Throughout March
Online & At the Garden
We’re proud to honor the lives and accomplishments of women pioneers and trailblazers, researchers and innovators, activists and advocates, and the many people past and present who’ve advanced our knowledge of plants and worked to protect our planet’s biodiversity. Throughout March, join NYBG as we dive into the work that not only made the Garden the cultural institution it is today—but contributed to advancements in science, horticulture, and education that even now continue to steer our work to protect the planet and empower communities.
March 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, 29; 12 to 4 p.m.
Enid A. Haupt Conservatory
While famous for her depictions of flowers, including orchids, Georgia O’Keeffe also painted urban landscapes. These works, affectionally self-proclaimed “my New Yorks,” showcase the evolving cityscape around her. View a selection of her works featuring skyscrapers and orchids at the Sensory Stations of The Orchid Show: Mr. Flower Fantastic’s Concrete Jungle.
March 3 through April 1, 2026
During Women’s History Month, visit the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden to explore the many ways in which women have contributed to our collective understanding and uses of plants! Learn about Harriet Tubman and how plants helped guide her and many others to freedom. Discover inspirational stories about the influential legacy of woman botanists, herbalists, and environmentalists.
Hear from our Teen Explainers as they profile the lives and work of two remarkable women:
Explore plant connections between the wetland ecology of the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden and Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, the land where abolitionist Harriet Tubman (1822–1913) was formerly enslaved.
Learn about the important contributions of Janaki Ammal (1897–1984), the first woman from India to earn a doctorate in botany in America. Through her studies of plant breeding, she is credited with developing improvements for commercial plants to feed the Indian population and use her influence to preserve indigenous plants.
Here at the Garden and beyond, women are leading the charge in plant science, gardening, and beyond. Get to know a few of our current staff members, young volunteers, and figures from throughout history who’ve contributed to our love and understanding of plants.
Learn about an important figure in Garden history who engaged children with plants and nature through indoor and outdoor exploration, and helped grow NYBG’s renowned Children’s Education program for future generations.
During a trip to Panama, Dr. Ana María Bedoya leads a team of students through forests, over mountainous trails, and to some of the most remote river communities in the country in search of aquatic plants. Learn more about her often challenging field studies tracking down plants in extreme environments.
Dr. Emily Sessa’s office is flooded with light—fit for a scientist who studies plants. She sits facing out onto the Garden, from a perfect vantage point overlooking the grounds—and the flora encompassed within. Plants have been a mainstay of Sessa’s life since childhood, driving her interests in researching one of the lesser understood, yet incredibly important plant groups: the ferns.
Did you know that NYBG grows and cares for over 1 million plants across its 250 acres? Join Summer Rayne Oakes along with Kelly Ivanoski, Manager of our Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections, as they explore the state-of-the-art space where so many of NYBG’s plants get their start.
Bronx Green-Up has spent decades working closely with Bronx neighborhoods to develop local gardens and urban farms—and empower the people of New York City to grow food in their own communities. Hear from some of our staff as well as the women discovering their love of plants through this important part of NYBG’s outreach.
During World War II, as many men were fighting overseas, NYBG welcomed a number of new women gardeners, librarians, and other staffers to the team. Take a look back at the work they tackled, and the ways they became key figures in the Garden’s 134-year history.
As one of the Garden’s early visual documentarians, first made permanent staff photographer in 1932, Fleda Griffith spent a decade capturing the Garden with her lens—including our very first corpse flower in 1937.
NYBG’s The Hand Lens dives into the stories of innovative women in botany and horticulture who have contributed to science through cutting-edge research and activism. Learn about groundbreakers such as Sarah “Sadie” Frances Price (depicted here) and others who are recognized for their significant contributions to our current understanding and appreciation of botany.