This past Saturday, my partner and I and a mutual friend visited the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which is just three subway stops from our house.
Descriptions and more photos available on flickr.
CORRECTION: The insect I off-handedly identified as a "butterfly" on flickr is actually Epargyreus clarus, the Silver-Spotted Skipper. They were quite common the day of our visit. I saw them both in the Mixed Perennial Border, and in the Native Flora Garden.
In response to Black Swamp Girl's comment and question: The Cranford Rose Garden was disappointing. This was definitely past peak rose season. I had wanted to go during June - the peak month - but was unable to get there at that time. Most of the roses were not blooming. In addition to scant bloom, the plants overall were a bit the worse for wear. We had over a week of heavy rain every day until this past weekend. We had pea-sized hail on the 4th of July. So the poor things were not looking their best.
I'm not a fan of "rose gardens" where there's nothing but. Monocultures are rarely a good idea. I do want to have some roses in my mixed borders at home, though. I wanted to research some possibilities during the visit. I just didn't see anything I would have wanted in my garden!
3 comments:
Wonderful pictures, Xris. I love the copper details on that gate to the native plant gardens.
One thing that always strikes me about all-rose gardens is that they are amazing in that you know how much care must go into maintaining them, but they just don't have much appeal otherwise. Even with all of those roses in bloom in your picture, it kind of leaves me cold because there's no variety in plant height, shape, leaf, etc. Did you get that sense in person, too, or were the flowers beautiful and scented enough to overcome that?
Hey There!
I check out your blog every once in a while. I'm from Brooklyn but, didn't start gardening until recently. I have a new appreciation for the Botanic Gardens now, PLUS I was so pleased to find out about their GREAT and easy to use Gardening Books.
Thanks for keeping me posted on the growings on of the very best Borough.
Yesterday, we spoke to some people from Belfast, Maine who had stopped at the tidal bore at Maccan. They mentioned the effect that the rains had had on the roses and many other flowers in their gardens this year -- flowers becoming wet and punky and not opening. Just goes to show that you can get too much of a good thing. Beautiful photos Xris.
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