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…
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…
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…
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…
It’s more fun together! Garden together with your neighbors to make your block more beautiful and green, and enter Brooklyn’s friendliest contest. Registration is now closed. Winners will be announced in August. About the Greenest Block in Brooklyn Now celebrating its 30th year, the annual Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest…
Guided Tours See All Upcoming Tours › Group Tours Enhance your visit to Brooklyn Botanic Garden with a private tour! Tuesday–Thursday; $314 for up to 10 people, $31 per additional person. Request a Guided…
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, is located on property owned in part by the City of New York, and its operation is made possible in part by public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The generosity of BBG’s members, trustees, and visitors, as…
Frank Schellace is a scientific educator, master beekeeper, and artist with a passion for connecting people to the natural world through bees. His dedication to pollinator health has led him to work with managed and wild bees across New York, California, and Alabama through his non-profit Traveling Hive, a project…
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
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.
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.
Join Disability Pride, Disability Joy, Exists, an art-making program that celebrates disability as an integral part of human diversity. Led by Annie Nishwani Lachhman, a disabled artist, and Lakshmee Lachhman-Persad, an educator on disability inclusion, the program invites participants to add color, words, quotes, reflections, or marks of their own to a canvas-style version of Annie’s Disability Pride Flag, helping create a shared piece that commemorates collective voices and disability pride. There will also be materials to design your own art, or even decorate your own pot (while supplies last)!
A variety of art supplies will be available to support a wide range of access needs. The program is wheelchair accessible. ASL interpreters will be present, and visual descriptions will be shared throughout. We strive to make our programs inclusive and welcoming—please contact [email protected] with any accessibility-related questions or requests.
{embed="includes/_inline_image" file="/img/uploads/manual/hero/_index_thumbnail_retina/BBG-2024-Lakshmee-Annie-IMG_3045.jpeg"}Annie Nishwani Lachhman and Lakshmee Lachhman-Persad. Photo by Accessible Travel NYC.
Celebrate Pride at BBG! Stop by Plant Kween’s Queer Garden of Joy to create a collective reflection wall, and enjoy bite-sized snack samples presented by Queer Soup Night, live story readings and activities with Drag Artists for Expression NYC, a rainbow seed mosaics activity with our Discovery Garden team, and a dance party with DJ Shomi Noise. Be sure to BYO picnic and blanket!
The Eastern Parkway entrance and Osborne Garden are currently closed. Please enter at 990 Washington Avenue or 455 Flatbush Avenue.
Garden together with your neighbors to make your block more beautiful and green, and enter Brooklyn's friendliest contest.
Registration is now closed. Winners will be announced in August.
About the Greenest Block in Brooklyn
Now celebrating its 30th year, the annual Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest promotes streetscape gardening throughout the borough. The contest is free and open to all residential blocks, commercial blocks, and community gardens in Brooklyn.
Registration runs March through May, contest winners are revealed in August, and dozens of prizes are awarded for greening efforts in categories including Best Residential Block, Best Commercial Block, Best Street Tree Beds, Best Window Box, Best Community Garden Streetscape, and more!
Registration is closed for 2026. Please enter next year!
Award Categories and Prizes
Award Categories
Best Overall Residential Block
Best Overall Commercial Block
Greenest Storefront
Best Window Box
Best Street Tree Beds
Best Community Garden Streetscape
Rookie of the Year
Special Commendations
Sustainable Practices Award
This annual award goes to a block or community garden engaged in a highly visible ecological practice such as use of subirrigated planters, rainwater capture, found materials “upcycling,” companion planting, drip irrigation, community composting, and gardening for pollinators and other wildlife.
Prizes
First prize is a $300 check for each top residential and commercial block winner. All other winners will receive cash prizes ranging from $100 to $200, and each will be awarded a recognition certificate.
Winners will be announced in August at a press conference held on the winning residential block.
Contest participants who attend the fall recognition ceremony will also receive a gift bag of fall bulbs and a certificate of recognition for their participation.
Rules, Prizes & Judging Criteria
Rules for Residential Blocks
The purpose of the Greenest Block contest is to promote streetscape gardening in the borough of Brooklyn through block associations and other community groups.
Entrants must represent more than one person, i.e., block association, civic group, or neighborhood organization. Ad-hoc groups are welcome!
Entrants enter each block both sides of the street, corner to corner. If you represent more than one block, enter each block separately.
Entered blocks are judged solely by what can be seen from the street.
There is a separate category for commercial/business blocks. However, storefronts on residential blocks are eligible for the Greenest Storefront award.
The first-prize residential winner from last year may not enter the contest this year.
Monetary awards (in the form of a check) are given in all contest categories to block organizations that win or place. Awards are also given to individuals for best window box and greenest storefront.
Prizes for best window box are awarded to individuals on entering blocks. Any window box–sized container is eligible, whether placed in a window or not.
Rules for Commercial Blocks
Entrants must be a merchant association, development corporation, business improvement district, or other nonprofit business association. Ad-hoc groups are welcome!
Each commercial entry represents one side of the street only, corner to corner. If you represent more than one side of any block, enter each side separately.
Entered blocks are judged solely by what can be seen from the street.
The first-prize commercial winner from the last year may not enter the contest this year.
Monetary awards (in the form of a check) are given in all contest categories to block organizations that win or place. Awards are also given to individuals for best window box and greenest storefront.
Prizes for best window box are awarded to individuals on entering blocks. Window boxes must be positioned at a window to be considered for this award.
Contest Judging Criteria (Residential and Commercial)
Citizen Participation
What efforts indicate community involvement, such as street tree maintenance, signage, community gardens, or shared gardening areas? Are most buildings visibly participating in greening and gardening? Are children taking part in greening efforts?
Street Tree Stewardship
Has soil or mulch been piled inappropriately at the tree’s base? Are trees receiving enough water? Are there tree guards, and are they well designed? Are there appropriate plantings or mulch in the beds? Do tree limbs need inspection or pruning by the Parks Department?
Plant Suitability and Variety
Are the “right plants in the right place,” i.e., sun loving in the sun, shade loving in the shade? Are there diverse kinds of plants, trees, shrubs, and flowers? Are native plants being used?
Horticultural Practices and Maintenance
Are plants receiving adequate water? Too much? Are weeds under control or outcompeting other plants? Are shrubs pruned appropriately? Is there a lot of litter on the block? (Blocks won’t be penalized if the judging visit is the same day as sanitation pickup and garbage cans are on sidewalks.)
Soil Stewardship and Mulching
Is mulch being used appropriately around plantings? Is it the right depth and distance from plant stems/trunks? Are groundcovers being used? Is the soil exposed and/or compacted? Does it appear that compost is being used?
Creativity and Total Visual Effect
What creative efforts to green up and beautify the block are noticeable? What is the visual effect when you view the whole block? Does the block use color effectively? (Remember, green is a color with many shades!)
Neighbors who are just beginning to garden together are welcome in the contest! Participants can attend a free workshop, How to Green Your Block, at BBG, and host a free walk-and-talk block visit, led by BBG staff, to learn about their block’s greening opportunities. Want to spark and sustain more interest in gardening? Here are some tips from Brooklyn’s Greenest Blocks:
Enter your block in the contest and hang your We’ve Entered! signs.
Get the word out. Share your contact info and dates for upcoming block meetings, events, and judging.
Gather your neighbors, form a group.
Invite your neighbors to share ideas, and serve refreshments if you can! Check out our tips on how to get a block association started. Remember, gardening opens the door for citizen action; make room for other interests and causes.
Collect contact information at every meeting.
Get your neighbors’ addresses, emails, and phone numbers. Make note of special skills or interests in gardening, working with youth, or helping elders. Create an email list or Google group to make information sharing easier.
Create a gardening committee.
Form a core group of neighbors in the block association—even two people—dedicated to sharing information and leading activities specific to greening and gardening, such as assessing block street trees and submitting a Forestry Service Request from the Parks Department.
Schedule a clean-and-green day.
Hold a springtime block-wide event to encourage neighbors to sweep, clean, and swap or share plants. New York City’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY) will support your efforts with tools and trash bags! Check out its Volunteer Clean-up Program tip sheet online for more information.
Knock on doors.
Take a neighbor with you to visit folks face to face. Encourage participation in block activities and meetings. Ask for suggestions… and do more listening than talking.
Make learning a part of your mission.
Neighbors make the best teachers! Hold a window-box planting demonstration. Share sustainable-gardening tip sheets provided by BBG. Invite your neighbors to a Greenest Block in Brooklyn workshop at BBG or request a walk-and-talk visit on your block with BBG staff. In the meantime, let us know your gardening questions!
Don’t go it alone.
Feeling overwhelmed? Tell an interested neighbor that you’d really appreciate some support. You’ll never know who might pitch in—or lead—unless you ask.
Have fun!
Start small, remembering that urban gardeners work under the harshest of conditions. Consider various jumping-off points like composting, street tree bed care, a mural, hand-painted signage, or a youth club. Celebrate your achievements together, no matter how small.
Schedule a Walk-and-Talk Visit
Once your block is entered in the contest, you can request a walk-and-talk block visit with BBG staff to explore your block’s greening potential. Visits are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit Walk-and-Talks or call 718-623-7250 to apply.
