Scenic: New York Botanical Garden 3

We reached the 'Ross Gallery and Lecture Hall', to watch the famous 'Flamenco among the Flowers show' which stated at 3. The performance was great, as one of the artists played guitar, the other one played a drum and the third artist danced on the Spanish tunes. It was definitely something very different, totally worth the time. 

The show was over by 3.45, and we moved on to the 'Mertz Library', to see the historical views of the Alhambra; the gallery had some rare prints and photographs of the palaces and the fortress complex in Spain. It was amazing to see such a brilliant collection, and it was completely in sync with the Spanish themed show, we saw before.

Next, on the list was the cafe, yes it was time to grab a bite in the nearby cafe and also to buy some souvenirs from the breathtaking garden shop. After savouring some tasty sandwiches and freshly baked chocolate chip cookies; we went to see the reflecting pool, which was right on the way back from the garden shop.

 
And clicked some nice pictures around the pool and went straight ahead to the 'Haupt Conservatory', another Spanish link, with some very pretty plants and flowing fountains. The place looked mesmerizing and we sure had a great time.

Then it was time to leave, as the garden closes at 5.30. We made our way back through the daffodil path and came out. We had an incredible time and loved seeing the beauty of the botanical garden, the best way to spend a bright summer day.

Scenic: New York Botanical Garden 2

After clicking some amazing pictures of the Stone Mill, we went ahead along the river path to see the waterfall. The way to the waterfall was lined with trees and the cool breeze was heavenly. We were there in ten minutes and yes, the view was worth it. It looked like a man-made waterfall, as the rocks were completely in a straight line but it was a beautiful sight. We again clicked some pretty pictures and left for the Cherry Collection.

                                                               Bronx River Waterfall

The 'Cherry Collection' was awesome with the beautiful and bountiful trees; the place looked like a dream, with wooden fences on the side of one road, an uphill walk and the lush greenery. From here, we went to see the 'Lilac Collection', which had a wide range of variety of pretty Lilac flower.

Then it was time to see the famous 'Rockefeller Rose Garden', which has some of the most stunning roses, I have ever seen. It was like a medley of colors, with roses blooming in all the possible shades; definitely the best part of the visit.

We spent more than an hour in the rose garden, then headed to the tram stop, to go to the Gallery and Lecture hall for the Flamenco show.

Scenic: New York Botanical Garden

Yesterday, we visited the New York Botanical Garden and got to see some of the most amazing flowers and trees. The place is lush green, set in the large area along the Bronx Zoo with the Bronx river passing through a vast stretch of the garden. The place opens at 10 in the morning, and we were there around 10.30 and there began our trip through its magnificent flora.

New York Botanical Garden - The garden has a collection of more than 10,00,000 varieties of plants and some of these trees are over a century old. It is definitely one of the most beautiful places in New York. 

                                                       New York Botanical Garden Entrance

We bought the tickets and took some time to plan our visit, so that we are able to see most of the grounds on the garden. We decided to take the tram and headed straight to the 'Maple Collection', which had many varieties of Maple trees in all shapes and sizes, mostly the Japanese Maple. The most distinguishing feature of these trees is the 'opposite leaf arrangement' and some varieties grow up to 145 ft in height. The trees make a beautiful picture, especially the beautiful Bonsai Maple which are the smaller Maple trees used mostly as decorative plants.

The next was the 'Benenson Ornamental Conifers', the cone bearing woody plants which look really pretty. Some examples are cedars, pines, redwood, spruces etc.

                                                                         Conifer Tree

From here, we went to see the Nolen Greenhouses and the Display House, which were quite amazing and had huge varieties of plants. And then we moved on towards the 'Goldman Stone Mill' , built along the Bronx River, it looked like a painting. It was built in 1840, and used the river water to provide power to the wheels for producing tobacco. It is now a National Historic Landmark.

                                                                  Goldman Stone Mill