Hesperantha coccinea 'Oregon Sunset'

The Ladies’ Border is a unique element here at The New York Botanical Garden, a ribbon of lavish growth snugged in alongside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory like a well-kept secret. Walking along its narrow pathway, you pick up on a quiet sense of privacy afforded by the tall plants and trees on either side, thriving camellias and low-slung mountain pines blotting out the world beyond to bring the space into focus.

Part of that has to do with the location itself; the Ladies’ Border exists as a chance for the NYBG’s gardeners to make use of their own daring creativity, owing to the spot’s placement between the Conservatory and a rising berm on the opposing side. Together these buffers cradle a sanctuary with its own subtle microclimate, protected from the elements and always slightly warmer than its surroundings–enough so that non-native plants can occasionally thrive here in New York. This is where we find Hesperantha coccinea, blooming and vivid in spite of the weather.
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The Ladies’ Border, nestled on the southern end of the Conservatory, is a fascinating garden. Planted full of beautiful plants, trees, and flowers not normally hardy in this climate, it is a study in boundary-pushing. And beauty.

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

The sandy soil, the boggy ponds: whenever I feel an inexplicable sense of geographic safety (say, in parts of Cape Cod, coastal North Carolina, or Florida), I understand soon enough that I’m looking at a replica of my childhood backyard–or at least the woods and marshes nearby.

And yet I once wanted to be elsewhere. Or at least I wanted my plants and trees to be elsewhere. I wanted them to grow in unexpected shapes, leaves large as shovels. I wanted them to be a little scary, a little closer to life as I knew it, which felt to me both beautiful and a little brutal. (Don’t children always know that consciousness is darker than their parents remember?) On childhood trips to Florida or California, my eye went first to the plants. The plants in warmer climates weren’t bound to restraint or to the pressures of some unnameable force, the codes always changing, impossible to decipher. Their oranges could be brighter; their trunks could be thicker, their vines could grow and twist until they made a mess of themselves, until you had no idea that the plant had once been a beautiful thing.
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The weather was just fabulous yesterday, so I decided to take advantage of it and left my cubicle for a stroll through the Perennial Garden. It was packed with happy visitors sitting in the sun, snapping pictures, and strolling through the long-awaited sunshine. I had a great time chatting about flowers, our current exhibition, Spanish Paradise: Gardens of the Alhambra, and the Garden in general. Here are a few pictures I managed to snap in-between conversations.

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Have you ever stopped to smell the irises? They’re sublime! Each one has a different aroma, like a mix of the finest perfume with just a touch of fruit soda. Sniff them while you can!

Irises on the Ladies’ Border (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)

Since no one has yet been able to invent the scratch and sniff Internet, you’ll have to come to the Garden in order to smell this incredible plant.  Currently blooming on the Ladies’ Border on the southern end of the Conservatory Edgeworthia chrysantha, commonly known as the oriental paper bush is currently in bloom and suffusing this small garden with an ethereal perfume. A detour to visit this unassuming plant is an absolute must if you’re coming to the Garden this weekend to see The Orchid Show: On Broadway.

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Here’s a quick Edgeworthia slideshow from our Flickr Photostream, where you can find thousands of the plants featured here at the Garden.

After weeks of snow and ice, we’ve gotten a break in the weather, and the Garden’s first flowers are taking advantage of the warmth.

First up? Snowdrops, hellebores, and the rare herbaceous perennial Adonis amurensis. See them all here.

Helleborus niger (photo by Mark Pfeffer)

Camellias are considered by many to be one of the world’s most romantic flower. Come decide for yourself.

Camellia ‘Winter’s Cupid’ (photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen)