Gardeners can make a difference! This step-by-step guide to offsetting climate change through gardens and landscaping explains what happens when the atmospheric balance of carbon and nitrogen goes awry, and how plants, soil, and synthetic gardening aids (such as fertilizer and pesticides) affect climate.
Are you interested in making Brooklyn a cleaner and greener place to live and grow? The Street Tree Stewardship initiative empowers everyday New Yorkers to correctly care for their trees. Trees face many natural and man-made threats and require ongoing maintenance, including regular watering and tending to the tree bed.…
The Mulford Expedition of 1921–1922 was organized by Henry Hurd Rusby to explore the Amazon Valley from the headwaters of the Quime River in Bolivia to the mouth of the Amazon in Brazil.
As one of the first public gardens to use the internet to connect with its constituents, Brooklyn Botanic Garden has been online since 1995. Over the years, our site has grown to thousands of pages of content. As the size of the site grew, its architecture made much of this…
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden Historic Image Collection consists of glass plate negatives, lantern slides, film-based negatives, and works on paper created during the first half of the 20th century. These images document all aspects of the Garden: the growth and development of the physical plant and grounds, horticultural displays, special…
Join us during Climate Week NYC as a panel of practitioners looks to neighborhood gardening as a vital climate solution and source of inspiration.
Meet Brooklyn’s Greening Heroes—community leaders and volunteers who are planting trees, cultivating community gardens, greening streets, and organizing their neighbors to build a more resilient city. Together with Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Community Greening programs, these local change-makers are transforming Brooklyn one block at a time.
Hear their stories, learn practical ways to get involved, and discover how small, collective actions can make a difference in addressing the climate crisis. You’ll leave with ideas and inspiration for how you can help create a greener, healthier Brooklyn.
Panelists:
Althea Joseph, P.L.A.N.T, Greenest Block in Brooklyn winner, 2026
ASL interpretation will be provided; please contact [email protected] with any accessibility-related questions.
Panelists
Saskia Randle (moderator) is the design and curatorial associate at the Climate Museum, overseeing the museum’s graphic design and digital presence and supporting exhibition conceptualization and research. Prior to joining the Climate Museum in 2018, she wrote for Galerie Magazine, a quarterly art and architecture publication, and directed Columbia Ballet Collaborative, a student-led ballet company at Columbia University. She received her B.A. in Urban Studies with a specialization in architecture and minors in environmental science and art history from Barnard College.
Annel Hernandez is the director of Climate and Environmental Policy at the New York City Council. She also teaches environmental justice and climate resiliency at Columbia University. Previously, she was associate director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance leading on city and statewide climate policy issues that further equitable investments in coastal resiliency, green infrastructure, urban forestry, renewable energy, and resilient energy systems. She actively researches the benefits of integrated climate resiliency approaches and developing pathways to implementation in frontline communities. She received her BA in Political Science and Latino Studies from Fordham University, and her MPA in Energy and Environment from Columbia University. Hernandez is a lifelong New Yorker and current resident of Bushwick.
Emily Nobel Maxwell is director of The Nature Conservancy’s Cities Program in New York. An architect of the New York City Urban Forest Agenda and author of the State of the Urban Forest in NYC, she helps lead Forest for All NYC. Maxwell previously led a variety of initiatives related to urban greening, equity, and sustainability in NYC and Philadelphia, focused on parks, community gardens, schools, and the urban forest. Maxwell also authored Building Capacity through Diversity and Urban Coastal Resilience: Valuing Nature’s Role. She has a B.A. in Urban Studies and M.S. in Natural Resource Policy with specialization in Environmental Justice.
Carolyn Monastra is a Brooklyn-based artist, activist, and educator who uses photography, video, public art, and community engagement to address environmental concerns and examine humans’ relationship with our ecosystems. Awards include grants from the Puffin Foundation and BRIC Arts Media, along with residencies at Ucross, Djerassi, Caldera Arts, and Blue Mountain Center, among others. Her photography exhibit “Witness Trees” is currently on display in the Conservatory Gallery here at the Garden.
Gabriela Salazar was born in New York City to architects from Puerto Rico. She has had solo exhibitions at NURTUREart; the Bronx River Arts Center; the Lighthouse Works, Fishers Island; Efrain Lopez Gallery, Chicago; the River Valley Arts Collective at the Al Held Foundation, New York, and with the Climate Museum. Her work has been included in group shows at the Whitney Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park, the Queens Museum, El Museo del Barrio, Someday Gallery, Storm King Art Center, and other spaces. Residencies include Workspace (LMCC); Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, Abrons Arts Center, the Drawing Center, and the Socrates Emerging Artist Fellowship.
Support
Presenting Sponsor, Power of Trees
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Join BBG’s curatorial team for a special tour of Ancestral Ecologies, a site-specific exhibition by artist Olalekan Jeyifous and environmental art and architecture practice AD‑WO, the inaugural fellows of BBG’s new Heidi Nitze Art × Environment Fellowship.
Presented in conjunction with the 2026 Archtober festival and its “In our Hands” focus on community and optimism, this tour highlights the artworks’ connection to ancient forms of sustainable architecture and construction, cultural exchange, and climate resiliency. We will discuss the artists’ year-long process of researching and responding to distinct phenomena found in the Garden and its communities to create four multisensory installations that explore how Afrodiasporic and Latinx worldviews can inform contemporary ecological knowledge and stewardship.
This is one of the last chances to experience this exhibition before it closes on October 25!
Included with Garden admission. The tour departs promptly at 5 p.m., the first 50 attendees will receive listening devices. This tour includes traveling on uneven terrain; please contact [email protected] with any accessibility-related questions.
The Heidi Nitze Art × Environment Fellowship is made possible through the generous support of the Heidi Nitze Foundation.
On certain summer days, biting into a ripe, juicy peach is exactly what the moment calls for. But if you have the fortitude to turn on the oven despite the heat, you unlock a battery of homey peach desserts, including this charmingly named pandowdy.
{embed="includes/_inline_image" file="/img/uploads/lightbox/_list_thumbnail_retina/Pandowdy_serving_close_SF.jpg"}Photo by Stephanie Fletcher.
An old-timey Pennsylvania Dutch dessert traditionally made with apples, a pandowdy is more rustic than a pie and easier to make, featuring a somewhat haphazard top crust over a pile of in-season fruit. In the same family as a cobbler or crisp, in summer it’s perfectly suited to peaches.
There are more than two thousand varieties of peaches (Prunus persica), developed for fruit and flowers alike. Ornamental flowering cultivars boast showy clusters of early-spring blossoms in pinks ranging from pale blush to magenta. Fruits can be yellow-fleshed or white (or even red), plump and round or donut-shaped, fuzzy or smooth (nectarines are simply fuzz-free peaches). You can use any of these for this recipe.
{embed="includes/_inline_image" file="/img/uploads/lightbox/_list_thumbnail_retina/halehaven-peach_JW_06949.jpg"}Prunus persica ‘Halehaven’ in the Herb Garden. Photo by Jeremy Weine.
Although their Latin name suggests Persian origin (where Europeans first encountered them), peaches actually hail from China. In the U.S., post-Columbian exchange, we have Indigenous peoples to thank for the fruit’s proliferation across the Southeastern states, according to research by archaeologists at Pennsylvania State University. Utilizing Indigenous land-management techniques and expertise, Native communities in the 16th century cultivated, bred, and shared new peach varieties along existing trade networks.
Caring for peach trees is fairly labor-intensive, as they require rigorous annual pruning and are susceptible to disease and pests. Trees typically begin fruiting in their second or third year and have a short lifespan, often only 10 to 15 years. Still, their offerings are so abundant and beloved that the effort is well worth it. One characteristic that works in growers’ favor: Peaches are self-fertile, meaning flowers have both male and female parts and a single tree can produce fruit.
The trees are also excellent candidates for espalier—training them to grow along a trellis or wall. This technique is not just aesthetically pleasing; it helps manage the trees’ shape, keeping them compact with maximum exposure to sunlight. When trained against a wall, the structure’s residual heat can also protect the trees from frost in early spring and help fruit to ripen in the summer.
{embed="includes/_inline_image" file="/img/uploads/lightbox/_list_thumbnail_retina/curlfree-peach_RB_4793227145.jpg"}Prunus persica ‘Curlfree’ bearing fruit. Photo by Rebecca Bullene.
The best peaches for eating are those that have ripened on the tree. When choosing them at the farmers’ market or grocer, check the color underneath the fruit’s rosy blush—it should be yellow or white, depending on the variety, without any green tint. Greenish fruits will not get any sweeter upon storage, but firm, well-colored peaches will continue to soften and ripen.
You may sometimes see peaches categorized as clingstone or freestone, indicating whether the fruit clings to the pit or comes away easily, but this information isn’t always visible at the point of purchase; if you get home and find that your peaches are refusing to release from their pits, simply cut away the fruit as best you can.
In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and pulse until evenly incorporated; the mixture should look powdery with a few visible flakes of butter. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the milk and pulse two or three times, just until the liquid is incorporated. The dough will look very crumbly and soft but should hold together when you pinch a bit between your fingers.
(If you do not have a food processor: Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and work them into the flour using your fingers, squeezing and crumbling until the butter is mostly incorporated. Add the milk and finish mixing using a wooden spoon or your fingers.)
Turn out the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap and press the crumbs together into a square. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until you are ready to make the pandowdy. The dough can also be frozen for up to a month; bring to cool room temperature before rolling.
Make the Filling
About half an hour before baking, preheat the oven to 425°F. Take the wrapped dough out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature until pliant enough to roll, 10 to 15 minutes.
While the oven is preheating, pit and cut the peaches into 1/2-inch slices; you should have about 6 cups. In a large bowl, combine the peaches, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla and toss until the dry ingredients are moistened and the peaches are evenly coated. Transfer the filling to an 8-inch square baking dish, filling the dish as evenly as possible; scrape any juices from the bowl over the peaches.