Questions? Need assistance entering the contest? Email [email protected] or call 718-623-7250.
2026 Participants
View all the blocks that entered the 2026 Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest. Click the map points to see the names of the registered block associations.
Cultivate a love of nature and a connection to plants in your kids by signing up for a Children’s Garden class at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Children aged 2 to 13 can plant their own crops and flowers and harvest them under the guidance of garden instructors.
See class descriptions, section schedules, and fees below. Be sure to note age requirements and other qualifications.
During Children’s Garden classes, children will plant, weed, water, harvest, and maintain their communal garden beds. Children will also participate in art projects, cooking, and nature explorations both inside the Children’s Garden and on the larger BBG grounds.
Children’s Garden beds contain a variety of seasonal vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Participants will bring home harvest to share with family; availability of harvest varies depending on the growing season, weather, etc.
Children’s Garden Fellows teach programs, alongside teen counselors from our Garden Apprentice Program who are high school seniors and freshmen. Each group has one Fellow and 2–3 teen counselors. During summer, younger groups have an additional program assistant.
Age 4–5 groups have a maximum of 11 participants, and all other age groups have a maximum of 12 participants.
Children’s Garden participants of all ages will treat their peers, teen garden apprentices, and instructors with respect.
Children’s Garden participants will stay with their group leaders at all times.
Children’s Garden participants will follow directions, use tools and materials safely, use appropriate language, and maintain the personal space of others.
Please read and discuss these expectations with your child. If your child is unable to follow these participation requirements or if their behavior endangers others or prevents an instructor’s ability to lead their group, Children’s Garden staff will inform the parent in person or via phone or email. If a second incident occurs, parents may be asked to withdraw their child from the program. Refunds will not be given for behavior-related withdrawals.
By registering for the Children’s Garden program, I agree to the participation requirements above.
Participation Requirements
For Seeds classes, children must be 4 years old or turn 4 within a month after the program start date.
For Sprouts classes, children must be 6 years old or turn 6 within a month after the program start date.
For City Farmers classes, children must be 8 or 11 years old within a month after the program start date.
For Trees and Saplings, children must be 2 or 3 years old or turn 2 within a month after the program start date. Children must attend with one adult per child, no exceptions.
Children must be able to use the bathroom on their own to attend drop-off programs, unless attending with a Special Education Itinerant Teacher (SEIT) or other approved caregiver. See below for information about additional support.
Program Guidelines & Protocols
Registrations are processed on a first-come, first-served basis in the order that payment is received; note that Children's Garden classes fill quickly.
Drop-Off/Pickup
Participants enrolled in classes that begin before 10 a.m. must use the 455 Flatbush Avenue entrance for drop-off. This gate opens 15 minutes prior to your program’s start time.
Participants enrolled in classes that begin while the Garden is open (afternoon programs, programs during early open hours) may enter at any gate. Please leave enough time to walk to the Children’s Garden entrance.
Participants must stop at the admission booth and tell a staff member they are here for a CG class (applies to Seeds, Sprouts, City Farmers, Trees & Saplings, and Garden Adventures classes). You will be given a ticket you can use to reenter the Garden for pick-up.
The Children’s Garden gates open right at the program start time. Adults should approach the gate for drop-off and enter the Children’s Garden for pickup at group tables.
Family Gardening Hours and special event participants must stop at the admission booth and scan their ticket.
Snacks
All lunches and snacks will be eaten picnic-style outdoors.
All snacks and lunches must be nut-free.
Safety Protocols
Children should wear clothing that can get dirty and closed-toe shoes (no sandals). Bring a water bottle, hat, sunblock, and insect repellent.
All activities are facilitated outdoors in various weather conditions; during severe weather, class may be moved to indoor spaces.
Hand-washing stations are located throughout the garden.
BBG staff do not administer medication of any kind. Staff can supervise campers as they self-administer medication that has been packed by caregivers. Staff can help administer EpiPens in an emergency.
If your child is showing signs of illness, they should not attend the program.
Weather Policy
Programs take place rain or shine, in various weather conditions.
Class may be moved indoors during long periods of heavy rain or heat.
We will notify you of any severe-weather cancellations as soon as possible.
Additional Support
Please inform us of any additional support your child needs to have a fun, successful experience in the garden. Our staffing is assigned based on the needs of the students enrolled in the program each season.
Let us know of any special needs, allergies, or health concerns in advance. For example: Does your child require one-to-one support or other accommodation in a school setting?
If your child will be attending with a SEIT or other adult caregiver, please let us know at least two weeks before the program start date.
We are happy to set up a virtual meeting or phone call before the program begins to discuss. Please contact the Children’s Garden staff at [email protected].
Class Withdrawal
There are no refunds for single-session family programs, exchanges are allowed in advance of the program date.
According to our cancellation policy, we are able to provide a refund (less a $25 administrative fee) if you cancel your enrollment at least ten business days before the start date of the class, no exceptions.
Scholarships
Scholarship applications must be submitted before class registration.
A limited number of need-based scholarships are available for Children’s Garden participants, distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Scholarship recipients will receive a voucher code to use for online registration.
Scholarships are need-based. Those who receive a full scholarship are required to pay a $50 commitment fee.
Scholarships are granted for a program season (spring, summer, fall) and may not be available for more than one season per participant, depending on the number of scholarship applicants.
Consistent attendance is required for scholarship recipients; lack of attendance may affect eligibility for future seasons.
Scholarship application review periods for 2026 start January 2 (spring); January 19 (summer); and June 1 (fall).
For any questions about scholarships, please contact [email protected].
Brooklyn Botanic Garden uses the Active platform to manage class registrations. You will be asked to create an account for yourself and family members.
You may view your registration records or update your profile settings in Active. Please note: Active offers a paid membership program; you are not required to participate. Member prices for classes are for BBG members and do not extend to Active passport members.
SPRING & FALL FAMILY PROGRAMS
For children with an adult
Fall registration opens on Monday, June 29, 2026 at 9 a.m.
Family Gardening Hours
For children of all ages plus an adult
Single session in April, June, or July
This is a one-time program for kids of all ages and their caregivers. Join educators at activity stations throughout the Children’s Garden. Plant seeds, water vegetables and flowers, create nature crafts, taste fresh produce, dig in soil, and more! Participants are welcome to register for multiple classes, but activities will repeat. Programs take place rain or shine!
One adult-child pair must register to participate together. Up to three children or adults may be added.
Dates, Fees & Policy for Family Gardening Hours
Dates
Weekend Dates: Saturday, April 11; Saturday, June 6 | 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
Spring Break: Wednesday, April 8–Friday, April 10 | 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
Out-of-School Days: Friday, June 5; Wednesday, July 1; Thursday, July 2 | 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
$20/$16 (member) for each additional adult or child in the group (up to 3 additional, 5 total)
Cost includes Garden admission.
Participation Requirements
One adult-child pair must register; may add up to 3 adults or children.
There are no refunds. Exchanges are subject to availability and must be made prior to event date.
Children should wear clothing that can get dirty and closed-toe shoes (no sandals).
Class registration includes Garden admission before or after the program; see bbg.org/visit to confirm hours. Show your ticket at any entrance to enter.
For 2- and 3-year-olds with an adult
7 weekly sessions beginning in April or September Fall registration opens on Monday, June 29, 2026 at 9 a.m.
Learn about the wonders of gardening with your two- or three-year-old during this active hands-on program offered during spring and fall. Our youngest gardeners work with their adult partner to tend to their garden plots, sing songs, taste new foods, and create nature crafts.
Dates, Fees & Policy for Trees & Saplings
This is not a drop-off program. Consistent weekly attendance of one adult per child is required. No additional adults or children including infants or older siblings, please.
Fall Classes
7 Wednesdays: September 9–October 21, 2026 | 9:30–10:30 a.m.
7 Wednesdays: September 9–October 21, 2026 | 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
7 Thursdays: September 10–October 22, 2026 | 9:30–10:30 a.m.
7 Thursdays: September 10–October 22, 2026 | 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
7 Fridays: September 4–October 16, 2026 | 4–5:30 p.m.
7 Saturdays: September 5–October 17, 2026 | 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m.
Cost
60-minute sections: $262 nonmember/$236 member
90-minute sections: $367 nonmember/$341 member
Participation Requirements
One hour and 1.5-hour programs are offered. We recommend the 1.5-hour class for 3-year-olds or returning families.
The class is for one adult-child pair only; no siblings or additional adults please.
Children should wear clothing that can get dirty and closed-toe shoes (no sandals).
Fall registration opens on Monday, June 29, 2026 at 9 a.m.
Seeds
For 4- and 5-year-olds
7 weekly sessions beginning in April or September
Seeds work together to care for their garden plots! Seeds practice real gardening skills such as planting, watering, weeding, spreading compost, and more. Participants harvest and taste fresh vegetables and herbs, create nature art, listen to garden stories, and go on nature explorations alongside a garden instructor and teen apprentices.
Dates, Fees & Policy for Seeds
This is a drop-off program.
Fall Classes
7 Fridays: September 4–October 16, 2026 |4–5:30 p.m.
7 Saturdays: September 5–October 17, 2026 | 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Cost
Friday Classes: $262 nonmember/$236 member
Saturday Classes: $330 nonmember/$304 member
Participation Requirements
For Seeds, children must be 4 years old or turn 4 within a month after the program start date.
