Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

Since it opened to the public in 1910, the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens has hosted over 700,000 visitors per year. Spreading across 52 acres in the center of Brooklyn, the gardens display more than 11,000 plant species from around the world. The gardens feature a large variety of collections open to the public, and offer classes, internships, and opportunities for volunteering.

Consider welcoming the spring to NY with a stroll through the garden's Magnolia Plaza. Throughout April and March, 17 varieties of sweet-scented and pastel Magnolia flowers bloom in the plaza, making it an elegant spring hot-spot.

There is also an enticing rose garden, the Cranford Rose Collection, one of the largest in the country. Because roses bloom their fullest in June, this month is deemed Rose Month. The collection has over 5,000 rosebushes with 1,200 different species of the flower.

The Botanic Gardens also boasts its famous Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, one of the oldest and most popular Japanese gardens outside of Japan. Japanese gardens are traditionally intended to reflect nature, especially Japan's rocky and mountainous landscape. This garden is carefully constructed with evergreen trees (to represent the permanence of the garden), hills, brightly colored Japanese flowers, a waterfall, and a pond with an island in its center. The garden also contains Japanese architecture and decor, including a viewing pavilion, wooden bridges, and stone lanterns.

Among the garden's other exhibits are the Lilac Collection, Lily Pool Terrace, Daffodil Hill, Rock Garden, Desert Pavilion, Tropical Pavilion, and Children's Garden. Guided and group tours of the Botanic Gardens are available to the public, rain or shine. You can also visit the Home Composting Exhibit, which displays a variety of ways the public can contribute to a cleaner New York by composting and recycling. Before or after your tour, be sure to stop by the Terrace Café for a gourmet lunch, as well as the Gift Shop and Garden Shop.

In addition to its various gardens and exhibits, a variety of classes are available for adults, including Rooftop Gardening, Basic Flower Arranging, and Urban Garden Design.

- Alexandra Beck