Highlights from the NY Botanical Garden part 2

I loved the whimsical, fun nature of Yayoi Kusama's artwork; admission to the Garden is $35 but if you go on a day with nice weather you could easily spend all day here

The Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, originally laid out in 1916 (by one of the few female landscape architects), features 3000+ roses representing 700+ different species, hybrids and cultivated varieties

I don't think there's a more peaceful, relaxing place to walk anywhere in New York City; the main gardens and conservatory are close to the entrance but the rose garden was on the far side (there is a tram though)

The Thain Family Forest is the largest existing remnant of the original forest which covered all of NYC before the arrival of Europeans in the 17th century; it contains oaks, American beeches, cherry, birch and white ash trees, some more than 200 yrs old

The robust Postillion shrubrose in vivid yellow has a rich fragrance and high winter hardiness; you really get a sense of the economic inequality that exists in NYC traveling by bus through the Bronx

The Botanic Garden is located an hour away from lower Manhattan by bus and is next to the Bronx Zoo which I visited the last time I was in NYC

The Ruth Howell Vegetable Garden is the centerpiece of NYBG's Edible Academy; the acclaimed, 62-year-old garden-based education program helps locals better understand nutritional awareness and environmental stewardship

The tulip tree allee was planted in 1905 as a stately approach to the Mertz Library; originally the approach also had Carolina poplars but for some reason they were removed early on

Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees, Yoyoi Kusama, 2002-2021; the NYBG's extensive research facilities include a herbarium of 7.8 million specimens dating back 3+ centuries, among the largest in the world

One of the most commonly cultivated alliums is Purple Sensation; dogs and cats are very susceptible to poisoning after the consumption of certain species of alliums

The Matelich Anninversary Peony Collection features 150+ varieties including this one called Paconia Purple Phoenix Flying to the Sun; the Garden also has a 37-acre conifer collection

There are dozens of humorous artworks by Yayoi Kusama, such as Dancing Pumpkin, that help substantially drive attendance; each year new pieces and attractions are added to keep the idea fresh

Tepejilote Cimarron is a palm native to Mexico that has ovoid-ellipsoid fruits, greenish-yellow in color that turn orange and then red when fully ripe

The Mysore clockvine is native to southern and tropical India (and named for the city of Mysore); the vine (with dramatic blossoms) is ideally suited to pergolas and grows quickly in frost-free climates

The Sudanese aloe blooms primarily in the winter and makes a long-lasting cut flower; for more than a century after its opening, the NYBG refused to charge admission

Naturally occurring Eastern Cape blue cycads can only be found around the Port Elizabeth and Uitenhage districts in South Africa; the species is threatened in its endemic region but is now grown worldwide

Starry Pumpkin, Yoyoi Kusama, 2015; 1+ million people visit the Garden annually including nearly 90,000 children from underserved neighboring communities

The inferno coleus has scorching deep orange leaves from early summer until first frost; NYBG operates one of the world's largest plant research and conservation programs

The NY Botanical Garden was established in 1891 and is located on a 250-acre site in the Bronx that contains a landscape with over one million living plants