Seeds participants must be comfortable using the bathroom on their own. Child-size toilets are located inside the Children’s Garden House.
For 6- and 7-year-olds
7 weekly sessions beginning in April or September
Sprouts work together to care for their garden plots! Sprouts practice seasonal horticulture skills such as planting, watering, weeding, organic pest control, and more. Participants harvest, taste, and cook with fresh vegetables and herbs, create nature art, and go on nature explorations alongside a garden instructor and teen apprentices.
Dates, Fees & Policy for Sprouts
This is a drop-off program.
Fall Classes
7 Fridays: September 4–October 16, 2026 |4–5:30 p.m.
7 Saturdays: September 5–October 17, 2026 | 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Cost
Friday Classes: $262 nonmember/$236 member
Saturday Classes: $330 nonmember/$304 member
Participation Requirements
For Sprouts, children must be at least 6 years old, or turn 6 within a month of the program’s start date.
For 8- through 13-year-olds
7 weekly sessions beginning in April or September
City Farmers work together to care for their garden plots! City Farmers practice seasonal horticulture skills such as planting, trellis building, weed identification, organic pest control, seed saving, and more. Participants harvest, taste, and cook with fresh vegetables and herbs, create nature art, and go on nature explorations alongside a garden instructor and teen apprentices.
Dates, Fees & Policy for City Farmers
This is a drop-off program.
Fall Classes
7 Fridays: September 4–October 16, 2026 | 4–5:30 p.m.
For children 4 through 13
Wednesday–Friday for two weeks in July or August
During this 6-session program, groups work together to care for their garden plots! Participants practice horticulture skills such as planting, watering, weeding, compost exploration, and more. Groups harvest, taste, and cook with fresh vegetables and herbs, create nature art, and go on nature explorations alongside a garden instructor and teen apprentices.
Dates, Fees & Policy for Garden Adventures program
This is a drop-off program.
Dates
Session 1: July 8–17, 2026 | Wednesday/Thursday/Friday 9 a.m.–1 p.m.
Celebrate Brooklyn’s Little Caribbean community with Prince Emagine & Friends, a Brooklyn-based collective weaving jazz, soul, spoken word, and Afro-Caribbean musical traditions.
Experience the boundary-pushing energy of jazz ensemble Televana, led by Grammy-nominated flute virtuoso Itai Kriss, whose musical style spans the Middle East and the Caribbean and beyond.
Join us for an artist-led 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.
In this walk-and-talk, learn how the artists researched and responded 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.
Each artwork invites visitors to imagine reciprocation and kinship with nature in the spirit of animism—indigenous philosophies that recognize the vitality of all living beings and offer contrast to human-centered frameworks.
Included with Garden admission. Arrive early! Listening devices are available to the first 25 attendees.
The Heidi Nitze Art × Environment Fellowship is made possible through the generous support of the Heidi Nitze Foundation.
Relax on the lawn or dance along with a Creole Fusion Ensemble led by Brooklyn-based Haitian American drummer Gashford Guillaume. A blend of Haitian culture with jazz, soul, R&B, and world-music vibes, the evening features special guest musicians including vocalist Marla Roy, a Haitian American artist known for her powerful, heartfelt voice.
Learn more about the colorful exhibits at the heart of the Garden in this walk-and-talk from Magnolia Plaza to Oak Circle.
The tour includes Block by Block, featuring re-created streetscapes of Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest winners, and the portrait exhibit Brooklyn’s Greening Heroes, a celebration of local residents who have turned gardening into community-building.
Join us for a movie under the stars! Bring a blanket, grab some snacks, and enjoy the show. Our movie selection this year, Ratatouille, will begin at sundown (approximately 7:45 p.m.).
Please note that bags will be checked at the entrance. All areas of the Garden other than Cherry Esplanade and the Steinberg Visitor Center restrooms will close at 8:30 p.m. The only exit open after the movie is 990 Washington Avenue.
For safety reasons, we ask that you refrain from bringing knives into the Garden; please cut any picnic items prior to your arrival.
Stadium chairs (without legs) may be placed in designated areas. Limited seating will also be provided for those with limited mobility. Please contact [email protected] with further accessibility-related questions or requests.
Pack a picnic and head to the Plant Family Collection to enjoy a special live performance by BrownstoneJAZZ Ensemble; sets start at 6:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
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Photo by Jeremy Weine
Pack a picnic and join us on the Plant Family Collection lawn for Mizik Ayiti! with Gashford Guillaume & Creole Fusion Ensemble; sets start at 6:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Brooklyn-based Haitian American drummer and bandleader Gashford Guillaume helms the evening with an ensembling featuring Haitian American vocalist Marla Roy and special guest musicians.
Fresh fava beans (Vicia faba) exemplify spring on a plate. Brightly colored with a clean vegetal flavor, they are available for only a short window at the peak of the season (generally late May to mid-June). Delicious on their own merit, this brief seasonality—coupled with their labor-intensive prep—makes them all the more precious.
That said, once you’ve shelled them, these legumes are so lovely that there’s no need to overdo them. Here, the bright one-two punch of mint and lemon complements the beans’ mild, nutty taste. Serving them on a base of ricotta toast is an easy way to stretch even a small supply. On a hefty slice of rustic sourdough, this is an indulgent afternoon meal; use a baguette to make smaller crostini for snacks or appetizers.
{embed="includes/_inline_image" file="/img/uploads/lightbox/_list_thumbnail_retina/favas-at-BBG-herb-garden.jpg"}A spring crop of Vicia faba in BBG’s Herb Garden. Photo by Stephanie Fletcher.
A nutrient-dense staple crop dating back thousands of years, Vicia faba are beloved across a wide swath of the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. The dried beans star in Egypt’s national dish, ful medames; in Southern Italy the fresh beans are served raw alongside wedges of pecorino.
Here in Brooklyn, you’ll find fresh favas (also called broad beans) at the farmers’ market and at some well-stocked grocers, but for home gardeners, the beans are an easy and useful plant to grow, says horticulturist William Wallace, who maintains BBG’s Herb Garden. They are relatively pest-free, don’t take up much space, and, like all legumes, fix nitrogen in the soil. That is, they convert it from the air into usable nitrogen in the ground, replenishing the essential nutrient to the benefit of future plants. The sturdy beanstalks produce fragrant, pea-like blossoms that give way to upright pods.
{embed="includes/_inline_image" file="/img/uploads/lightbox/_list_thumbnail_retina/Fava-flowers_home.jpg"}Fava beans sport clusters of striking pea-like flowers. Photo by Stephanie Fletcher.
“Fava beans are a cool season crop best sown in early spring, as soon as you can start digging in the soil,” says Wallace. “This allows enough time for a second crop that appreciates the heat of summer or the late summer/fall weather. This year in the Herb Garden I am following them with African eggplant, okra, and lettuces. If you wait until July or August, you could try cabbage, radishes, or carrots.”
Wallace also notes that planting fava beans is a great learning activity for children, because the beans are large and easy to handle, and perform well both in the ground and in pots.
Whether harvesting or buying, look for pods that are large (typically 4 to 6 inches long), firm, and glossy. Shelling the beans is a two-step process, removing first the pods and then the beans’ skins, but it’s not difficult. Park yourself outside or near a breezy window and think of it as an excuse to slow down and enjoy a ritual of the season.
Recipe: Marinated Fava Beans on Ricotta Toast
Serves 4 (or more as an appetizer)
The yield of shelled beans from their pods can vary; this recipe assumes about 1 cup shelled. You can also change things up to suit your tastes: Try adding a shake or two of crushed red chile flakes; substituting basil or parsley for the mint; or increasing the garlic—as much as you like.
To remove the beans from their thick, cottony pods, break off the stem end and pull the string down, then use your thumbs to push open the pod and pop out the beans.
{embed="includes/_inline_image" file="/img/uploads/lightbox/_list_thumbnail_retina/Favas_removing-from-pod.jpg"} Use your thumbs to pry open the fuzzy pods. Photo by Stephanie Fletcher.
Blanch and Skin
Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the fava beans, and blanch for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and transfer the beans to the ice-water bath to cool for a few minutes before draining. Slip the beans out of their light-green skins: Use your fingernail to break the skin near the indent on the curved-inward side, then rip open the top and squeeze the bean out of the skin. After the first few, you’ll get the hang of what works for you.
{embed="includes/_inline_image" file="/img/uploads/lightbox/_list_thumbnail_retina/Favas_removing-skins.jpg"}After blanching it’s easy to squeeze the beans from their skins. Photo by Stephanie Fletcher.
Season and Serve
In a small bowl, toss the fava beans with the olive oil, mint, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Let sit at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes. (Or you can do this ahead of time; store the beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and then bring to room temperature before serving.)
Slice the bread and toast it.
Spread a generous layer of ricotta onto each piece of toast and then spoon some of the marinated beans on top. Serve immediately.
{embed="includes/_inline_image" file="/img/uploads/lightbox/_list_thumbnail_retina/Ricotta-toast-single.jpg"}Mild ricotta cheese adds creaminess without overpowering the marinated favas. Photo by Stephanie Fletcher.