{embed="includes/_inline_image" file="/img/uploads/lightbox/_list_thumbnail_retina/Pandowdy_whole_on-rack_SF.jpg"}Peach pandowdy, fresh from the oven. Photo by Stephanie Fletcher.
Assemble and Bake
On a lightly floured surface using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough into an approximately 9-inch square.
Gently lift the crust and drape it over the peach filling. Tuck the edges of the crust back into the dish as best you can—it’s not meant to be perfect. Use a paring knife to cut several slashes in the dough. Brush the top of the crust with milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pandowdy from the oven and carefully use a spatula to cut several more large slits in the crust, perpendicular to the first ones. Lower the heat to 375°F and continue to bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is thick and bubbling up through the crust, 45 to 55 minutes more.
Let cool almost completely, at least 2 hours, before serving—with ice cream if desired.
You’re invited! Spend the day with your family and connect with colleagues at the beautiful Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Enjoy something for everyone: inspiring art installations, hands-on children’s activities, and exclusive guided tours of BBG’s renowned gardens.
Registration Instructions
Preregistration by September 11, 2026, is strongly encouraged. Walk-ups are welcome with a corporate ID. Those who preregister will receive a previsit email with a digital itinerary.
Capital One employees receive complimentary admission for themselves and up to five adult guests. Children under 12 are admitted free of charge. Employees will be asked to present their corporate ID alongside their tickets. Employees without IDs may bring pay stubs or business cards with a photo ID (driver’s license, etc.) as proof of employment.
Capital One exclusive tours are available for sign-up on-site and are limited to 20 people maximum (first-come, first-served). Arrive at 10 a.m. to secure your spot.
Arrive at the 990 Washington Avenue entrance; visit the dedicated Capital One ticket window to scan your admission tickets, then register for tour tickets at a cart just inside the entrance. Tour tickets are first-come, first-served.
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of BBG’s Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest, Block by Block honors the neighbors who turn stoops and sidewalks into beautiful green spaces.
Streetscapes: Explore re-created stoops designed in collaboration with recent Greenest Block contest winners.
Brooklyn’s Greening Heroes: Enjoy portraits and first-person stories from residents who have turned gardening into community building.
The four multisensory installations of Ancestral Ecologies, created by Brooklyn-based artist Olalekan Jeyifous and the environmental art and architecture practice AD-WO, consider how African diasporic and Latinx worldviews can inform contemporary ecological knowledge and stewardship.
Enter through the dedicated Capital One ticket window at 990 Washington Avenue for check-in and tour registration starting at 10 a.m. Program itineraries will be available at both entrances.
Entrances
990 Washington Avenue
455 Flatbush Avenue
Our 150 Eastern Parkway entrance is temporarily closed.
Nearest Subways
2/3: Eastern Parkway—Brooklyn Museum for 990 Washington Avenue entrance
B/Q/S: Prospect Park for 455 Flatbush Avenue entrance (no B train on weekends)
4/5: Franklin Avenue (no elevator) for 990 Washington Avenue entrances
Capital One employees receive year-round complimentary admission during general admission hours for themselves and five adult guests (children under 12 are free). Additional benefits are listed below. Ask your employee engagement representative for more information.
Access for a group of 20 employees to join up to three of BBG Members’ Summer Evenings
Corporate Volunteer Day for up to 20 employees
10% discount at Terrain at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and discounts on BBG Continuing Education classes
Guided tour for up to 20 people with a Garden Guide
50 complimentary guest passes for clients
Invitations (2) to BBG major events in the spring and autumn
Access to BBG experts for gardening, art, and sustainability workshops (additional costs apply)
Membership fees waived for any corporate event held at BBG
Site rental fee waived for 1 corporate event at BBG’s renowned event spaces (catering by Union Square Events at BBG arranged separately)
Acknowledgment of support in BBG publications and on bbg.org
Complimentary BBG membership for one company executive
About Brooklyn Botanic Garden
About Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn Botanic Garden (BBG) connects people to the wonder and power of plants, sparking delight and curiosity about science, culture, and our environment to help create a greener and more sustainable city and world.
BBG encourages all of its visitors to imagine a greener future. A thriving green space and cultural nexus, Brooklyn Botanic Garden integrates science and plant education, sustainable practices, arts and cultural programming, civic engagement, and the many health and wellness benefits of nature to grow a future where plants, people, and our planet flourish together. Through time spent with the Garden, Brooklyn residents become environmental stewards who take on climate action in their very own neighborhoods; children mature into the next generation of green leaders; artists illuminate new connections between nature and humanity; and so much more.
In a typical year, the Garden welcomes more than 850,000 visitors, nearly 30% of whom access it free of charge through Community Tickets, winter free admission, free entry for children under 12, education and community group visits, and partnerships such as the public library Culture Pass program.
Discover BBG’s early-fall foliage, fruits, and flowers on this free walk led by trained Garden Guides.
Included with Garden admission; no registration necessary; no groups. Schedule a group tour. Please contact
[email protected] with any accessibility-related questions.
Please note tours can be canceled due to inclement weather. Check this page for updates.
Starting veggies from seed is an economical act of self-determination. But doing it right does take care and planning. Join a seasoned community garden leader to hear her money-saving tips for success, from making your own seed-starter mix to using upcycled materials and choosing the right seeds. Leave ready to prepare your garden’s seed-starting for next spring. Start some seeds to take home!
ASL interpreter available upon request; contact [email protected] at least 2 weeks prior to the class date.
For more information about BBG’s Community Greening programs, visit bbg.org/community.
Bronzetta Rivers is a certified BBG Brooklyn Urban Gardener and a graduate of NYC Parks GreenThumb Leadership Academy. She is currently a leader at the Commitment Garden in East New York where she organizes educational and community building activities.
No need to travel upstate or to New England to view beautiful fall foliage—the Garden is the perfect place for leaf peeping. Come see our colorful black tupelos and maples as well as golden ginkgos, scarlet Liberty Oaks, and orange and red sumacs.
Included with Garden admission. No registration necessary.
Get TicketsBecome a MemberPlease note outdoor tours may be canceled in inclement weather. Check this page for updates.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden promotes urban greening through education, conservation, and creative partnerships. Working with block associations, community gardens, and other service groups, the Garden is building a vibrant network of people, places, and projects dedicated to making Brooklyn a greener place. Learn More ›
Don’t Miss!
Upcoming Workshops
These workshops are free, but preregistration is required.
Class Registration FAQ
Brooklyn Botanic Garden uses the Active platform to manage class registrations. You will be asked to create an account for yourself.
Fire cider, a folk remedy made from pungent and spicy herbs infused in a blend of apple cider vinegar and honey, is typically made in anticipation of cold and flu season to support respiratory, circulatory, and immune health. Guided by a certified community herbalist, learn the history and chemistry of fire ciders, then choose from a selection of autumn crops, like spicy peppers, garlic, onions, and herbs, to make your own personalized concoction for yourself and your community. Take home an herbal plant to try!
ASL interpreter available upon request; contact [email protected] at least 2 weeks prior to the class date.
For more information about BBG’s Community Greening programs, visit bbg.org/community.
Learn the basics of getting your garden in shape as we near the end of the growing season. This workshop will take place in the historic Children’s Garden, where we will learn through demonstration and hands-on by practicing late-season tasks such as cutting back perennials (or not!), planting spring-flowering bulbs, mulching, and seed saving. Participants should dress for the weather and wear clothes and shoes that can get dirty.
Drop by the Garden’s library on select Saturdays to browse our extensive collection of books on botany and horticulture, see highlights from our collections, or play a scavenger hunt with kids. Whether you’re interested in starting a container garden, researching the history of a particular plant, or browsing for artistic inspiration, BBG’s library has something for everyone.
Access the library via the stairs from Magnolia Plaza or ask a security officer for elevator access.
Regular library hours are Tuesday to Friday, 11 a.m.–5:30 p.m. by arrangement. Please email [email protected] ahead of your visit.
Vanessa Pluviose is a Haitian-American earth and environmental sciences graduate from Brooklyn. She has a background in film production and photography, and uses these skills to document science education and wellness on social media. Vanessa looks forward to serving the community while advocating for justice, mental health and wellness, and equality.
Celebrate Brooklyn’s West Indian community at BBG’s fifth-annual Little Caribbean Last Lap Garden Fête. Dance along to Caribbean beats by DJs Danglez and WavyFox, featuring a soca session with guest artists Taller Dan and Big Scare. Enjoy a curated cocktail and food menu and take a free tour of tropical and Caribbean plants. Bring your flag and get ready to jump into the annual West Indian American Day parade!
Included with Garden admission.
Note: Attendees will exit the Garden via 1000 Washington Avenue. Please contact [email protected] with any accessibility-related questions.
Join us in celebrating Caribbean plants and the fruits they bear through this creative activity. Paint a papaya, mango, soursop, or your favorite fruit!
At third-generation family-owned Allan’s Bakery, Caribbean slushies are made with the same care and tradition passed down through the generations. Each slushie is a fresh, hand-crafted taste of back home—full of tropical flavors, vibrant color, and icy refreshment. The perfect way to cool down as you wine and chip your way into Carnival weekend. While supplies last!
Learn about the Canarsie Neighborhood Farm and Community Garden: How it came to be, how it inspires Canarsie residents, their work as an NYC GreenThumb garden (including native and invasive plant management, reforestation, and NYC’s 2040 Urban Forest Plan), and how grassroots spaces can successfully partner with organizations like the Flossy Org.
6:30–7:30 p.m. Steinhardt Conservatory, Entry House
Mini Tours of Tropical Pavilion
Learn about native Caribbean trees like papaya, guava, soursop, and allspice as well as nonnative plants (like the banana) that were brought from across the globe under colonialism.
Join an interactive workshop on traditional Carnival & J’ouvert characters from Flag Woman to Jab Jab to Moko Jumbie. Learn about the significance of these beloved characters as they are portrayed by artists from Brooklyn’s Little Caribbean.
Led by chantwell & cultural scholar Michael Manswell of performing arts and education organization Something Positive.
