 new azaleas and rhododendrons, 1,000 other trees and shrubs, 40,000 bulbs, and 30,000 perennials in the shade of ancient oaks, tulip trees, and sweet gums. A dazzling diversity of azaleas and rhododendrons now provides flowers from March through July (with a peak in late April and Early May), while the companion plants extend the flowering season and provide touches of subtle beauty throughout the year.
The new plantings are massed so they can be enjoyed from along nearly a mile of new pathways that wind through the stands of centenarian trees and traverse slopes that rise 55 feet from valley to peak. New gathering circles, overlooks, and benches provide opportunities to rest and enjoy long views of the landscape. Interpretive signs and plant labels teach visitors about the plants, the natural features of the site, and the design of the new garden.
The completed Azalea Garden is the first step in ongoing efforts to restore the historic heart of The New York Botanical Garden. Future projects include the creation of a new Native Plant Garden and the ecological restoration of the 50-acre Native Forest, the largest remnant of natural forest in New York City. Together these projects will create an 85-acre oasis of natural beauty, great “plantsmanship,” and informed stewardship that is unique to New York City.
(Photography by Ivo M. Vermuelen)