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Brooklyn Botanic Garden, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, is located on property owned in part by the City of New York, and its operation is made possible in part by public funds provided through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
The generosity of BBG's members, trustees, and visitors, as well as that of corporate, foundation, government, and individual donors, underwrites the Garden's programs and activities. We extend special thanks for their support to the following elected officials and government bodies:
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso
New York City Council
Brooklyn Delegation of the New York City Council
New York State Assembly
Brooklyn Delegation of the New York State Assembly
New York State Senate
Brooklyn Delegation of the New York State Senate
Institute of Museum and Library Services
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
New York State Council on the Arts
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
CORPORATE & FOUNDATION DONORS
We extend special thanks to the following corporate and foundation donors whose support has made a real difference in the Garden’s ability to sustain and strengthen its programs:
$300,000+
Heidi Nitze Foundation
Helen V. Froehlich Foundation
$100,000 or more
Con Edison
National Grid
The Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund
$50,000–$99,999
The Achelis and Bodman Foundation
Capital One
Constans Culver Foundation
JPMorgan Chase
Leon Levy Foundation
The Ambrose Monell Foundation
Henry and Lucy Moses Fund, Inc.
Office of the New York State Attorney General and The New York Community Trust through the New York Pollinator Conservation Fund
The Pinkerton Foundation
$20,000–$49,999
Anonymous (2)
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Brooklyn Org
The Burpee Foundation
Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Inc.
John N. and Gillett A. Gilbert Family Fund
The Kettering Family Foundation
New York State Council on the Arts
Restaurant Associates and Union Square Events
$10,000–$19,999
Anonymous
Adobe Systems Incorporated
American Express Company
William C. Bullitt Foundation
Bulova Stetson Fund
Colgate-Palmolive
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Green Charitable Foundation
J.C.C. Fund, Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York
Kobrand Corporation
Moody’s Corporation
Morgan Stanley
MUFG Bank, Ltd.
PermCap Investment Office
Pincus Family Foundation
Pfizer, Inc.
RBC Capital Markets
S&P Global
Michael Tuch Foundation, Inc.
$500–$9,999
The City Gardens Club of New York City
The Cowles Charitable Trust
Herman Goldman Foundation
The Joelson Foundation
The Morrison & Foerster Foundation
Moses L. Parshelsky Foundation
Sarah I. Schieffelin Residuary Trust
The Stop & Stor Charitable Fund
Varnum De Rose Charitable
Remainder Annuity Trust
Friends of Japanese Collections and Programs at BBG
J.C.C. Fund of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York
MUFG Bank, Ltd.
To learn more about corporate partnerships with Brooklyn Botanic Garden, please contact the Corporate Giving team at [email protected] or at 718-623-7287.
Pack your family—and a picnic—for a night of fun for all ages! Don’t miss exciting programs including a family-friendly activity with our Discovery Garden team, live story readings and activity with Drag Artists for Expression NYC, and music and dancing with Hopalong Andrew.
Stroll through the glorious Cranford Rose Garden, swing by Cherry Esplanade for a live performance by the Glenn Crytzer Quartet, and participate in a community art project with Traveling Hive on the Atrium Terrace.
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).
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.
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.
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 at Brooklyn Botanic Garden for a program designed for individuals living with dementia and their care partners. We will begin with a short guided tour, followed by an art-making session led by creative arts therapist Elizabeth Gronke.
We’ll celebrate the sunny months by creating natural sun-catchers, drawing inspiration from mandalas and stained glass windows. No previous experience is necessary, and all supplies will be provided.
This program is free, but space is limited, so registration is required. Detailed information, including where to arrive, will be sent to registered participants ahead of the program. If the program fills, requests will be added to a waitlist.
For more information and to register, contact us at [email protected].
On May 27, giveaway plants and colored pencils will be provided courtesy of Brooklyn Org, while supplies last.
Calling all explorers up to 4 years old (and their caregivers)! Pot up a plant, create a craft, read a story, and use your senses to explore nature at special Discovery Garden activity stations designed for early learners.
This is a drop-in program for children ages 4 & under and their caregivers. Included with Garden admission.
All programs are outdoors and will be canceled in inclement weather, which includes rain and temperatures below 50 degrees. Check this page for updates.
Related Event
Support
Major Supporter, Discovery Programs
What do a damp forest edge, a dry meadow, and a crack in a retaining wall all have in common? Answer: They are all perfectly suitable habitats to host the delicate and anomalous beauty of red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), the only columbine species native to the Eastern United States. This versatile spring wildflower can be found in bloom from late April through early June across several varied plant communities within the Native Flora Garden.
{embed="includes/_inline_image" file="/img/uploads/lightbox/_lightbox_tablet_regular/columbine_NFG_JW_260416_001.jpg"}Photo by Jeremy Weine.{embed="includes/_inline_image" file="/img/uploads/lightbox/_lightbox_tablet_regular/41254423195-2800x1862-c.jpg"}Photo by Blanca Begert.
Columbine flowers get their unique “jester’s hat” look from slender petals that continue into narrow nectar spurs, which, in red columbine, are 13 to 25 millimeters long. These spurs contain vital nectar for specialist pollinators with long mouthparts including long-tongued bumblebees and the ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris).
In the Northeast, the flowers of red columbine open in synchrony with the spring arrival of these hummingbirds from their wintering sites in Central America and Mexico. Although purplish-blue–flowering European columbine (Aquilegia vulgaris) is also grown at BBG, native red columbine is superior for supporting hummingbirds in particular, as its crimson flowers are more visible to birds and its nectar has a higher sugar content.
Even generalist pollinators with short mouthparts may benefit from the flowers’ nectar, as short-tongued bumblebees have been known to puncture the spur with their mandibles, creating an opening for smaller bees to also take advantage of a previously inaccessible nectar opportunity. Red columbine also supports native pollinators by serving as a larval host plant for the columbine duskywing (Erynnis lucilius), and by providing a source of crucial pollen for queen bumblebees provisioning their nests.
{embed="includes/_inline_image" file="/img/uploads/lightbox/_lightbox_tablet_regular/Canadian-columbine_MS_52052976704.jpeg"}Photo by Michael Stewart.
Agreeable to both alkaline and acidic soil, partial shade and full blazing sun, red columbine persists in both the bitter cold of USDA Hardiness Zone 3 and the humid subtropical climate of the Florida Panhandle. However, in the garden, it is generally happiest growing in part shade for the afternoon and in moist but well-draining low-nutrient soil. These conditions will give an individual plant its best chance at maxing out its full short-lived perennial lifespan of three to five years.
Counterintuitively, overly fertile soils may cause these plants to live fast and die younger. Even then, red columbine is known for its ability to naturalize in a space despite its short lifespan by freely self-seeding, maintaining its presence over generations. It makes a beautiful partner to fine-leaved native sedges like Appalachian sedge (Carex appalachica) or Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica)—also host plants for lepidopteran larvae—whose slender, grasslike foliage complements columbine’s cloverlike leaves and tall flower stalks.
Celebrate Brooklyn’s West Indian community at the Members’ Glow Party! Start your evening on the Lily Pool Terrace with Moko Jumbies and steelpan musicians, then grab a glow up prop on the Plant Family Collection lawn and dance the night away with live music.
Wednesday evenings from May 27 through September 2 are for members only! Savor the Garden during the twilight hours and enjoy your favorite summer blossoms on these special nights when the Garden grounds, shop, and Canteen stay open exclusively for members.
Guest passes are accepted, so bring a friend! You may also purchase $10 guest tickets (limit 4 per person, exclusively for Members’ Evenings).
See below for details on seven special picnic nights. Outside food and beverages and blankets are not permitted at other times.
Picnic Nights: On these special nights, blankets and outside food and drink are permitted in select locations. Outside food and beverages and blankets are not permitted on other Members’ Summer Evenings or during public hours.
Learn how gardening can be accessible through three interactive stations. Led by Kristie Cabrera, a disabled access worker and occupational therapist, this program invites participants to consider creative solutions to access barriers and offers an opportunity to try out different adaptive gardening tools.
Related Event
Join us for a prix fixe brunch celebrating Mother’s Day in the elegant Yellow Magnolia Café and Palm House. Enter via Yellow Magnolia Café.
$95 (exclusive of tax and gratuity) includes four courses plus juices, coffee, tea, and one mimosa per adult. Wines by the glass, specialty cocktails, and other beverages available à la carte. A three-course children’s menu for those 12 and under is available for $35.
Prepaid reservations required; BBG members receive a 10% discount; please note when booking. Dietary restrictions may be accommodated with advance notice; please contact Yellow Magnolia Café with any questions at 929-651-0465 or [email protected].
root nine chocolate chunk cookies served with common meadows vanilla gelato
v | vegetarian, vg | vegan
ag | ingredients and preparation avoid gluten
If you have a food allergy, please notify us.
20% gratuity will be automatically added for parties of 6 or more.
Children’s Menu
$35 per child (guests aged 12 and under), taxes and gratuity not included. Table dishes as above.
Main Course (choice of one)
chicken fingers & waffle
maple syrup, fresh fruit
cheeseburger & fries
1/4 lb. beef burger, cheddar cheese, potato roll
french toast & berries (v)
maple syrup, whipped cream
Dessert
mini donuts (v)
chef’s selection
v | vegetarian, vg | vegan
ag | ingredients and preparation avoid gluten
If you have a food allergy, please notify us.