View all the residential blocks that participated in the 2026 Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest. Click the map points to see the names of the registered block associations.
The Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest is a free annual competition open to all residential blocks, commercial blocks, and community gardens in Brooklyn. For more information, contact
[email protected] or
718-623-7250.
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Advance tickets are sold out. Walk-up tickets will be available until 3 p.m., after which time walk-up entry will be based on capacity and is not guaranteed. All advance tickets will be honored.
Don’t miss our throwback Block Party celebrating 30 years of BBG’s Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest!
Catch those summer-in-the-city vibes with a DJ spinning ’90s classics and a live performance by Brooklyn’s own BrownstoneJAZZ. Join in sidewalk and lawn games, enjoy food and drinks, and check out exhibits celebrating some of Brooklyn’s greenest blocks and greening heroes.
Performances and some activities take place on grass. You may bring a blanket or stadium seat (no folding chairs, please) for the performances. Accessible seating is available for people with limited mobility. Please contact [email protected] with any accessibility-related questions or requests.
Join the Brooklyn Org team to unleash your inner artist with coloring pages featuring Brooklyn scenes! Come away with your own set of coloring pencils (while supplies last).
With guidance from the Discovery Garden team, create a bracelet using naturally dyed string. See how plants from our kitchens and gardens can be transformed into a rainbow of colors.
Experience the fun of Kendama, a traditional Japanese skill toy that combines balance, focus, and creativity. Learn a few tricks and enjoy a hands-on cultural activity for all ages.
Hila the Earth brings an interactive show full of costumes, music, and unbridled joy to celebrate and learn about our beautiful home planet, Earth! The audience gets to wear costumes, dance to songs about vegetables and mushrooms, and more. Perfect for families and kids of all ages!
The ground is your coloring book at Retro Chalk Jam, hosted by ChalkArtNYC. Check out their amazing ’90s-themed chalk designs, and don’t miss street games like hopscotch and ring toss.
Take home a memento of the day at the Block Party T‑Shirt Giveaway table. Available to the first 1,000 visitors.
Support
Major Sponsor, Block by Block
Join us in the Children’s Garden for a program of activities designed for people with dementia and memory loss along with their care partners. Our experienced Garden Guides will assist you during your visit. This is a drop-in program: Participants are welcome to arrive anytime during the session, and step away or leave when they wish.
Enjoy a beautiful day at BBG:
Harvest herbs and vegetables from our accessible, raised garden beds
Create a flower bouquet to take home
Explore seasonal highlights in the Garden, either self-guided or with one of our Garden Guides.
Savor a peaceful stroll along our scenic paths.
Garden entry and program participation is free, but space is limited and preregistration is required. More information about the program, including where to arrive, will be sent to registered participants ahead of the program.
This program is outdoors and will be canceled in inclement weather, which includes rain and temperatures above 85 degrees or below 50 degrees. Cancellation decisions are made no later than 24 hours before the program start time. If a program is canceled, BBG staff will contact registered participants.
Register
You may select any of the upcoming program dates. If you have questions, additional accommodation requests, or need help with registration, email [email protected]. If a message at the top of this page says that the program is full, you will be added to the waitlist.
Join us for a program of gardening activities designed for people living with dementia and memory loss and their care partners.
We’ll be turning over accessible, raised garden beds for the winter and prepping for next spring. Our experienced Garden Guides will take participants on a tour of the Children’s Garden and assist as we pull out annual plants, turn over the soil, and plant bulbs that will bloom in spring. This is a drop-in program: Participants are welcome to arrive anytime during the session, and step away or leave when they wish.
Garden entry and program participation is free, but space is limited and preregistration is required. More information about the program, including where to arrive, will be sent to registered participants ahead of the program.
This program is outdoors and will be canceled in inclement weather, which includes rain and temperatures above 85 degrees or below 50 degrees. Cancellation decisions are made no later than 24 hours before the program start time. If the program is canceled, BBG staff will contact registered participants.
Register
You may select any of the upcoming program dates. If you have questions, additional accommodation requests, or need help with registration, email [email protected]. If a message at the top of this page says that the program is full, you will be added to the waitlist.
Drop by the Bonsai Museum to talk with trained Garden Guides about BBG’s expansive collection, view season standouts, and get hands-on at an interactive station featuring tools, pots, and trees from BBG’s education collection.
This event is part of Gardens for Peace. Included with Garden admission. No registration necessary.
Try your hand at woodblock printing with Sato Yamamoto, a Japanese artist inspired by culture and diversity! Choose the Gardens for Peace pattern or other patterns created by Sato and create your own print.
This event is part of Gardens for Peace. Free with Garden admission. No registration necessary.
This pattern was designed by Toshiko Tanaka, an A-bomb survivor and advocate for world peace.
The design consists of three parts that together represent the word heiwa, which means peace in Japanese:
He (the first arch) I (parentheses) Wa (circle)
Event Partner
The Hudson Valley Shakuhachi Choir explores the unique acoustic properties of the iconic Japanese bamboo flute and its rich overtone texture in an expanded group setting. The repertoire includes arrangements of traditional meditative pieces, folk songs, and new compositions created specifically for the ensemble.
This event is part of Gardens for Peace. Included with Garden admission. No registration necessary.
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The Hudson Valley Shakuhachi Choir
Event Partner
Enjoy a peaceful stroll through one of BBG’s best-known specialty gardens. These 15-minute tours highlight the Japanese garden elements in this historic garden designed by Takeo Shiota in 1914.
The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden is one of the oldest and most visited Japanese-inspired gardens outside Japan. It is a blend of the ancient hill-and-pond style and the more recent stroll-garden style, in which various landscape features are gradually revealed along winding paths.
The mini tours involve traveling along gravel paths and uneven terrain; please contact [email protected] with any accessibility-related questions.
This event is part of Gardens for Peace. Included with Garden admission. No registration necessary.
This fall, bring your school group (of any age!) on a free, self-guided visit to the Discovery Garden. Our volunteer Discovery Docents will lead hands-on activity stations throughout this area of the Garden. Be sure to explore our meadow, woodland, and marsh habitats, too!
For each time slot, there is a maximum class size of 30 students. We request a minimum ratio of 1 adult per 10 students, and we will divide classes into smaller groups upon arrival.
School groups must register in advance for Discovery Garden access at these times.
All programs are outdoors and will be canceled in inclement weather, which includes rain and temperatures below 50 degrees. Check this page and your inbox for updates. Questions? Email [email protected].
Fall registration for Discovery Trail programs will open on Saturday, August 1, 2026.
This registration includes a ticket for school group Garden admission any time after 10 a.m. and Discovery Garden admission at the selected time slot. Maximum group size is 30 students plus teachers and chaperones.
If Discovery Trail time slots are full, your class may still register to visit the rest of BBG on a Self-Guided School Group Visit. All groups may explore the Discovery Garden after 12:30 p.m. on Discovery Trail program days.
All are welcome at Brooklyn Botanic Garden! The Garden offers a variety of programs and tours designed to support audiences with disabilities. Programs are led by extensively trained Garden Guides and members of the disability community, and most are free for preregistered participants.
ASL interpretation, verbal description, and other accommodations can be requested for any BBG program with two weeks’ notice. Contact [email protected] with requests.
Email [email protected] or call 718-623-7200 ext. 7088 with questions or feedback.
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Types of Programs
BBG invites visitors who are blind or partially sighted to explore the Garden’s collections and exhibitions through public and private verbal description and touch tours. These tours are led by staff and volunteers trained in verbal description and include a variety of touch objects and other elements that allow participants to experience the Garden through multiple senses.
Public Programs & Tours
Upcoming programs will be listed on this page. Garden entry and program participation is free, but preregistration is required. Visit the program page directly to RSVP.
Private Programs & Tours
Small groups who would like to request a guided verbal description/touch tour should fill out this form. A modest fee is charged.
Questions? See the FAQs below. If you have additional questions or need help with registration, email [email protected].
Verbal description programs are added as they are scheduled. Sign up below if you want to be alerted by email. To view all upcoming Access Programs, view our Event Calendar. For general information, see the Accessibility page.
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FAQS
Do I have to be blind or partially sighted to participate in these programs?
These programs are designed for the blind and partially sighted community and their companions. You do not have to be blind or partially sighted to join, though preference will be given to blind and partially sighted visitors.
Can I bring a sighted guide or PCA?
Yes, sighted guides and PCAs, along with friends and family, are welcome to join.
What accommodations are available?
Before the program:
Participants can request additional accommodations (including sighted guides) when completing the RSVP form.
An email will be sent to registered participants at least two days before the program with more details and information including where to arrive and enter the Garden.
During the program:
Volunteers will be onsite for the entire program.
Sighted guides are available to support those who requested them.
Braille and large-print materials and tactile representation and other touch objects will be available during the tour/program.
Wheelchairs and roller-aids are available free of charge upon request.
These programs use accessible garden paths and indoor spaces.
Accessible restrooms are located around the Garden.
Will there be sighted guides/someone to greet me when I arrive?
Yes, when you arrive at the Garden there will always be someone to greet you and assist in directing you to the program meeting place. If you would like to request the support of a sighted guide, please indicate so in your RSVP form or by email.
What happens in the case of inclement weather?
Whenever possible, programs will be moved indoors to BBG’s conservatories and education classrooms. Programs that cannot be moved indoors will be canceled in inclement weather, which includes rain and temperatures below 50 degrees.
Cancellation decisions are made no later than 36 hours before the program start time. If a program is canceled, BBG staff will contact registered participants via the method of communication requested (email, text, or phone call).
Are there other offerings that are accessible for people who are blind or partially sighted?
There are two areas of the Garden that offer visitors who are blind or partially sighted the opportunity to touch the plants and engage with the Garden in a multisensory way.
The Fragrance Garden encourages visitors of all abilities to experience the plants in its raised beds and pots at their own pace through touch and smell, as well as through our recorded Audio Description Tour.
The Discovery Garden also invites visitors to explore independently and at their own pace through hands-on activities and exhibits in an immersive landscape where all visitors are welcome to touch and smell the plants.
