Laura Collier is Marketing Associate at The New York Botanical Garden

To me, the sound of water is an immediate stress reliever. Walking into the Aquatic Plants and Vines Gallery in A World of Plants in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is almost like stepping into a spa or meditation center. Water trickles down the 19th-century French cast-iron fountain of the Three Graces, representing joy, charm, and beauty in Greek mythology. Papyrus, a personal favorite and a plant you probably associate with ancient Egyptian paper, stands energetically at the entrance. These plants can make a great, easy-to-care-for addition to your home if you have a sunny space.

Above the pool, jade and other vines climb up the walls and ceiling of the Gallery. In nature, climbing plants keep moving upward to seek the light, using adhesive pads, hooks, or even roots. In dense forests, climbers need to move quickly to compete with trees for light. Under the glass roof of the Conservatory, there isn’t the need to break through the canopy to find the sun, and the vines are plentiful over lily-pads and other water plants in the pool below.

After wandering through the Deserts of the World and the Tropical Rain Forest Galleries, the benches in the Aquatic Gallery provide an inviting place for a rest. Have a seat and soak in the relaxing atmosphere for a moment.

Get Your Tickets

Laura Collier is Marketing Associate at The New York Botanical Garden

Deserts cover about a third of the Earth’s surface but are so extreme that just about 5 percent of the world’s population live there. That doesn’t make them devoid of plant life. Quite to the contrary, thousands of plant species have adapted survival techniques, like sun protection and water storage, to be able to live in the desert climate, and you can see some of these in the Deserts of the World Gallery in A World of Plants in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

Cacti, the plants we typically think of when talking about deserts, come in many shapes and sizes. One of the most famous in the United States is the saguaro of the Sonoran Desert in the southwestern part of the country. Saguaros can grow to 50 feet tall with roots extending 100 feet into the ground, and can live up to 200 years. These giants play an important role in the desert, providing food and shelter for animals, insects, and birds. read more »

Laura Collier is Marketing Associate at The New York Botanical Garden

Chocolate, papaya, guava, cashews—the list of plants in the Tropical Lowland Rain Forest of A World of Plants in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory seems strangely like the list of my favorite foods.

Beyond food, the rain forest provides us with an incredible diversity of plants and animal life. Though they cover less than 7 percent of Earth’s surface, rain forests contain almost one-third of the planet’s known plant species. Medicines like aspirin and codeine are derived from rain forest plants, and scientists are hopeful for more plant-based drugs that may be integral in therapies for cancer and HIV/AIDS.

In the gallery the warmth and humidity immediately make me feel like I’m back in the Amazon rain forest, especially because my glasses fog up after being out in the cold. By far the best view in the gallery is from atop the skyway platform. From there you can enjoy the canopy and survey the rich greenery all around. Before you move on to the next gallery, be sure to check out the healer’s hut, with samples and information about traditional uses of plants in the forest.

Get Your Tickets

Laura Collier is Marketing Associate at The New York Botanical Garden

An acre of tranquility awaits you in A World of Plants in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory at the Garden. Lush palm trees, exotic rain forests, and serene deserts provide the perfect getaway right here in New York. Rejuvenate your senses as you journey through the palms of the Americas and tropical rain forests, past pools of waterlilies and striking desert cacti.

This week we take an up-close look at the Palms of the Americas Gallery.

The most extensive collection of palms in the Americas, both North and South, welcome you from the cold, into the Conservatory. With more than 550 different types identified in the Americas alone, palms are one of the most diverse species on Earth. They range greatly in height from the tiny, six-inch lilliput palm to the towering wax palm of the Andes, which would lift the 90-foot dome off the Conservatory if allowed to grow to its full height.

Surrounding the reflecting pool you’ll see a set of five royal palms, native to Cuba. These and several other varieties in the Palms of the Americas Gallery provide the perfect entrance to your retreat, their fronds softly giving shade from the sun shining through the Victorian-style glass roof.

Find out more about A World of Plants, explore the photo gallery, and check out family activities here.

Get Your Tickets