Come celebrate spring in the Discovery Garden with a garden sing-along! Join Sabrina Chap in singing, dancing, and playing with instruments, scarves, and bubbles.
This free drop-in program is part of First Discoveries, our twice-weekly program for toddlers.
All programs are outdoors and will be canceled in inclement weather, which includes rain and temperatures below 50 degrees. Check this page for updates.
Descubra las plantas y los jardines del Jardín Botánico de Brooklyn que están en pico de floración, así como otros puntos sobresalientes de la temporada, en esta caminata dirigida por guías capacitados del jardín.
Los recorridos no tienen costo con su boleto de entrada al jardín.
Los recorridos podrían cancelarse, de haber mal tiempo. Revise esta página para conocer las actualizaciones.
Frank Schellace is a scientific educator, master beekeeper, and artist with a passion for connecting people to the natural world through bees. His dedication to pollinator health has led him to work with managed and wild bees across New York, California, and Alabama through his non-profit Traveling Hive, a project encompassing art installations, large-scale community drawing, and participatory performance. You can also find him at the Auburn University Bee Center, co-managing over 300 honey bee colonies in support of field trials for research.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, in collaboration with VISIONS Services for the Blind and Visually
Impaired, invites you to a special program in the Discovery Garden with your family. This program is accessible and welcoming to children and adults of all visual abilities. Explore the
garden at your own pace and participate in multisensory activities alongside trained
volunteers. Nature explorers of all ages are welcome!
Garden entry and participation in this program is free, but preregistration is required. Space is limited to ensure the comfort of all participants. Complete the form below to register.
This program is outdoors and canceled in inclement weather, which includes rain, extreme
temperatures, and poor air quality. For updates, check this webpage and the email address
provided during preregistration.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden invites visitors with disabilities and their families to experience the Discovery Garden at
your own pace. At this sensory-friendly program, enjoy hands-on activities alongside trained
volunteer Discovery Docents. Nature explorers of all ages are welcome!
Garden entry and participation in this program is free, but preregistration is required. Space is limited to ensure the comfort of all participants. Complete the form below to register.
This program is outdoors and canceled in inclement weather, which includes rain, extreme
temperatures, and poor air quality. For updates, check this webpage and the email address
provided during preregistration.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden invites visitors with disabilities and their families to experience the Discovery Garden at
your own pace. At this sensory-friendly program, enjoy hands-on activities alongside trained
volunteer Discovery Docents. Nature explorers of all ages are welcome!
Garden entry and participation in this program is free, but preregistration is required. Space is limited to ensure the comfort of all participants. Complete the form below to register.
This program is outdoors and canceled in inclement weather, which includes rain, extreme
temperatures, and poor air quality. For updates, check this webpage and the email address
provided during preregistration.
Celebrating 30 Years of the Greenest Block in Brooklyn
After Party Chair
Plant Kween
As the sun sets on the Spring Gala, join us for the After Party—a high-energy celebration, complete with great music and peak spring vibes. Dance the night away surrounded by blooms and fellow garden lovers at Brooklyn’s most vibrant celebration of the season.
Tickets include special access and two hours of open bar with signature cocktails curated by Whoopsie Daisy, beer, wine, desserts, photo opportunities, activities, and more. Proceeds from the After Party provide essential support for the Garden’s programs and plant collections.
Advance ticket purchase required; space is limited.
Strictly 21+; valid ID required | Advance ticket purchase required
All tickets will be held at the door.
Dress to impress! Festive floral attire encouraged.
Celebrating 30 Years of the Greenest Block in Brooklyn
Better Earth Award
300 East 25th Street Block Association
P.L.A.N.T (Preserving Lincoln’s Abundant Natural Treasures)
Gala Chairs
Adam & Sylvana Durrett
Jennifer & Steven Eisenstadt
John Shaheen & Carl Dietz
Spring Gala 2026 Tables and Tickets
Event Contributors
Celebrate the spring blooms at Brooklyn Botanic Garden with casual, pop-up music and dance performances, morning programming for kids and families in the Discovery Garden, and Garden tours.
Please contact
[email protected]
with any accessibility-related questions or requests.
For more information about accessibility at the Garden, visit
bbg.org/access
.
Learn and play together in the Discovery Garden! Hands-on stations encourage families to explore nature alongside our volunteer educators and teenage Garden apprentices. Be sure to explore our meadow, woodland, and marsh habitats, too! This is a drop-in program for families with children of all ages.
Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, is the Japanese practice of deeply experiencing nature through all the senses—sound, scent, touch, and stillness. Join this 60-minute guided experience to quiet your mind, reconnect with the present moment, and leave feeling restored. No experience necessary. Just show up and slow down.
Kotchegna Dance Company, founded by artistic director Vado Diomande, present Performance Traditions of the Ivory Coast, including selections from their repertoire of traditional Ivorian dance and drum in a high energy and interactive performance that is open to and fun for all ages and abilities.
The electro/acoustic Mac & Cheez Balkan PowerTrio get you moving with a performance of traditional and modern village and urban folk music from the southern Balkans.
Support
Major Supporter, Discovery Programs
Celebrate the spring blooms at Brooklyn Botanic Garden with casual, pop-up music and dance performances, morning programming for kids and families in the Discovery Garden, and Garden tours.
Please contact
[email protected]
with any accessibility-related questions or requests.
For more information about accessibility at the Garden, visit
bbg.org/access
.
Learn and play together in the Discovery Garden! Hands-on stations encourage families to explore nature alongside our volunteer educators and teenage Garden apprentices. Be sure to explore our meadow, woodland, and marsh habitats, too! This is a drop-in program for families with children of all ages.
Learn how gardening can be accessible through three interactive stations. Led by Kristie Cabrera, a disabled access worker and occupational therapist, this program invites participants to consider creative solutions to access barriers and offers an opportunity to try out different adaptive gardening tools.
Founded and directed by Willie Quintana, Tambor y Caña is a traditional Afro-Venezuelan Music project with an experimental approach to dance, drums and other instruments.
Haitian-American vocalist Pauline Jean bridges jazz with global traditions and the rich rhythms of the African Diaspora. Rooted in her Haitian heritage, Pauline’s work reflects themes of identity, memory, and cultural connection, with performances that are both intimate and expansive, inviting audiences into a deeply moving musical experience.
AUM Dance Creations will be showcasing a dance medley of traditional folk and Bollywood styles, featuring high-energy music, vibrant colors, and graceful dance.
Support
Major Supporter, Discovery Programs
Join us at Brooklyn Botanic Garden for programs designed for individuals with memory loss and their care partners. Enjoy conversation, refreshments, short guided tours, and movement and art making activities facilitated by trained volunteers.
These programs are free, but space is limited, so registration is required. For more information and to register, contact us at [email protected].
In warmer weather, Memory Programs are held outdoors and in the Children’s Garden; in cooler weather, they are held inside the Education Greenhouses and Steinhardt Conservatory.
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Photos by Joanne D'Auria.
This program begins with a gentle, guided breathing and nature-inspired movement activity. Participants are then invited to explore the Garden, engaging the senses of smell, sight, and touch, and will also have the opportunity to create a birdfeeder to take home. We will close with a calming tea ritual, offering a peaceful moment to relax, reflect, and connect with others.
This program is full; if you would like to be added to the waitlist or have additional accommodation requests or questions, please email [email protected].
At All-Abilities Discovery Programs, visitors with disabilities and their families can learn and play in the Discovery Garden alongside trained volunteer Discovery Docents. Nature explorers of all ages are welcome!
Explore the Discovery Garden at your own pace and take part in hands-on activities:
Plant, harvest, and compost
Create a craft using natural materials
Pot up a plant to take home
...and more!
The Discovery Garden is a multisensory space. Visitors are encouraged to touch and smell plants, and interactive exhibits feature sound, visual, and tactile elements.
Garden entry and program participation is free, but preregistration is required. Upcoming dates will be listed on this page. See FAQs below.
All-Abilities Discovery Programs are intended for children and families with physical and/or developmental disabilities. All ages are welcome. Families are encouraged to bring a friend with or without disabilities; include them in your RSVP.
What accommodations are available?
Before the program:
Families can request specific accommodations when completing the RSVP form, including sensory backpacks and assistive listening devices.
A visual guide and details about transportation, entry, and what to expect will be sent out in advance to families who have preregistered.
ASL interpretation must be requested at least two weeks in advance; requests made less than two weeks before this event cannot be guaranteed.
During the program:
Snacking is permitted.
A quiet seating area will be available during the event.
ASL interpreters will be available if requested at least 2 weeks in advance.
A tactile map of the Discovery Garden with Braille text is located at the northern entrance to this area.
Accessible bathrooms and wheelchairs are available at the nearby Flatbush Avenue entrance. Most pathways and exhibits in the Discovery Garden are accessible to visitors using wheelchairs.
What happens in the case of inclement weather?
This program is outdoors and 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 families via the method of communication requested on their RSVP form (email, text, or phone call).
Enhance your day in Brooklyn by visiting our neighbor, the Brooklyn Museum! Purchase a Museum & Garden ticket here at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and present your receipt for same-day admission to the Brooklyn Museum.