BBG offers programs in American Sign Language (ASL) or with ASL interpretation that invite visitors from the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community to experience the Garden and its collections and exhibitions through guided tours and workshops, most often led by Deaf educators and teaching artists.
Public Programs & Tours
Upcoming programs will be listed on this page. Garden entry and program participation is free, but preregistration is required. Visit the program page directly to RSVP.
Private Programs & Tours
Individuals and small groups who would like to request a private guided tour or program in ASL should fill out this form. A modest fee is charged.
Questions? See the FAQs below. If you have additional questions or need help with registration, email [email protected].
ASL programs will be added as they are scheduled. Sign up below if you want to be alerted by email. To view all upcoming Access Programs, view our Event Calendar. For general information, see the Accessibility page.
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FAQS
Do I have to be Deaf or know ASL to participate?
These programs are designed for the Deaf community and their companions and are led in ASL with no voice interpretation (except for occasional tours led by Hearing educators or artists). If space is available, hearing individuals who are proficient in ASL are welcome to join, though preference is given to members of the Deaf community.
What accommodations are available?
Before the program:
Participants can request additional accommodations when completing the RSVP form.
An email will be sent to registered participants at least two days before the program with more details and information including where to arrive and enter the Garden.
During the program:
ASL interpreters will be on-site for the entire program.
Wheelchairs and roller-aids are available free of charge upon request.
These programs use accessible garden paths and indoor spaces.
Multiple accessible restrooms are located around the Garden.
Will there be someone to greet me when I arrive?
Yes, when you arrive at the Garden there will always be someone to greet you and assist in directing you to the program location/meeting place.
What happens in the case of inclement weather?
Whenever possible, programs will be moved indoors to BBG’s conservatories and education classrooms. Programs that cannot be moved indoors will be canceled in inclement weather, which includes rain and temperatures below 50 degrees and above 90 degrees.
Cancellation decisions are made no later than 36 hours before the program start time. If a program is canceled, BBG staff will contact registered participants via the method of communication requested on their RSVP form (email, text, or phone call).
Can I participate if I am a student of ASL but am not yet fluent?
Yes, students learning ASL are welcome to join if space is available, though preference is given to members of the Deaf community.
Are these the only programs with ASL interpretation?
No! While these programs are designed specifically for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community, visitors can request ASL interpretation for any Garden program or event. We ask that you request this accommodation at least two weeks before the program date as we cannot guarantee ASL interpretation within a shorter time-frame.
Please follow these Picnic Night rules to ensure that all members and guests enjoy the event.
Picnicking is only permitted in designated areas of the Garden.
Be respectful of those around you.
Children must be supervised at all times and should keep a safe distance from performers and performance areas.
Do not pick flowers or break branches from trees.
Lawn chairs and sporting equipment (balls, Frisbees, scooters, etc.) are prohibited. An accessible seating area is available for those in need.
Do not climb trees or rocks.
Keep your shoes and shirts on (including children!).
Smoking and vaping are not permitted.
Don’t share commercial marketing or leaflets of any kind in the Garden.
Pets and emotional support animals are not permitted in the Garden. Service animals are welcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
I just joined/renewed my membership and don’t have access to the ticketing page for Members’ Picnic Night yet. How can I reserve tickets?
You can show your confirmation email or temporary membership card at any entrance to gain entry into the Garden for Picnic Night. Please note that you must wait to receive your digital or physical guest passes in order to use them. If you would like to bring guests and do not have access to your guest passes yet, you can purchase up to four $10 guest tickets at the admissions window.
What are we allowed to bring into the Garden?
Picnic blankets and outside food and beverages, including alcohol, are allowed during Members’ Picnic Nights. For safety reasons, we ask that you refrain from bringing knives into the Garden; please cut any picnic items prior to your arrival. Strollers and wagons are permitted.
Please note that picnicking is only allowed on Picnic Nights and not during other Members’ Summer Evenings or public hours.
Can I bring a chair? What if I cannot sit on the ground?
Lawn chairs are prohibited, however, stadium chairs are allowed. There is accessible seating available for those in need.
Explore the Garden and learn about nature from Garden instructors in these hands-on, guided programs for students in pre-K through 8th grade.
WALKING TOURS
Walking Tours are 45-minute BBG instructor–led outdoor nature programs. (In the case of severe weather, programs will take place in the Steinhardt Conservatory.) Teachers return to school with a planting kit containing materials for each student to grow a seed connected to the tour topic.
Budding Botanists: A Sensory Walking Tour (Grades pre-K–2)
Starting with our senses is the perfect way to begin to learn about the natural world around us. Botanists will be encouraged to make focused observations via sight, sound, smell, and touch as they explore the plants and animals at BBG. Planting kits contain basil seeds.
Nature’s Giants: A Tree Walking Tour (Grades pre-K–8)
Come explore trees with us this fall or spring—these giants of the plant world are fascinating in any season. We will visit some of BBG’s most interesting trees, observing their bark, leaves, flowers, fruits, and growing patterns, as well as the animals who depend upon them. Planting kits contain thornless honey-locust tree seeds.
Fee: $126 | Title I: $101 | D75 & SCSE: $63 | UA: free with class trip voucher
Please select your topic (confirm recommended grade level) before registering. If you have any questions, contact [email protected].
Registration is now open for October–February Walking Tours.
Exploration Workshops are 90-minute BBG instructor–led programs where students explore plants hands-on in our classrooms, pot up a plant to take home, and tour the Garden in small groups.
Sensory Exploration (Grades Pre-K–2)
Making sense of the world around us starts with sensory observations. How do young scientists make sense of the world? In any season, BBG is a perfect place to engage young scientists’ keen powers of observation using sight, smell, hearing, and touch. Students will participate in activities designed to hone in on specific senses, elicit descriptive language, and discover patterns and connections that raise questions about the natural world.
Exploring Trees in the Garden (Grades Pre-K–5)
How are trees different from other plants? How are they the same? Trees are growing in our city—as the seasons change, they blossom, provide shade, spread their seeds, present bright autumn colors, and catch the snow on their branches when winter comes. Students will compare the diversity of bark, leaves, overall shape, fruits, and seeds, and learn how all these parts function to help the plant grow, survive, and reproduce. We will also explore the many ways trees benefit people and animals.
Exploring Plants in Our Lives (Grades Pre-K–8)
What are the important plants in your life? What parts of those plants provide us with food, medicine or practical use? Students will be inspired to think about the many ways people depend on plants and get a chance to learn about some culturally important plants from around the world.
Ecological Exploration (Grades 2–5)
What does a plant need to grow? How do plants survive the challenges presented by environments as diverse as deserts, rainforests, and wetlands? Comparing and contrasting various biome collections at BBG will inspire young plant ecologists to find answers to these questions.
Investigating Flowers (Grades 2–5) March–June
Flowers are beautiful, but do their colors, fragrance, and patterns have a purpose? Students will investigate flowers up close and learn about their important function in plant reproduction. On a tour of the Garden’s plants in bloom, students will look for pollinators in action and fruit formation.
Investigating Life in Water (Grades 2–5) October–November & April–June
The water all around us is filled with life! Students will dive into the fascinating world of various aquatic environments and learn how some plants’ features help them survive in so much water, including why carnivorous plants digest insects! Students will get the chance to look for the microorganisms that get tangled in our algae.
Multiplying Plants: An Introduction to Asexual Reproduction (Grades 6–8)
Can we make more of our favorite plants without planting a seed? In the wild, plants often make more of themselves without flowers, fruits, and seeds! Students will use field journals to closely observe and identify the many methods that plants use to multiply asexually and ponder the advantages and disadvantages that this method of reproduction presents to a population of plants.
Plant Adaptations: Thriving in a Challenging Environment (Grades 6–8)
Why is a tropical rainforest so lush compared to a desert? How do plants survive and grow in such vastly different environments? After students think about the availability of resources in desert and tropical climates and explore fascinating desert and tropical plant adaptations up close, they will venture into BBG’s Conservatory to collect authentic data to help explain the density of plant life in the Desert and Tropical Pavilions.
Fee: $231 | Title I: $185 | D75 & SCSE: $116 | UA: free with class trip voucher
Please select your topic (confirm recommended grade level) before registering. If you have any questions, contact [email protected].
Science Standards Connections
BBG’s classes for teachers and school groups support the Next Generation Science Standards that developed from the National Research Council’s 2012 Framework for K–12 Science Education. The framework calls for knowledge and practice to be intertwined so that students “actively engage in scientific and engineering practices and apply crosscutting concepts to deepen their understanding of the core ideas in these fields.” This approach aligns with BBG’s longstanding educational philosophy of learning by doing. Our educational programs are grounded in inquiry-based, hands-on experiences to encourage life-long learning about plants, science, and the environment.
Sound can make matter vibrate, and vibrating matter can make sound.
Grade 1
LS1.A Structure and Function
All organisms have external parts. Plants have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
LS3.B Variation of Traits
Individuals of the same kind of plant or animal are recognizable as similar but can also vary in many ways.
PS4.A Wave Properties
Sound can make matter vibrate, and vibrating matter can make sound.
Grade 2
LS2.A Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Plants depend on water, light, and air to grow.
Exploring Plants in Our Lives (Grades Pre-K–8)
Pre-K–Kindergarten
LS1.C Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms
Plants need water and light to live and grow.
Grade 1
LS1.A Structure and Function
All organisms have external parts. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
Grade 2
LS2.A Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Plants depend on water, light, and air to grow.
Plants depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around.
LS4.D Biodiversity and Humans
There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.
Grade 4
LS1.A Structure and Function
Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.
Grade 5
LS1.C Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms
Food provides animals with the materials they need for body repair and growth and the energy they need to maintain body warmth and for motion.
PS3.D Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life
The energy released from food was once energy from the sun that was captured by plants in the chemical process that forms plant matter (from air and water).
Grades 6–8
LS4.D Biodiversity and Humans
Changes in biodiversity can influence humans’ resources, such as food, energy, and medicines, as well as ecosystem services that humans rely on—for example, water purification and recycling.
