The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, celebrating its centennial, is the most popular green garden in New York City. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is located in the most densely populated neighborhood of New York – Brooklyn. The garden, spread over an area of 21 hectares, borders the area of Prospect Park. The first land for the garden was reserved back in 1897, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden was founded only in 1910.
In more than twenty thematic zones into which the garden is divided, there are more than 12000 species of plants brought here from different parts of the world. The most magnificent spectacle of the rich botanical collections can be enjoyed in the Rose Garden, the English-style Shakespeare Garden, the three marvelous Japanese Gardens, the Stone Garden, the Children’s Garden, the Discovery Garden and the Palm Orangery, which features a large collection of dwarf bonsai trees. And the Brooklyn Garden’s Cherry Esplanade is one of the best places outside of Japan to savor the bliss of walking among cherry blossoms.
To keep the garden alive, special buildings of laboratories and buildings have been created to house scientific, educational and administrative centers.
Located on municipal land, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a non-profit organization and is budget-funded, but most of the funding comes from donations and contributions from organizations and individuals. The Brooklyn Garden frequently hosts tours, educational events and social programs organized by volunteers and botany enthusiasts. More than half a million people visit the garden each year.
Regardless of the time of year, visitors who come to the garden will see a wide palette of colors and flowers. April is the time of cherry blossoms and magnolias, replacing March’s pale yellow daffodils. Bright lilacs, thousands of tulips and azaleas will delight in May. Blooming rhododendron bushes, blossoming roses, a variety of trees and shrubs – in summer. And when snow lies on the streets of Brooklyn, you can plunge into a blooming tropical paradise in special pavilions filled with exotic plants.