Museum & Garden visits must be made on the same date. The Museum is closed on Tuesdays.
Offer is not valid for special events.
The Brooklyn Museum’s admission is suggested. Tickets are not refundable.
There is no combination ticket for children under 12 years of age. Children under 12 enter for free.
Your Support Makes Great Things Possible!
Admissions and membership revenue helps Brooklyn Botanic Garden care for its 52 acres of grounds and conservatories and provide the environmental education programs, breathtaking botanical displays, exciting public events, and community greening efforts that have made the Garden a world-class living museum for all to enjoy. Thank you for supporting this with your visit!
Free Admission Opportunities
Admission is free:
BBG members receive free general admission year-round.
Children under 12 are always free.
Community Tickets: A portion of each day’s tickets are available free of charge to those who need them.
Free admission during public hours is also offered to the individuals and groups listed below. Check full details at the link below before planning your visit.
Academic members and participants in the following programs, with valid ID:
Students, employees of Medgar Evers
Students, employees, alum of Pratt
Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment students and families, employees
Cool Culture cardholders and their families
Garden Apprentice Program teens and families
Project Green Reach classrooms, students and families (with pass)
Urban Advantage teachers, classrooms, students and families (with voucher)
Visitors with the following affiliations, with valid ID:
Individual members of the following museum and garden associations: AHS, APGA, Museums Council of New York City
Members of gardens that participate in the AHS Reciprocal Admissions Program
Employees of current corporate members
Brooklyn Botanic Garden volunteers
With preregistration:
Public library patrons with a Culture Pass reservation (with pass)
Registered, self-guided school and camp groups
Registered, self-guided groups from nonprofit senior centers, shelters, rehabilitation centers, and other 501(c)(3) organizations serving people with disabilities
Participants in accessibility programs, including monthly Memory Tours
Community Greening & NYC Compost Project workshop participants
Enjoy garden-inspired stories alongside BBG volunteers at the Discovery Garden’s Woodland boardwalk. Drop in anytime to join—we welcome readers (and pre-readers) of all ages!
This drop-in story time is part of our Family Discovery Weekends program series for families with children of all ages. Included with Garden admission.
All programs are outdoors and will be canceled in inclement weather, which includes rain and temperatures below 50 degrees. 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.
Street trees transform our urban landscapes and, in turn, street trees rely on community care to thrive. Healthy soil is at the root—full of microorganisms and other life that serve as friends to trees. Learn what makes healthy, living soil along with accessible strategies for improving your street tree bed’s soil structure, drainage, water-holding capacity, and organic matter content to best support the life of your street tree. Take home some compost and a tree bed companion 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.
Celebrate spring and enjoy the beauty of cherry blossoms at this program for visitors who are blind or have low vision. Explore tactile representations of cherry blossoms and BBG’s bloom calendar; engage with a variety of natural objects by touch, sound, smell, and taste; and experience the Garden on a guided verbal description tour.
This drop-in program runs 2–5:30 p.m. and participants are welcome to join and leave whenever they’d like. Hourlong verbal description tours of the Fragrance Garden, Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, and Cherry Esplanade start at 3 p.m. and 4:15 p.m.
Registrants will receive the meeting location by email. This program is free and preregistration is required. Friends, family, sighted guides, and PCAs are welcome. Sighted volunteer guides are available to support visitors upon request.
Please email [email protected] if you’d like to attend or you have additional access requests.
Join Chenae Bullock, a member of the Shinnecock Nation, for a Native Flora Garden tour and talk based on ITEK, or Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge.
ITEK is a body of observations, oral and written knowledge, practices, and beliefs that promotes environmental sustainability and the responsible stewardship of natural resources through relationships between humans and environmental systems. This tour includes traveling through uneven terrain; please plan accordingly.
Included with Garden admission. No registration necessary.
Please note tours can be canceled due to inclement weather. Check this page for updates.
Chenae Bullock is a citizen of the Shinnecock Nation and descendant of the Montaukett Tribe in Long Island, New York. She is the author of 50 Medicines: Indigenous Oral History and Perspective, on which the Ohkehteau (Plants of the Earth): A Shinnecock Oral History exhibit in the Native Flora Garden is based.
Bullock’s writing has appeared in Forbes, Rolling Stone, TedX, Tribal Business News, Bloomberg, Conde Nast Traveler, Indian Country Today, and Yahoo Finance. Following in the footsteps of her ancestors who were whalers and business leaders, the foundation of her work is based on the resurgence of the traditional canoe culture of the Northeast Algonquin communities.
Welcome the longest day of the year with a luminous sunrise performance. Metropolis Ensemble presents an uplifting string performance of Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons featuring violinist Francisco Fullana—a stunning reimagining of Vivaldi’s response to the natural world.
Sunset
Settle in to sunset with Metropolis Ensemble presenting a moodier, electronic take on Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons for string orchestra and solo violin, featuring violinist Francisco Fullana paired with composer and multi-instrumentalist Emily Wells, who fuses voice, violin, and electronics into something raw and urgent. Three centuries, three artists—Vivaldi, Richter, Wells—each turning toward nature: fragile, cyclical, powerfully alive.
Admission before 10 a.m. and after 7 p.m. is at 990 Washington Avenue only. A single ticket provides entry to both performances.
Entry begins at 5 a.m. for the 5:15–6 a.m. sunrise performance. You are welcome to stay and enjoy the Garden after the performance.
The Garden will close at 6 p.m. before reopening for the evening performance. There is no entry between 5:30 and 7 p.m.
Entry begins at 7 p.m. for the 7:30–9 p.m. sunset performance. (Last entry 8 p.m.)
Outside food and drinks are not permitted. (Baby bottles and pocket snacks for individuals with dietary restrictions are allowed.)
You may bring a blanket or stadium chair (no folding chairs, please) for the performances. Cherry Esplanade performances take place on grass. Accessible seating is available for people with limited mobility. Please contact [email protected] with any accessibility-related questions or requests.
About the Artists
Metropolis Ensemble
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Grammy-nominated Metropolis Ensemble has been a driving force in contemporary music since its founding in 2006 by conductor Andrew Cyr. Over two decades, the ensemble has commissioned more than 450 new works and performed at venues including BAM, the Hollywood Bowl, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln Center, Celebrate Brooklyn, and Cosm’s immersive domes in Los Angeles and Dallas.
The ensemble’s recordings have earned a JUNO Award, two Grammy nominations, and recognition from The New York Times, NPR, and Gramophone. Recent highlights include a 2025 Grammy nomination for Timo Andres’ The Blind Banister and a New York Times Best of 2025 citation for the opera In a Grove at the Prototype Festival.
The ensemble’s multifaceted Biophony series with Brooklyn Botanic Garden (and NYC DOT) has brought free performances to over 30,000 audience members across New York City’s five boroughs since 2021.
Emily Wells
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Forging a bridge between pop and chamber music, composer, producer, and video artist Emily Wells builds songs from deliberate strata of vocals, synths, drums, piano, other string, and wind instruments. Her evocative music (described as “visionary” by NPR) and performances (called “quietly transfixing” by The New York Times) impel listeners to be attuned.
Wells’ latest release, the ten-song album Regards to the End, explores the AIDS crisis, climate change, and her lived experience watching the world burn. A work of radical empathy, Regards to the End foregrounds the power of art, critique, and care to connect and perhaps redeem us.
Francisco Fullana
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Francisco Fullana, winner of the 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant, has been hailed as an “amazing talent” by Gustavo Dudamel. A native of Mallorca, he has performed as soloist with ensembles ranging from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra to the baroque ensemble Apollo’s Fire to Metropolis Ensemble.
His recordings have topped the Billboard Classical charts and earned Album of the Month honors from both Apple Music and BBC Music Magazine. A graduate of the Royal Conservatory of Madrid and the Juilliard School, Fullana performs on the 1735 “Mary Portman” ex-Kreisler Guarneri del Gesù violin, on loan through the Stradivari Society of Chicago.
Winner of the 2022 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, Korean-Canadian conductor Earl Lee has emerged as one of the most compelling and versatile artists of his generation.
Lee has led many of North America’s foremost orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. In August 2025, he stepped in on short notice to replace Zubin Mehta in the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at Tanglewood, where the Boston Globe praised his interpretation as “an unhurried, momentous ritual … the finale nothing short of spectacular.”
A former cellist trained at the Curtis Institute of Music, the Juilliard School, and the Marlboro Music Festival, Lee brings a chamber musician’s sense of communication, listening, and shared purpose to every performance, seeking to create music that is both unified and deeply expressive.
Max Richter
Max Richter is one of the most influential composers of his generation, fusing classical technique and electronic technology across genre-defining solo albums and countless scores for film, dance, and art.
His ambitious projects include the landmark nine-hour album Sleep, the reimagining of Vivaldi’s violin concertos in Recomposed by Max Richter: Vivaldi - The Four Seasons, and his score for Wayne McGregor’s ballet Woolf Works, alongside acclaimed records tackling human rights, migration, and the post-war world. His music has won him legions of fans worldwide and blazed a trail for a generation of musicians.