LS4.B Natural Selection
In artificial selection, humans have the capacity to influence certain characteristics of organisms by selective breeding. One can choose desired parental traits determined by genes, which are then passed on to offspring.
Exploring Trees in the Garden & Nature’s Giants (Grades Pre-K–8)
Pre-K–Kindergarten
LS1.C Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms
All animals need food in order to live and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other animals. Plants need water and light to live and grow.
ESS2.E Biogeology
Plants and animals can change their environment.
ESS3.A Natural Resources
Living things need water, air, and resources from the land, and they live in places that have the things they need.
Grade 1
LS1.A Structure and Function
All organisms have external parts. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
LS3.B Variation of Traits
Individuals of the same kind of plant or animal are recognizable as similar but can also very in many ways.
Grade 2
LS2.A Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Plants depend on water, light, and air to grow.
Plants depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around.
Grade 3
LS1.B Growth and Development of Organisms
Reproduction is essential to the continued existence of every kind of organism. Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles.
LS4.C Adaptation
For any particular environment, some kinds of organisms survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
Grade 4
LS1.A Structure and Function
Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.
Grade 5
LS2.A Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
The food of almost any kind of animal can be traced back to plants. Organisms are related in food webs in which some animals eat plants for food and other animals eat the animals that eat plants. Some organisms, such as fungi and bacteria, break down dead organisms (both plants or plant parts and animals) and therefore operate as “decomposers.” Decomposition eventually restores (recycles) some materials back to the soil. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their particular needs are met. A healthy ecosystem is one in which multiple species of different types are each able to meet their needs in a relatively stable web of life. Newly introduced species can damage the balance of an ecosystem.
Grades 6–8
LS2.B Cycle of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
Food webs are models that demonstrate how matter and energy is transferred between producers, consumers, and decomposers as the three groups interact within an ecosystem.
Ecological Exploration (Grades 2–5)
Grade 2
LS2.A Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Plants depend on water, light, and air to grow.
LS4.D Biodiversity and Humans
There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.
Grade 3
LS4.B Natural Selection
Sometimes the differences in characteristics between individuals of the same species provide advantages in surviving, finding males, and reproducing.
LS4.C Adaptation
For any particular environment, some kinds of organisms survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
Grade 4
LS1.A Structure and Function
Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.
Grade 5
LS2.A Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Organisms can survive only in environments in which their particular needs are met. A healthy ecosystem is one in which multiple species of different types are each able to meet their needs in a relatively stable web of life.
Investigating Flowers (Grades 2–5)
Grade 2
LS2.A Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Plants depend on water and light to grow.
Plants depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around.
LS4.D Biodiversity and Humans
There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.
Grade 3
LS1.B Growth and Development of Organisms
Reproduction is essential to the continued existence of every kind of organism. Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles.
LS3.A Inheritance of Traits
Many characteristics of organisms are inherited from their parents.
LS3.B Variation of Traits
Different organisms vary in how they look and function because they have different inherited information.
Grade 4
LS1.A Structure and Function
Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.
Grade 5
LS1.C Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms
Plants acquire their material for growth chiefly from air and water.
PS3.D Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life
The energy released from food was once energy from the sun that was captured by plants in the chemical process that forms plant matter (from air and water).
Investigating Life in Water (Grades 2–5)
Grade 2
LS2.A Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Plants depend on water and light to grow.
LS4.D Biodiversity and Humans
There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.
ESS2.C The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes
Water is found in the oceans, rivers, lakes, and ponds. Water exists as solid ice and in liquid form.
Grade 3
LS1.B Growth and Development of Organisms
Reproduction is essential to the continued existence of every kind of organism. Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles.
LS3.B Variation of Traits
The environment also affects the traits that an organism develops.
LS4.D Biodiversity and Humans
Populations live in a variety of habitats, and change in those habitats affects the organisms living there.
Grade 4
LS1.A Structure and Function
Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.
Grade 5
LS1.C Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms
Plants acquire their material for growth chiefly from air and water.
PS3.D Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life
The energy released from food was once energy from the sun that was captured by plants in the chemical process that forms plant matter (from air and water).
Multiplying Plants (Grades 6–8)
Grades 6–8
LS1.B Growth and Development of Organisms
Organisms reproduce, either sexually or asexually, and transfer their genetic information to their offspring.
Plants reproduce in a variety of ways, sometimes depending on animal behavior and specialized features for reproduction.
Genetic factors as well as local conditions affect the growth of the adult plant.
LS1.C Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms
Plants, algae (including phytoplankton), and many microorganisms use the energy from light to make sugars (food) from carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water through the process of photosynthesis, which also releases oxygen. These sugars can be used immediately or stored for growth or later use.
Plant Adaptations (Grades 6–8)
Grades 6–8
LS1.B Growth and Development of Organisms
Genetic factors as well as local conditions affect the growth of the adult plant
LS1.C Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms
Plants, algae (including phytoplankton), and many microorganisms use the energy from light to make sugars (food) from carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and water through the process of photosynthesis, which also releases oxygen. These sugars can be used immediately or stored for growth or later use.
LS2.A Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
Organisms, and populations of organisms, are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors.
In any ecosystem, organisms and populations with similar requirements for food, water, oxygen, or other resources may compete with each other limited resources, access to which consequently constrains their growth and reproduction.
Growth of organisms & population increases are limited by access to resources.
LS4.B Natural Selection
In artificial selection, humans have the capacity to influence certain characteristics of organisms by selective breeding. One can choose desired parental traits determined by genes, which are then passed on to offspring.
Natural selection leads to the predominance of certain traits in a population, and the suppression of others.
Visit and learn about some of the most magnificent and treasured trees in the Garden’s 116-year-old collection on this early-fall stroll. This event is part of City of Forest Day.
Included with Garden admission; no registration necessary; no groups. Please contact [email protected] with any accessibility-related questions.
Please note tours can be canceled due to inclement weather. Check this page for updates.
Trees thrive when they are part of a diverse, interconnected forest community of life above and below ground. Yet trees in cities must rely on people to co-create healthy urban ecosystems. As your street trees prepare to go dormant for the winter, learn best practices to help garden more like a forest, so that next spring your community’s trees can thrive. This workshop is being offered as part of City of Forest Day. Take home a native plant to try in your street tree bed!
ASL interpreter available upon request; contact [email protected] at least 2 weeks prior to the class date.
For more information about BBG’s Community Greening programs, visit bbg.org/community.
Fall is an excellent time to find edible fungi in the forests and green spaces of the Northeast. This class introduces students to the “foolproof” fungi, distinctive mushrooms that are easy for beginners to identify. From the familiar to the unusual, we’ll explore edible species like oyster mushrooms, chicken of the woods, puffballs, beefsteak fungus, and chanterelles. We’ll also learn to recognize toxic and deadly look-alikes such as destroying angels, jack-o’-lanterns, and green-spored parasols. We will also talk about the pleasure of eating fungi, how to prepare them, their use in different cultures, and best practices for safe and conscientious foraging.
Congratulations and heartfelt thanks to every block in our annual Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest for sowing the seeds of greener, healthier communities!
Semifinal judging will take place on July 9, 14, and 16. The final round is held the week of July 19.
Please note: This list does not include Best Window Box, Sustainable Practice, or Greenest Storefront.
Residential Semifinalist Blocks
Listed alphabetically by street name
Bainbridge Street between Lewis & Stuyvesant Avenues
Bedford-Stuyvesant
Bainbridge Street between Malcolm X & Stuyvesant Avenues
Bedford-Stuyvesant
Carroll Street between 4th & 5th Avenues
Park Slope
Decatur Street between Lewis & Stuyvesant Avenues
Stuyvesant Heights North
East 17th Street between Avenue H & Glenwood Road
Ditmas Park
East 25th Street between Avenue D & Clarendon Road
Flatbush
East 46th Street between Church & Linden Avenues
East Flatbush
East 48th Street between Avenues J & K
East Flatbush
East 91st Street between Avenues L & M
Canarsie
East 92nd Street between Avenue A & Church Avenue
East Flatbush
Eastern Parkway between Underhill & Washington Avenues
Crown Heights
Flatlands 7th Street between East 108th Street & Dead End
Canarsie
Hampton Place between Park & Sterling Places
Crown Heights
Jefferson Avenue between Lewis & Stuyvesant Avenues
Bedford-Stuyvesant
Kings Highway between Avenue J & East 45th Street
Flatlands
Lefferts Avenue between Bedford & Rogers Avenues
Lefferts Gardens
Lincoln Place between New York & Nostrand Avenues
Crown Heights
MacDonough Street between Lewis & Stuyvesant Avenues
Bedford-Stuyvesant
MacDonough Street between Patchen & Ralph Avenues
Bedford-Stuyvesant
Marion Street between Thomas S. Boyland Street & Rockaway Avenue
Ocean Hill
Marlborough Road between Ditmas Avenue & Dorchester Road
Ditmas Park West
Ovington Avenue between 3rd Avenue & Ridge Boulevard
Bay Ridge
Prospect Place between Albany & Kingston Avenues
Crown Heights
Ridge Boulevard between 71st Street & Ovington Avenue
Bay Ridge
Sterling Place between Underhill & Washington Avenues
Prospect Heights
Sterling Street between Bedford & Washington Avenues
Lefferts Gardens
Stoddard Place between Sullivan Place & Montgomery Street
Lefferts Gardens
Stuyvesant Avenue between Bainbridge & Chauncey Streets
Bedford-Stuyvesant
Stuyvesant Avenue between MacDonough & Macon Streets
Bedford-Stuyvesant
Union Street between Nostrand & Rogers Avenues
Crown Heights
Van Buren Street between Lewis Avenue & Marcus Garvey Boulevard
Bedford-Stuyvesant
Vanderveer Place between East 23rd Street & Flatbush Avenue
Flatbush
Best Community Garden Streetscape Contenders
Listed alphabetically by garden name
Greene Garden
Fort Greene
Hart to Hart Community Garden
Bushwick
Lincoln Road Garden
Lefferts Gardens
Maple Street Community Garden
Lefferts Gardens
Newkirk Community Garden
Kensington
Patch of Inspiration Garden
Brownsville
Union Street Garden
Crown Heights
Vernon Cases Community Garden
Bedford-Stuyvesant
Best Street Tree Beds Contenders
Listed alphabetically by street name
Carroll Street between 4th & 5th Avenues
Park Slope
Cleveland Street between Belmont & Pitkin Avenues
East New York
East 46th Street between Church & Linden Avenues
East Flatbush
East 48th Street between Avenues J & K
East Flatbush
Hampton Place between Park & Sterling Places
Crown Heights
Jefferson Avenue between Lewis & Stuyvesant Avenues
Bedford-Stuyvesant
Maple Street between Nostrand & Rogers Avenues
Lefferts Gardens
Montague Street between Henry & Hicks Streets
Brooklyn Heights
Sterling Place between Underhill & Washington Avenues
Prospect Heights
Van Buren Street between Lewis Avenue & Marcus Garvey Boulevard
Bedford-Stuyvesant
Vanderveer Place between East 23rd Street & Flatbush Avenue
Flatbush
Rookie of the Year Contenders
Listed alphabetically by street name
Bainbridge Street between Patchen & Ralph Avenues
Bedford-Stuyvesant
East 91st Street between Avenues L & M
Canarsie
Prospect Place between Albany & Kingston Avenues
Crown Heights
Greenest Commercial Block Contenders
Listed alphabetically by street name
Avenue L between East 93rd & East 94th Streets
Canarsie
Kingston Avenue between Park & Sterling Places
Crown Heights
Montague Street between Henry & Hicks Streets
Brooklyn Heights
Rockaway Parkway between Conklin & Flatlands Avenues
Canarsie
Rockaway Parkway between Farragut & Glenwood Roads
Looking for ways to beautify your holiday table? This is the class for you. We’ll start with basics of floral design and move into various techniques for arranging flowers in more complex ways. Fruits, vegetables, cloth, and unusual containers will be among our materials and participants will work in small groups to create final projects to take home.
