Botanical Gardens
In the past year I have gone on several trips to
Longwood Gardens in
Delaware, the New York Botanical Garden
in the Bronx and
the NJ Botanical Garden , Skylands. If
you want a place to enjoy peace, beauty and reflection, a botanical garden is
what
you're looking for. Romance? The Rose Garden at the NY
Botanical Garden; there are few more romantic places. Enjoy these
pictures I've taken.

A Water Lilly at the NY Botanical Garden

Another Water Lilly
Within this grand 250-acre setting in the north Bronx, many gardens and special plantings offer stunning seasonal displays, ranging from glorious daffodils and azaleas in spring to the rich tapestries of fall foliage. The New York Botanical Garden offers a tranquil retreat from New York City and an outdoor classroom for people of all ages to learn about the world of plants.

NY Botanical Garden

A black flower.. interesting...

Bamboo - Longwood Gardens
From the Longwood Gardens website:
Welcome to the world’s premier horticultural display garden. Longwood Gardens
was created by industrialist Pierre S. du Pont (and is sometimes referred to as
the DuPont Gardens) and offers 1,050 acres (425 hectares) of gardens, woodlands,
and meadows; 20 outdoor gardens; 20 indoor gardens within 4 acres (1.6 hectares)
of heated greenhouses; 11,000 different types of plants; spectacular fountains;
extensive educational programs including horticultural career training and
internships; and 800 horticultural and performing arts events each year, from
flower shows, gardening demonstrations, courses, and children’s programs to
concerts, organ and carillon recitals, musical theatre, and fireworks displays.
Longwood is open every day of the year and attracts more than 900,000 visitors
annually.

Bird Of Paradise flower - NY Botanical Garden

Cactus and Kate - NY Botanical Garden

Beans - Longwood Gardens

Conservatory Dome - NY Botanical Garden

Conservatory - NY Botanical Garden

Statue at Longwood Gardens

Fish

More Fish

Topiary - Longwood Gardens

Pump - Skylands
From THE NEW JERSEY BOTANICAL GARDEN website: Skylands encompasses the heartland of an estate assembled from pioneer farmsteads in the 1890s. In 1922, Clarence McKenzie Lewis, an investment banker and a trustee of the New York Botanical Garden, purchased the property and built the existing Tudor-style manor house. He also transformed Skylands into a botanical showplace. Mr. Lewis engaged prominent landscape architects to design the grounds and for thirty years collected plants from all over the world to show in his gardens.
In 1966, the State of New Jersey purchased the 1,117 acres of Skylands, the state's first acquisition under the Green Acres preservation program. In March 1984, Governor Thomas Kean designated the central 96 acres surrounding the manor house as the State's official botanical garden. Skylands appears on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
Skylands' gardens are open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. every day. Entrance to the gardens is free. On weekends from Memorial Day through Labor Day, there is a modest parking charge. To preserve and protect the gardens, we ask that visitors refrain from playing ball or Frisbee games, picnicking and bringing pets onto the grounds

Tulips -Longwood Gardens

Lilly Pond NY Botanical Garden

Water Lilly - NY Botanical Garden

Fish - Longwood Gardens

A giant leaf
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