Get a crash course in vegetable gardening! In this class you will learn the basics of how to grow vegetables including how to do a site assessment, amend your soil, plan what to grow, choose seeds, grow seedlings, plant, transplant, water, weed, use organic pest control, and harvest. You can also take home seedlings to get started or to add to your garden.
It’s a short walk from the stoop to the kitchen table. Grow your own delicious produce this season by learning practical tips for successful vegetable gardening in containers. The class will cover basic garden care as well as how to choose the right containers and plant cultivars for your site.
As part of the North American Japanese Garden Association’s annual Gardens for Peace project, which brings communities together in Japanese gardens to promote peace, BBG presents free public programming in and around the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden.
Included with Garden admission. Tickets available in August.
Event Partner
Shop a curated and dazzling selection of plants for your home and garden. This year, shoppers can find native trees and shrubs fit for Brooklyn yards, unusual orchids, diverse tropicals and succulents, indoor and outdoor bulbs including uncommon varietals, and much more. Pot up your new purchase at Terrain while you check out pumpkins and new fall arrivals!
Brighten your home, stoop, and garden while supporting BBG—all proceeds benefit the Garden’s operations and programs. The Fall Plant Sale is presented by the BBG Auxiliary.
Garden admission is free for Fall Plant Sale shoppers. Purchased plant materials are not permitted in other areas of the Garden, so plan to exit through 990 Washington Avenue. Garden members get 10% off all purchases.
Tickets available in September.
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Visitors to the Garden can enjoy pizza, salads, sandwiches, snacks, and beverages at the outdoor Yellow Magnolia Canteen; hot and cold drinks plus sweet treats at the Coffee Bar in the Steinberg Visitor Center; and full-service dining in the elegant Yellow Magnolia Café.
Note: Yellow Magnolia Canteen is closed on Tuesday, July 14 & Wednesday, July 15 due to excessive heat. The Coffee Bar in the Visitor Center is open until 7:30 p.m. on both days, offering the full Canteen menu.
Make the most of your visit to Lightscape with dinner at Lightscape Lodge at Yellow Magnolia Café, decked out for the season with elegant winter accents. Reservations are encouraged and Lightscape tickets are required to dine.
Enjoy casual fare like sandwiches, salads, and cold drinks at our outdoor canteen, located just outside the Steinhardt Conservatory.
Hours
Note: Yellow Magnolia Canteen is closed on Tuesday, July 14 & Wednesday, July 15 due to excessive heat. The Coffee Bar in the Visitor Center is open until 7:30 p.m. on both days, offering the full Canteen menu.
The Garden is a space where we urban dwellers can reconnect to the earth and our own capacity for renewal. Join this class to practice walking meditation and loving kindness for oneself, others, and the more-than-human world. Species cycle through the Garden and with keen eyes, listening ears, and an open heart we can be in harmony with all that breathes.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden requires entrants to the Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest to register as a group, such as a block association, HOA, or civic organization. If one doesn’t exist for your block, why not start one? Even informal, ad-hoc groups are welcome in the contest.
Greenest Block in Brooklyn judges will look for group participation in greening and gardening efforts—such as street tree maintenance, signage, or shared gardening areas—as well as engagement by multiple buildings and residents of all ages. Gardening together is a wonderful way to meet neighbors and build community!
What Is a Block Association?
A block association is people coming together where they live to make their neighborhood great. In New York City, there’s no formal process to create one—all you need is a name, a purpose, and a plan to get neighbors involved.
Your block may already have an association. Many associations register with their Community Board to request permits, such as for street closures for block parties. Ask neighbors or call your local Community Board office. If you start a new group, share information with your Community Board so others can find you.
How to Get Started
Gather your neighbors
Invite neighbors to meet up and share ideas—and serve refreshments if you can! Aim to keep the meeting under 90 minutes, and leave time to identify next steps and volunteers. While gardening may be your focus, stay open to other interests and community needs.
Set an agenda and share notes
Choose a facilitator to keep the discussion focused and ensure everyone has a chance to speak. A facilitator is a good listener and does not dominate the conversation. Ask for a volunteer note-taker to write down key decisions and follow-up tasks, and share notes afterward.
Collect contact information
At every meeting, gather names, emails, phone numbers, and addresses. Make note of special skills or interests in gardening, working with youth, or helping elders. Create an email list or Google group to stay connected.
Make Greening a Group Activity
Enter your block in the contest and spread the word
Register your block for the Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest by June 1. Display your “We’ve Entered!” signs, and share upcoming meeting and activity dates.
Form a gardening committee
Even two dedicated neighbors can lead greening efforts—coordinating activities like container plantings or submitting a tree service request to the Parks Department.
Plan a clean-and-green day
Organize a block-wide event to encourage neighbors to sweep, clean, and share plants. NYC’s Department of Sanitation (DSNY) can supply tools and trash bags—see its Volunteer Clean-up Program tip sheet for more information.
Feeling overwhelmed? Tell an interested neighbor that you’d really appreciate some support. You’ll never know who might pitch in—or lead—unless you ask.
Knock on doors
Take a neighbor with you to visit folks face to face. Invite participation, ask for suggestions, and listen to their ideas.
Have fun!
Urban gardening can be challenging—start with manageable projects like composting, tree beds, murals, signage, or youth activities. Celebrate your achievements together, no matter how small.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s annual Greenest Block in Brooklyn contest is open for entry March through May; contest winners are announced in August.
Come celebrate the end of the growing season with a Seed Exchange in the Discovery Garden! Fall is a great time to learn how to save seed for spring. Watch a seed-saving demonstration—with tomatoes and more!—and get tips on caring for and storing seed over the winter. Gardeners will be on hand to answer any questions.
We’ll have a selection of fall-friendly seeds to share, whether you are growing in a street tree bed, garden bed, community garden, or sunny windowsill in your apartment.
Bring seeds to share! Bringing seeds is not required, but if you do, make sure they are labeled and no more than two years old to ensure maximum germination success.
We’ll provide envelopes, small bags, and labels for the seeds you take home.
This is a drop-in program for gardeners of all ages, including families with children, teenagers, and adults. We can’t guarantee what kind or how many seeds will be available. Included with Garden admission.
All programs are outdoors and will be canceled in inclement weather, which includes rain and temperatures below 50 degrees. Check this page for updates.
Support
Major Supporter, Discovery Programs
Learn to observe a tree’s health and the drivers of decline. Students will learn the fundamental principles of disease, types of disease, and the impacts of injury and abiotic factors on tree health. The class will cover the steps that are taken to diagnose disease and how to identify environmental factors that contribute to decline. Class will break for 30-minute lunch.
This class is designed for practicing arborists. Students should have a basic understanding of tree anatomy and physiology before taking this class.
Learning to recognize and name herbaceous plants in the landscape is an important skill for gardeners and naturalists alike. Students will learn the basics of plant anatomy and taxonomy to be able to identify herbaceous plants. This class will include a walk on the BBG grounds using a variety of tools to identify plants.
Let’s take climate change seriously without taking ourselves seriously, shall we? A crew of stand-up comics will help us explore the absurdities of the climate crisis, laugh through our anxieties together, and reinvigorate our resolve to be part of the solutions, with sets from Brad Einstein, Eeland Stribling, Perrin Ireland, and Hila the Earth.
After the show, we’ll complete the catharsis by dancing to music from DJ Mamoudou and celebrating the paperback launch of Dr. Johnson’s book What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures.
Optional/encouraged: Come dressed as your favorite climate solution! Maybe you’ll meet your new climate bestie on the dancefloor.
Ticket includes entry, (1) complimentary drink, and small bites. First 250 people to arrive will receive a copy of What If We Get It Right?
Note: Attendees will exit the Garden via 1000 Washington Avenue.
This event is now sold out.
About Dr. Ayana Johnson
Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, policy expert, writer, and teacher working to help create the best possible climate future. She is cofounder of Urban Ocean Lab, a think tank for the future of coastal cities, and is the Roux Distinguished Scholar at Bowdoin College. Ayana authored the New York Times bestseller What If We Get it Right?: Visions of Climate Futures, work that is carried on with her newsletter and podcast of the same name.
Previously, she coedited the bestselling anthology All We Can Save, cocreated and cohosted the Spotify/Gimlet podcast How to Save a Planet, and coauthored the Blue New Deal, a roadmap for including the ocean in climate policy. Above all: Ayana is in love with climate solutions.
Join Onondaga farmer, seedkeeper, and educator Angela Ferguson, and help plant Three Sisters seeds in the Discovery Garden’s courtyard. The Three Sisters (corn, squash, and beans) have been planted together by Indigenous people in the Americas for thousands of years, with the understanding that each of these plants supports and reinforces the growth of the others.
Visitors can taste traditional Haudenosaunee foods and take part in hands-on learning opportunities about the Three Sisters crops.
This is a drop-in program for visitors of all ages, including children. Included with Garden admission.
All programs are outdoors and will be canceled in inclement weather. Check this page for updates.
Angela Ferguson, a member of the Onondaga Nation (Eel Clan), is supervisor of the Onondaga Nation Farm and a member of Braiding the Sacred, a grassroots network of Indigenous corn growers. She is known as a leader in the Indigenous food sovereignty movement. Read BBG’s interview with her in Garden Stories: Angela Ferguson of Onondaga Nation Farm on the Importance of Saving Seeds.