Learn the skills needed to create your own beautiful flower arrangement at home. The instructor will introduce basic principles of Eastern and Western floral design through hands-on learning. All materials, including vases, will be provided and students will take home their arrangements.
Using natural materials like seasonal foliage, dried flowers, leaves, berries, and other natural elements, create a unique harvest wreath that symbolizes the abundance of the autumn season.
Dahlias are bold, dramatic, and incredibly versatile blooms. Using a variety of locally sourced dahlias and seasonal flowers, fashion a playful, free-flowing creation to take home that showcases the exuberance of these late-summer blooms.
Let’s gather the seasons bloom’s and create a beautiful fresh basket that will dry over time and keep a memento of the season in your home. Learn specific techniques for choosing, preparing, and designing flowers and foliage for drying.
A horn of plenty, or cornucopia, is a symbol of abundance and prosperity. Learn techniques for designing this horn-shaped basket overflowing with flowers, foliage, and all things harvest. Originating from Greek mythology (the broken horn of the goat Amalthea), cornucopias are commonly used as a Thanksgiving decoration, a symbol of a bountiful harvest.
Discover the serene beauty of Ikebana, the traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement. Rooted in mindfulness, balance, and harmony with nature, Ikebana goes beyond decoration—it is a contemplative practice that honors life, space, and simplicity. In this guided, hands-on workshop, participants will explore minimalist design principles, intentional movement, and the relationship between form and emptiness.
Working with seasonal flowers and natural elements, participants will be invited to slow down, observe deeply, and create with presence rather than perfection. Suitable for beginners and those interested in floral design, Japanese culture, or meditative practices. Participants will leave with flowers and branches to continue practicing at home.
Teas are a fun and easy way to incorporate herbs into your daily routine. Join herbalist Arvolyn Hill in this workshop to learn the art of making teas and the best herbs to use. Make your own tea blend to take home!
Kokedama is the Japanese practice of creating living planters out of moss. Be prepared to get your hands dirty as you learn to mount and display plants in charming moss-wrapped spheres. This workshop will focus on tropical and easy-care plants that let you express your love for plants and design with a one-of-a-kind display. Everyone will make two new easy-care kokedama to take home.
Plants have been used for aperitifs and digestifs for centuries. Learning how to infuse different botanical flavors including aromatics and bitters into our drinks can add new tastes, complexity, and health benefits that may be as unfamiliar as some of the plants themselves. This class will introduce you to the wonders of using leaves, flowers, barks, seeds, and berries into a range of bases for nonalcoholic drinks to enhance your holiday celebrations. Recipes and tastings included and two at-home wild remedies will be made in class. Price includes $24 materials fee.
Create unique, nature-inspired prints on fabric using dried flowers and plant-based extracts. Learn which flowers and botanicals produce the boldest results on cotton and bamboo fibers, along with practical tips for preserving and drying blooms for future projects. The workshop will cover techniques including scouring and mordanting fabric to achieve vibrant, lasting designs. You’ll make and take home two finished pieces: an organic cotton tea towel and Flower Power socks.
Part science, part art, and part surprise, bundle dyeing invites you to connect with the plants around you, and discover the magic of the natural world. Each student will work with a ready-to-dye silk bandana and create a one-of-a-kind print using a mix of fresh and dried flowers, leaves, bark, and other plant materials. You'll leave with a unique silk bandana infused with the colors of the season.
In this sensory workshop we will examine the art of natural perfumery. Students will gain a basic understanding of the sense of smell, the history of perfume, the advent of synthetic ingredients, and the return to naturals. Perfume ingredients and formulation will be explored and each participant will leave with two bottles of their own bespoke perfume. All materials will be provided, just bring a pen to take notes with.
Together we’ll draw inspiration from the plants and flowers around us as we sculpt and shape clay into 8–10 unique magnets. The instructor will guide students in crafting and painting each piece. Finished magnets will be glazed and ready for pickup within three weeks, making them lovely gifts for friends and family.
Grasses function as an important part of many landscapes, beyond serving as turf lawns. Adding not only texture and height to a garden, grasses provide important habitat and food to wildlife. Learning key identification characteristics for grasses will broaden your botanizing in the wild and can help you sort through your desired plantings and weeds in your own gardens.
This class will focus on grass anatomy, cool season and warm season classifications, and uses of different native and ornamental grasses in the garden. Part of the class will be spent walking the grounds, looking closely at grasses in the landscape. Students with a basic familiarity with plant anatomy can broaden their identification skills and newer students will learn a vocabulary to understand the plants they see every day. Class will break for 30-minute lunch.
Learn to identify birds living in the area or passing through on their fall migrations—from orioles and tanagers to gnatcatchers, vireos, and colorful warblers. Classes meet at the locations listed below.
September 19: Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Prospect Park
September 26: Central Park
October 3: Central Park – North End
October 10: Riis Park and Fort Tilden
October 17: Jamaica Bay NWR
October 24: Jones Beach
Learn how to find and identify birds at the height of fall migration! Each class will consist of 30–45 minutes of classroom instruction followed by field birding on the Garden grounds.
Bring binoculars if you have them; there will also be some available to borrow during class. The first class will include information on what types of binoculars are best for birding should you want to buy some.
Tai chi and qigong exercises improve balance, increase blood circulation, relax your mind and body, and increase your internal energy. The instructor will demonstrate movements. Please come prepared in clothing that allows for movement.
Tai chi and qigong exercises improve balance, increase blood circulation, relax your mind and body, and increase your internal energy. The instructor will demonstrate movements. Please come prepared in clothing that allows for movement.
Experience the beauty of the Garden in late fall. Walking meditation supports us in cultivating peace, awareness, and inner strength so we can contribute to our own well being and that of the earth. When we see ourselves as an expression of the earth, we can find our own grounding in a complex world.
Inspired by the beauty of fall, with the Garden’s trees as inspiration, we’ll practice walking meditation as an expression of our reciprocity and connection to the earth. No experience with meditation necessary. Please wear clothing that you feel comfortable sitting on the grass in.
Learn how to take your garden design from concept to success. This class will guide you from the concept phase of your garden to installing, maintaining, and harvesting flowers, herbs or vegetables. We will integrate containers, irrigation, maintenance, perennials and annual plant choices. Class will break for 30-minute lunch.
Learn how to chose the best plants for your indoor space and also how to care for them. There are mistakes we make that we can correct to ensure our house and office plants thrive and look their best.
Street tree beds provide excellent opportunities to bring more plants to our streetscapes. This class will guide you in choosing appropriate plants for these challenging and often overlooked locations. Learn what plants do best in areas that deal with major tree roots, salts from winter spreading, pets, poor soils, and invasive weeds so you can support tree health and bring beauty to your neighborhood.
Autumn is a time of change and creating a fall container garden is one aspect we all look forward to at the end of summer. We will explore some great plant options using ornamental grasses, fall favorites like asters, salvia, coral bells and many more plant choices for your patio or stoop garden containers.
Want to care for your space in a pollinator-loving way that’s more aligned with the earth and builds ecological health? Let’s work together to be better land stewards, whether you're caring for a backyard, rooftop, streetscape, or community space. In this two-session course, we’ll explore the basic principles of ecological garden care including: Rethinking the lawn, maintaining biomass, loving your soil, planting for ecology, and so much more. We’ll go in-depth on a few principles and explore small and big changes anyone can make in their backyards and neighborhoods.
What makes an herb an herb? In this exploratory class, use your five senses to learn basic herb botany. Students will prepare a personalized herbal simple syrup, practice herb harvesting techniques, and make an herb bundle to take home! This class is for adults but takes place outdoors in the Children’s Garden. Class will be held rain or shine.
This hands-on, two-session course introduces students to the ethics and practical skills of collecting wild seed in New York City landscapes. Through classroom lecture and a field trip, participants will learn how to identify when seeds are ready for harvest, assess plant populations for responsible collection, and understand seasonal patterns of seed availability. The course emphasizes observation, stewardship, and practical techniques for gardeners and anyone interested in working more closely with urban plant communities.
