Spring (photos unavailable yet)

Peony (Photo Credit - NYBG)

As a general rule, if you wish to be surrounded by throngs of people, if lots of hustling and bustling is your thing, and if you wish to, at the same time, enjoy decent horticulture as sort of a background delight, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden would be the ideal venue, especially during the month of Hanami (cherry blossom appreciation month).  On the other hand, if you simply wish to be surrounded by breathtaking nature without the cacophony of the city, go to New York Botanical Garden (the one in Bronx, next to Bronx Zoo). 

The NYBG deserves a bigger audience, though deep down, I wholeheartedly wish it remains the way it is: tranquil and relaxing with lovely cafes and a gorgeous shops, and best of all, with visitors few and far between compared to its relatively immense size.  Any season is a good season to visit the NYBG and spend several hours of quiet and quality time, a lovely getaway from the noises of a metropolis we are all too familiar with. 

I've always preferred the NYBG, not just for its size and lack of attention (though much beckoned), but mostly for its spellbinding horticulture, the varieties of its plants, the lush and soul-calming greens and the rich mixture of colorful blooms, not to mention its nature walk that cuts across probably the last remaining native forest of scale in the New York area.  Visit the NYBG at different times of the year, the experience could be quite different, but in all cases, you are likely to enjoy a feast to the eye.  Spring is a must-go season.  Cherry blossoms are in bloom.  We saw meadows of narcissus in the front, light pink to rosy red cherry blossom-laden trees a little farther behind, tall and magnificent conifers in the background, and finally, bright and beckoning blue sky as the canvas.  It was a scene straight from a fine and exquisitely made Japanese painting or postcard. 


Much to my surprise and delight, I saw peonies, lots and lots of palm-sized peonies at the peak of their blooming season.  Peony is an auspicious flower to the Chinese, a symbol of wealth and nobility, a flower that was often associated with Imperial beauties in the past, most notably, the reputed beauty Yang Yu-huan.  China's one and only female Empress, Wu Ze-tian was also known to have a deep affection for peony.  Though I have to say, along with tulips (and probably lavender), peonies are best enjoyed from some distance, and look their best in groups rather than individually.