Support
Major Supporter, Discovery Programs
Please note: The event is totally sold out and no tickets will be available at the door.
Enjoy magical access to the Garden’s famous Kanzan trees!
Find a spot on Cherry Esplanade to enjoy the cherry blossoms, lit up for maximum effect, and savor the spring vibe with family and friends. Stroll in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden and along Cherry Walk, try your hand at origami and other Japanese crafts, view a curated display of bonsai, and enjoy live performances and specialty food and drinks. Bring a blanket and picnic under the cherry blossoms!
You may bring a blanket or stadium chair (no folding chairs, please). Cherry Esplanade performances take place on grass. Accessible seating is available for people with limited mobility. Please contact [email protected] with any accessibility-related questions or requests.
ACTIVITIES
Origami with Sato Yamamoto and Jason Clay Lewis
Practice the Japanese art of folding paper. For visitors of every skill level. Atrium
Bonsai Display
View a curated selection of bonsai specimens from the Garden’s famous collection. Atrium
Japanese Food & Drinks
Purchase treats from a special menu presented in collaboration with Japan Village and Saiko Sushi and picnic under the cherry blossoms. Outside food not permitted.
Hanami Nights Pop-Up Menu
Starters and Snacks
Sunomono | $5 (VG, AG)
sesame-marinated cucumbers
Mori Soba | $7 (VG)
chilled buckwheat noodles w/ soy & mirin
Onigiri | $7 (V)
roasted kombu or scallion-miso
Vegetable Gyoza | $7 (V)
4 pieces
Assorted Japanese Snacks | $3 to $6
Sushi by Saiko Sushi
Spicy Tuna Roll | $12 (AG)
Cucumber Avocado Roll | $12 (VG, AG)
Larger Items
Veggie Yakitori with Japanese Glaze | $12 (V, AG)
Chicken Katsu Sandwich | $16
cabbage, tonkatsu mayo, milk bread
Beverages
Joto Sake | $13
‘Graffiti’ One-Cup, 6 oz.
Junmai, 4 oz.
Nigori, 4 oz.
Listen to the traditional Japanese instrument variation performed by Ken Hutchinson (Jiuta shamisen), Kirsten Carey (Tsugaru shamisen), and Rino Aise (Okinawa sanshin) as you stroll the Japanese Garden.
Japanese Dances from Kabuki to Contemporary by Sachiyo Ito Dance Company
7:30–8:15 p.m. | Cherry Esplanade
Sachiyo Ito and Company will perform kabuki dances from the 19th century and choreographed works by Sachiyo Ito based on the aesthetics, style, and techniques of Japanese classical dance.
The Hudson Valley Shakuhachi Choir
5:15, 6:15, 7:15 p.m. | Japanese Hill-and-Pond Viewing Pavilion
The Hudson Valley Shakuhachi Choir explores the resonant overtones and rich timbre of the Japanese bamboo flute through traditional and contemporary works.
Discover the beauty and versatility of traditional Japanese cotton cloths tenugui and furoshiki with a hands-on wrapping experience. Led by Ruri Kippenbrock of Wuhao New York Tenugui Art.
Discover the beauty and versatility of traditional Japanese cotton cloths tenugui and furoshiki with a hands-on wrapping experience. Led by Ruri Kippenbrock of Wuhao New York Tenugui Art.
This dance and drum performance captures the dynamic energy of frozen snow melting and the awakening of life in spring.
Partners
Sake Partner, Hanami Nights
Toast to BBG’s Greenest Block participants with fresh mocktails that incorporate herbs you can easily grow on your stoop, balcony, or windowsill. Learn how to craft mocktails using fresh herbs, seasonal fruits, and leafy greens. The instructor will cover flavor pairing and balancing sweetness, acidity, and freshness, using herbs for aromatic depth, incorporating greens such as cucumber and spinach, and creating natural syrups and house-made infusions. Presentation and garnishing techniques will make drinks as beautiful as they are delicious.
In this workshop, students will create handmade botanical cyanotype prints using the grounds of BBG as our studio. Learn the basics of cyanotype printing including chemistry mixing, canvas preparation, and plein air printing. We will also cover printing techniques such as double exposures and high contrast. Students will leave with one-of-a-kind prints.
Bring that beautiful but odd vase that you got as a gift and work with the instructor to figure out how to make a beautiful floral arrangement that complements your container. You bring the vase, the instructor brings the flowers...together you’ll make a fine duet.
Come for a creative, hands-on experience where participants learn to design and construct personalized floral headpieces using seasonal fresh and dried blooms. These sessions cover floral selection, structural mechanics and ribboning.
Wildflowers embody summertime! Whimsical, vibrant, and playful, wildflowers evoke feelings of freedom and lightheartedness. These textural beauties are at the same time unruly and refined, elegant and free-spirited. Using a variety of blooms and textural elements, you’ll create a stunning flower arrangement fit for the season. The instructor will offer step-by-step instruction—from palette selection and flower care to professional techniques for crafting a lush and unique floral arrangement.
Bring your mom to this workshop as a Mother’s Day gift, or surprise her with a beautiful homemade arrangement of spring blooms.
Kaya Abe Magee holds a Master’s degree in the art of Japanese flower arrangement from the Ichiyo-style ikebana xchool. She continued her study at the McQueens Flower School in London to explore her own expression of flower arrangement. She freelanced with Laura Clare Design, in New Jersey creating arrangements weddings and events for five years while donating her time to teach ikebana to children from low-income families and seniors at nursing homes In Japan. She helps maintain gardens in Saint Francois Xavier in Paris and outside London. Kaya learned biodynamic methods at the Pfeiffer Center, and in 2021, she purchased 20 acres of land in Jeffersonville, New York, where she started a biodynamic farm.
Shakespeare was a great lover of flowers and plants and often included them in his verse. Take a walk in the Shakespeare Garden to learn about the plants that were a huge part of Elizabethan life, and the scents people used to perfume their bodies and home. Students will receive a sampling of scented millinery flowers to create their own nosegay and create a quarter-ounce vial of perfume to take home.
Roses are one of the most beautiful and praised flowers. They’ve been valued for centuries in many cultures and have been cultivated and hybridized worldwide. Learn about the beauty, history, and legacy of the adored and exalted rose. Each variety has a unique scent; we’ll discuss the different notes found in them and learn to pick out the subtle differences. A walk in the Cranford Rose Garden will provide myriad examples as we compare them side by side. After our walk, you will have an opportunity to create a rose perfume at our very own Perfume Bar. Each attendee will leave with a quarter-ounce vial of perfume and a fragrant bouquet of paper roses.
If you’re new to tree identification or need a refresher, this class is for you. You’ll learn the fundamental concepts used in dendrology while being introduced to the Garden’s most common trees. The instructor will share some relevant botanical terminology, but will largely apply a jargon-free approach. Participants will leave class feeling more confident in their ability to identify regional trees, and with recommendations for resources and strategies to improve their own independent self-study. Awareness of trees is one of the best portals into creating a closer relationship with land and nature! Class will break for 30-minute lunch.
All beekeeping is local, and urban beekeeping is unique. Space, floral accessibility, native bees, and neighbors all factor into best management practices of honey bees. Learn bee biology, tools and techniques for hive care, and problem-solving and pest management. This class will provide a lecture as well as live observation of bees at work.
Mushrooms are everywhere, even in New York City. This class will explore the roles of the frequently misunderstood fungal kingdom, crucial to every habitat on Earth. We will cover the ecology, evolution, and cultural history of mushrooms. Learn basic taxonomy and identification of our local edible and poisonous fungi. Each class will include a foray on BBG grounds to meet your fungal neighbors in person and get practice finding and identifying fungi in the field.
In this class, students will learn insect identification skills and work in small groups to set up light traps in the Garden. We will take a walk around the grounds to search for nighttime pollinators in action and finally return to identify the insect visitors our traps attracted (insects will not be harmed or stuck in the traps, we use simple UV light and sheet tents). This class is open to students 12+ if they are accompanied by an adult.
In this lecture and discussion, the instructor will offer a brief history of medicinal plants. Topics covered will include herbals, with a look at books detailing the healing properties of plants, from the Ebers Papyrus and Materia Medica to the present; plant-based treatments in the modern pharmacopoeia; and a concluding discussion of Western and complementary and alternative medicines.
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.
Get Tickets Member Tickets Become a Member Last entry 30 minutes before closing. Specialty gardens begin to close 30 minutes before closing time. Full Admission Information › Entrances, Directions & Parking › Seasonal Hours Through July 31 Open late! Tuesday…
Show locations on Garden map Visitors to the Garden can enjoy pizza, salads, sandwiches, snacks, and beverages at the outdoor Yellow Magnolia Canteen ; hot and cold drinks plus sweet treats at the Coffee Bar in the Steinberg Visitor Center; and full-service dining in the elegant Yellow Magnolia Café .…
Kaya Abe Magee holds a Master’s degree in the art of Japanese flower arrangement from the Ichiyo-style ikebana xchool. She continued her study at the McQueens Flower School in London to explore her own expression of flower arrangement. She freelanced with Laura Clare Design, in New Jersey creating arrangements weddings…
to Franklin Avenue (no elevator) for 990 Washington Avenue and 150 Eastern Parkway entrances
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