Immerse yourself in a full day of native gardening instruction in this indoor/outdoor class at BBG. Learn the principles and best practices to create a robust native garden filled with life. We will also explore native plants at BBG that you might use in your own garden, and discuss the conditions that they thrive in. Class will break for 30-minute lunch.
Learn how to make a gorgeous succulent terrarium that can thrive for years with minimal care! All supplies are included, including creative embellishments and an informative handout. Learn how to select the perfect succulent plants, how to arrange them within glass enclosures, troubleshooting, and how to make their soil from scratch. Discover the joy of crafting your own green havens and leave much wiser in botanical knowledge.
Learn to paint in the Chinese style using a bamboo brush, ink, and rice paper. Get step-by-step instruction in this ancient art form, and develop your own style. Look to the lovely environment of the Garden for creative inspiration.
Paint the fall color of the Garden plein air when weather permits, using soft pastels, an opaque medium with the saturated color of oil paint. Deepen your understanding of color theory by mixing the range of autumn earth colors without using browns and grays. This class is taught studio-style, with one-to-one instruction, and each session ends with a group critique to share work and discuss ideas and goals. Natural elements from the BBG Education Greenhouses and other will be provided for still life set ups in the classroom on rainy days. Some prior art experience with any medium or subject is recommended.
The first step in drawing is observation; from there you will begin to understand the structure of a flower or plant and start to build a foundation for drawing botanicals. Learn to draw a floral specimen with a step-by-step method that incorporates perspective and detail.
Explore the varied techniques of painting with the unique, beautiful medium of watercolor. Experiment with color mixing, washes and glazing, creating delightful portraits of flowers and plants.
Wet in wet watercolor techniques can give you soft atmosphere and the illusion of distance. Wet on dry techniques will define the trees more crisply and establish texture and detail. Learn how to use these watercolor techniques while noticing the early fall landscape of dominant green and hints of gold or red.
Basic watercolor technique includes laying washes, using expressive brushwork, and overlapping layers of transparent paint (glazing). I will demonstrate these techniques, students will practice them and then we will work on a watercolor painting with plants as subject matter. The object is to learn how to handle watercolors and develop your own style of painting.
Explore the practice of keeping a nature journal through simple drawing exercises in this one-day workshop. All levels welcome.
The diverse landscapes of Brooklyn Botanic Garden provide a unique opportunity to hone outdoor drawing skills; its various settings from formal esplanades to native flora provide diverse challenges. This class will equip students to sketch successfully outside, whether in the city or remote wilderness. We will cover preparation, portable tools, location planning, and most importantly comfort and safety. Selection of subject matter and pictorial composition are at the core of the class, creating a framework for successful drawings. This class is suitable for all levels.
This course acquaints students with the field of landscape design. Beginning with an introduction to the history of garden design, the class will progress to include key design principles, terminology, and a general overview of plants and materials. Students will produce a base plan, site analysis, and concept design for an urban garden through hands-on exercises and independent site visits. An in-class exam will be administered during the last session. Attendance is mandatory.
Woody plants—including shade trees, ornamental trees, and evergreen and deciduous shrubs—form the backbone of a well-planned landscape design. This course will help you master the identification and uses of many woody plants found in urban landscapes. Lectures and hands-on labs are augmented by sessions on BBG grounds.
This class offers an in-depth examination of cultural management practices to support plant health and biodiversity in urban gardens. Students will learn how to identify major insect orders and plant pathogens. Through scouting walks on BBG grounds, students will have the opportunity to practice identifying signs and symptoms of plant pests and diseases. Students will also learn how to apply Integrated Pest Management strategies to effectively address pest and disease problems.
Erin Eck is the director of Continuing Education at BBG and has been teaching at the Garden since 2018. Erin has a background in public horticulture and was a gardener at the High Line for nearly six years. She began her career in urban gardening as a research assistant studying soil health in NYC’s community gardens. Erin holds a Master of Environmental Science degree from the Yale School of the Environment.
Bingying Qiu is a soil science graduate student and instructor at Brooklyn College whose research focuses on soil science in both urban and rural environments. Qui is happy to help people understand New York City’s local soil conditions and how soil health supports plant growth and ecosystems so they can apply it in your own gardens and communities.
Vanessa Pluviose (Continuing Education Assistant Instructor) is a Haitian-American earth and environmental sciences graduate from Brooklyn. She has a background in film production and photography, and uses these skills to document science education and wellness on social media. Vanessa looks forward to serving the community while advocating for justice, mental health and wellness, and equality.
Healthy soil is the foundation for a healthy garden ecosystem and abundant crops. In this course, learn about soil’s contents and physical and chemical properties, soil fertility management, and soil cultivation techniques. Gain an understanding of soil improvement practices—including composting, cover cropping, soil testing, and mulching. The instructor will share videos and activities for hands-on learning and facilitate group discussion to share experiences and grow our knowledge and understanding of soil.
A strong foundation in botany is essential to understanding how to maintain a healthy landscape. This course includes discussions on plant anatomy, plant life cycles and reproduction, taxonomy, and plant physiology. This course requires no previous knowledge of botany and is recommended as a first course in the Certificate in Horticulture program.
As you learn to grow and care for landscape plants, it’s essential to know how to increase your stock. In this class, you are introduced to a variety of plant propagation techniques using both seed and vegetative material. After a lecture and demonstration, each method is practiced in a hands-on lab session in our Education Greenhouse.
Annie Cho is a horticulturist at the High Line, responsible for the stewardship of the Chelsea Thicket, a shrub-dense woodland. She also manages plant health care at the park and is passionate about ecological horticulture, native plants, and increasing biodiversity in urban areas. Annie received her gardening certificate from NYBG and consults on private garden design and maintenance, as well as taking care of her Brooklyn backyard garden.
Valerie has
been a resident of Crown Heights North for the past 23 years. She has
been president of the Hampton, Sterling, Virginia Place &
Kingston Avenue Block for 20 years and has worked on many block
improvement and safety initiatives including regular block clean-ups
and block parties to connect with neighbors and provide activities for children
and health screening for adults. Valerie
and her block won Honorable Mention in BBG’s
Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest in 2022–2025, and first place for Best Tree
Beds in 2023 and Best Thematic Block Idea in 2024.
2015 Residential Category Winners 1st Place Bainbridge Street Homeowners and Tenants Block Association Bedford-Stuyvesant 2nd Place 300 East 25th Street Block Association Flatbush 3rd Place The E. 49th & E. 48th Street Block Association East Flatbush 2015 Commercial Category Winners 1st Place…
In 1990 the Garden embarked on the New York Metropolitan Flora project (NYMF), a multiyear effort to document the flora in all counties within a 50-mile radius of New York City, including all of Long Island, southeastern New York State, northern New Jersey and Fairfield County, Connecticut.
All Brooklyn community gardens are invited to join the Community Garden Alliance. The Alliance’s focus is on promoting sustainable gardening practices to support healthy communities of people, plants, and wildlife. It facilitates skill sharing between gardens through workshops and seasonal gatherings and offers an avenue for communication and learning, where…
Charles Wilson cowrote, with Eric Schlosser, Chew on This: Everything You Don’t Want to Know About Fast Food (Houghton Mifflin, 2006). He lives in New York City.
Bill Shank was the cofounder (in 1984) and first president of the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons, in Bridgehampton, New York. He is currently vice-president/deputy garden editor of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. In addition, he serves both on the Garden Committee of Wave Hill and on the Board of the…
David Slawson is one of the most sought-after designers of public and private Japanese gardens in the United States. His Secret Teachings in the Art of Japanese Gardens is one of the most influential books on the subject. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio.
Tina Marie Wilcox has been the head gardener and herbalist at the Ozark Folk Center’s Heritage Herb Garden in Mountain View, Arkansas, since 1984. She tends the extensive gardens, plans and coordinates annual herbal events and workshops, and facilitates the production and sale of plants, seeds, and herbal products for…
Holly Shimizu is the executive director of the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C., and former managing director of the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, near Richmond, Virginia. She contributed to the BBG handbook Gourmet Herbs (2001), served as editorial consultant on the Eyewitness handbook Herbs, and was a coauthor of…
Deirdre Larkin is a horticulturist and historian with a special interest in the use of historical techniques in restored and re-created gardens. She worked for ten years in the gardens of the Cloisters branch of the Metropolitan Museum, in New York City, where she continues to lecture on plants and…
Brooklyn Botanic Garden promotes urban greening through education, conservation, and creative partnerships. By working with block associations, community gardens, and other service groups, the Garden is building a vibrant network of people, places, and projects dedicated to making Brooklyn a greener place. For more information, contact [email protected] or call 718-623-7250.…
Tom Burford is an orchard and nursery consultant specializing in restoration, re-creation, and design at historic sites and private estates. He is the author of Apples: A Catalog of International Varieties (1991, 1998), a reference work on hundreds of apples, and has written manuals on grafting, orchard design, and fruit-tree…
Tim Hensley runs Urban Homestead in Bristol, Virginia, a mail-order nursery specializing in antique apples. The father of eight children, he has written for a variety of publications including Mother Earth News , Grit , Highlights for Children , Fine Gardening , Homelife , Old-House Journal , and Smithsonian .
Ian A. Merwin is a pomologist at Cornell University, where his current research projects include screening apple rootstocks for resistance to soil-borne diseases; integrated pest management systems for orchard weeds; collecting germplasm of European bittersweet cider apples; and molecular fingerprinting techniques to study soil microbial populations in the apple tree…
Doug Dudgeon is the assistant horticulturist at the Dawes Arboretum in Newark, Ohio. For nearly 14 years, until early 1999, he worked at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, where he was in charge of the chile pepper collection, the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, the Fragrance Garden, and the Shakespeare Garden.
Louisa Jones is a Canadian-born writer who has lived and gardened in Provence, France, since 1975. She is the author of Gardens of Provence ; Provence: A Country Almanac ; Art of French Vegetable Gardening , and The World of French Vegetable Gardens .
Dr. Cathy Donaldson started her first wildflower garden in the tenth grade. While studying for the state biology exam, she asked her teacher, “What is a Solomon’s seal?” The next day her teacher brought in a bare-root Solomon’s seal to show her that the basis for the plant name was…
Stephen W. Kress is director of the National Audubon Society’s Seabird Restoration Program and manager of the Society’s Maine coast seabird sanctuaries. He teaches field ornithology at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, where he is a research associate. He is author of The Audubon Society Bird Garden, The Audubon Society…
Robert Newgarden is a former gardener at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. He tended the Cashew Plant Family and other plant families in the Plant Family Collection. He also cared for the Herb Garden.
Stephanie Cohen teaches at Temple University, Ambler and is founding director of the arboretum there. She is that author of The Perennial Gardener’s Design Primer .
David Horak has been growing orchids for more than 30 years. He is a former gardener of orchids and the Robert W. Wilson Aquatic House at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Susanne Lucas is a freelance horticultural consultant, garden designer, and landscape gardener. She has encountered many plants, but it is her passion for bamboos that has endured. Over ten years ago she set out to grow only the most cold hardy bamboos in her garden in coastal Massachusetts and continues…
Julia Solarz is the editor of DIG, an award-winning bimonthly gardening magazine, published by the nursery Hortus in Pasadena, California. She grows potted cacti and succulents year-round in the courtyard of her Spanish-style, Hollywood Hills home, where the mild climate allows for such a luxury.
Brent and Becky Heath are garden educators who own and operate “Brent and Becky’s Bulbs,” a wholesale/retail catalogue and web-site flower-bulb business in Gloucester, Virginia. They distribute all types of bulbs to gardeners, cities, universities, and botanical gardens throughout the United States. Daffodil hybridizers, Brent and Becky are co-authors of…
Panayoti Kelaidis is a plant exlorer, gardener, and public garden admninistrator at Denver Botanic Gardens, where he is now director of outreach. He began his career at the garden in 1980 as curator of the rock alpine garden, where he designed and oversaw the initial plantings of the now extensive…
Ellen Zachos is a Harvard graduate and received her Certificate in Horticulture from the New York Botanical Garden. She specializes in tropical plants and has restored several greenhouses in the New York City area, which she now maintains for her clients. Her company, Acme Plant Stuff, installs and maintains commercial…
Andrew Bunting is the curator of the Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College, in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and the owner of Fine Garden Creations, a garden design and installation business. Each year he teaches a six-week course on ornamental vines at Longwood Gardens , in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
Judith Jones is a self-taught fern specialist. Her nursery, Fancy Fronds, in Seattle, has introduced six new ferns to the American nursery trade. She has lectured throughout North America and England and her nursery’s displays of hardy ferns have won four gold medals at flower shows in the Northwest. She…
Nancy Swell grows and propagates a wide variety of hardy ferns in her garden in Richmond, Virginia. She is an active member of The American Fern Society, The British Pteridological Society and The Hardy Fern Foundation and is a self-proclaimed fern fernatic.
The Herb Garden serves as a vibrant living classroom where the community can learn practical urban food gardening techniques and tips for making sustainable food choices. The garden is designed to be a decorative but utilitarian potager, or kitchen garden, that freely mixes medicinal and culinary herbs, vegetables, berries, fruit…
Thousands of trumpet daffodils transform the slope of the hill adjacent to Magnolia Plaza into a mass of blazing yellows and golds in late March and early April. Several varieties are planted, most notably Narcissus ‘Spelbinder’ which displays bright yellow and white blooms as well as Narcissus ‘King Alfred’, the…
Across from the Shakespeare Garden is the start of Celebrity Path, where stepping-stones are inscribed with names of famous Brooklynites past and present. The path meanders through Austrian pines, rhododendrons, and daffodils, just south of the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. At irregular intervals along the way, approximately 100 artists, poets, performers,…
Katherine Gould obtained her degree in tropical plant systematics, working on the genus Spigelia, which includes the North American wildflower S. marilandica, Indian pink. After doing postdoctoral research at Harvard, she worked for two years in BBG’s Science department as coordinator of the New York Metropolitan Flora project.
T. Meghan Ray, the gardener in charge of the Fragrance Garden at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, also cares for Prunus mume ‘Kasugano’ located outside the Japanese garden.
Richard L. Bitner, an anesthesiologist by trade, lectures on deciduous flowering plants at Longwood Gardens and is a member of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Gold Medal Plant Award Committee.
Ilene Harfenist Sternberg and her husband were both born and raised in Brooklyn but didn’t take their first stab at gardening until they bought a home in Maryland. “He cut the townhouse lawn with scissors,” says Ilene, “while I experimented with growing miniature vegetables. Not understanding the concept of soil…
Claire Hagen Dole is the publisher/editor of Butterfly Gardeners’ Quarterly , a newsletter for gardeners and butterfly enthusiasts, which can be viewed online at butterflygardeners.com . She has also written articles for Organic Gardening , Country Living , Sierra , Wild Garden , Hortus West , and other publications.
Kim Hawkes is the owner of Niche Gardens, a nursery in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, specializing in nursery-propagated wildflowers, selected garden perennials, ornamental grasses, and underused trees and shrubs.
Bob Hyland is a former VP of Horticulture and Operations at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. He currently co-owns Loomis Creek Nursery in Hudson, New York, which specializes in out-of-the-ordinary perennials, tender perennials, and annuals.
Mariellé Anzelone works to preserve the floristic diversity of the five boroughs through conservation and habitat management and restoration. Learn more at www.drosera-x.com .
Susan Amoy has been growing succulent plants for 25 years and runs her own retail bonsai web site, www.susanamoy.com . She has BFA and MFA degrees in the visual arts and is a member of Friends of Bonsai of the BBG, as well as the Cactus and Succulent Society of…
Barbara Perry Lawton has served as editor and manager of publications for the Missouri Botanical Garden, president of the Garden Writers Association of America, and weekly garden columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Her latest book is Hibiscus: Hardy and Tropical Plants for the Garden (Timber Press, 2004).
Barbara Blossom Ashmun writes a regular gardening column for Oregon’s Portland Tribune . Her latest book is Married to My Garden , a collection of humorous and philosophical stories.
Erik A. Draper is an Ohio State University cooperative extension agent for Geauga County, Ohio. Jim Chatfield is an OSU extension specialist based in Wooster, Ohio. Ken Cochran is curator of OSU’s Secrest Arboretum, in Wooster, Ohio.
The Lilac Collection, located along an accessible winding path between the Osborne Garden and the Cranford Rose Garden, features a diverse array of lilacs propagated from divisions of the original specimens from the Garden’s historic collection dating back to 1914.
Amy Stewart is the author of Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business (Algonquin Books, 2007). Visit her online at amystewart.com .
Jessica Reisman has written for Texas Monthly, The Austin Chronicle , and several encyclopedias and is the author of the novel The Z Radiant ( www.storyrain.com ).
Walter Chandoha has been a professional freelance photographer and writer for over 40 years, specializing in flora and fauna of the world. Much of his inspiration is drawn from his 46-acre farm in northwestern New Jersey, where he has many experimental gardens of flowers, vegetables, fruits, herbs, and ornamental grasses.…
Grace Gershuny is the author of several books and articles on soil management and composting, including Start with the Soil , published in 1997 by Rodale Press. She was editor of Organic Farmer: The Digest of Sustainable Agriculture for its four-year existence. Gershuny lives in Barnet, Vermont and serves on…
Beth Hanson is former managing editor of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s 21st Century Gardening Series and former managing editor of the Natural Resource Defense Council’s Amicus Journal. She writes about gardening and environmental issues for a variety of publications and composts just north of New York City.
Jim Chatfield is an assistant professor and Extension specialist with the Ohio State University Extension, where he has worked for the past 12 years. He teaches and writes extensively on plant pathology, plant selection, and plant diagnostic topics.
William Quarles is an integrated pest management (IPM) specialist and the executive director of the Bio-Integral Resource Center (BIRC) in Berkeley, California, a non-profit organization that researches pesticide alternatives and educates the public about them.
Jennifer Bennett, who lives near Kingston, Ontario, is the author of eight gardening books and a regular garden column for Canadian Living magazine. Her most recent book is Dry Land Gardening: A Xeriscaping Guide for Dry Summer, Cold Winter Climates (Firefly, 1995).
Peter Loewer, , horticulture writer and illustrator, gardens near Asheville in the mountains of North Carolina. He is the author of many articles and books, including Seeds: The Definitive Guide to Growing, History and Lore (Macmillan, 1995). His most recent books are The Winter Garden (Stackpole Books, 1997) and, with…
Karen Davis Cutler, who has edited five previous BBG handbooks— Essential Tools , Salad Gardens , Tantalizing Tomatoes , Flowering Vines , and Starting from Seed —gardens on 15 acres in northern Vermont. A frequent contributor to national garden magazines, her latest book is The New England Gardener’s Book of…
Stevie Daniels is the director of publications for Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. She is the the author of The Wild Lawn Handbook: Alternatives to the Traditional Front Lawn (Macmillan, 1995) and gardening columnist for Pennsylvania Magazine. She has been a Penn State Master Gardener since 1988. Daniels has spent…
John Greenlee, dubbed “The Grassman” by Wade Graham of The New Yorker, established Greenlee Nursery in 1985 and is the author of The Encyclopedia of Ornamental Grasses (Rodale Press, 1992).
In this area, various composting techniques and tools for home gardeners are on display, from commercial bins, such as those made from recycled plastic like the Biostack, Earth Machine, and Garden Gourmet, to homemade variations, such as the Circular Wire Mesh Bin, Compost Bench, and Wooden Two-Bin System. Stop by…
In BBG’s Children’s Garden, kids 2 to 17 years old can plant their own crops and flowers and harvest them under the guidance of garden instructors. Younger children combine planting, tending, and harvesting with craft making and creative play. For older children, lessons in science and urban ecology accompany the…
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