Thursday, April 15, 2010

Magnolia Trees in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden


In my last blog post I showed you the exquisite Japanese Hill and Pond Garden located in a portion of  the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.  Today I'd like to show you some of the photographs I took of the large Magnolia trees that were located in many areas of the 52 acre garden. 

This large Magnolia tree was an explosion of flowers!


Considering that Magnolia flowers are produced more abundantly in southern areas, rather than in northern areas, I thought this tree was such a wonderful sight to see!


I found this Magnolia tree in the Osborne Garden section of Brooklyn Botanic Garden.  It is a semi-formal garden with beautiful Italianate landscaping.


Ten wisteria-draped pergolas frame an emerald lawn in the Osbourne Garden, and various flowering shrubs, trees, and floral beds are located here.


The wisteria had not yet bloomed at the time of my visit last weekend, but the paths on either side of the pergolas were lined with blooming trees.


The focal point of the plaza in the Osbourne Garden is a water basin which is more than 17 feet in diameter. The fountain sits within a semicircle of limestone benches with curious acoustic properties. Sit at one end, and you can whisper clearly to someone sitting at the opposite side. These “whispering benches” are a much beloved feature to this lush space.


Another area in which to see Magnolia tress is Magnolia Plaza, which is sweetly scented with 72 Magnoilia trees highlighting 17 varieties!


Magnolia Plaza was first planted in the spring of 1932, and was designed by Harold Caparn, the garden's landscape architect from 1912 to 1945 The Magnolia trees bloom in different stages from March through June.
In the center of Magnolia Plaza is the compass and armillary sphere. According to the Brooklyn Botanic website: "The sphere is made of bronze bands representing the principle celestial circles and constellations. A thin bronze rod, or gnomon, passes through the center of the sphere, pointing north and casting a shadow on the inside of the sphere, which can be used to tell the approximate time."


"M" is for Magnolia, so I am joining Jenny Matlock's "Alphabe Thursday" blog event today!  Visit her blog to see what other bloggers have come up with for the letter "M," and please come back to my blog on Saturday to see the spectacular cherry trees in bloom at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden!




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54 comments:

Tracy said...

WOW...spring is really blooming beautiful there in Brooklyn, Pat! Such gorgeous magnolias. I love magnolias. They sometimes don't do too well over here...I miss them! Thank you for all this prettiness today. It was a tough day--this made me smile. :o) Happy Day, my friend ((HUGS))

Allie and Pattie said...

Oh, I MUST get over to Duke Gardens and take you some pictures of the magnolias! The wisteria has been blooming for 2 weeks- it's sadly almost done. I love it, but hate that it's so short-lived
xoxo Pattie

Viki said...

Magnolia trees are so beautiful. Again great photo's as usual.

laterg8r said...

gorgeous pics :D

Short and Sweet said...

Stunning photos! I'm not sure if Magnolia trees could withstand the heat in AZ but they are very pretty.
Loretta

Anonymous said...

Hi Pat, great photos and wonderful post. I bet that is the most fragrant place in the city. I love the magnolia. There are a lot in the older part of our historic town. I think they can be kind of messy at the end if not cared for properly. Happy spring to you.
QMM

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Gorgeous, Pat, and a perfect "M" word. I love Magnolias ---and there are many of them down here. However, I've never seen anything but the white blooms. SO--the colored ones must really be special.

I love to smell Magnolias also. When I lived in Texas, I would stop by the park (where there was a huge Magnolia tree)--and I'd 'steal' a bloom and take it to my office --and put it in water. The office would smell wonderful all day long.

Thanks for a beautiful post--in a beautiful place. WOW!!1
Hugs,
Betsy

Judy said...

M is for magnolia...I couldn't think of anything more appropriate at this time of year. So beautiful! It seems that they are blooming right across blogland...and I love it.

steviewren said...

Your photos are gorgeous! I love the one of the girl hanging over the side of the fountain. Spring is my favorite time of the year!

Christine Darling said...

Mmm! Wow, I can practically smell the fruitiness of the magnolias. Thank you for the beautiful pictures! xo

Unknown said...

What a beautiful place to go for a walk and see wonderful plants. My son and I just for a walk at a park along the river in downtown Greenville, S.C. today. They colors were bold too.

My name is Riet said...

OH Wow how beautiful those magnolia's are. I can smell tyhem when I close my eyes. Wonderful pictures Pat

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Just amazing to think all this beauty is right there in Brooklyn. Most people don't think of all these blooms and green space when they think of NYC.

Old Kitty said...

My goodness that Magnolia tree is absolutely fantastic!!

And the grass is so green - and it's great to see people walking around like it's summer already!

Wisteria draped pergolas are just so romantic - even when the wisteria are still asleep. The trees in blossom surrounding frames them nicely. I can't beleive those are skyscrapers in the background in the first pic surrounding this garden! What an amazing city!

Now as for these whispering benches.... do they really work? That's just so amazing and incredibly weird!!! I'd love to try it!! Have you tried it? How incredible!!

And I've learned a new word: "gnomon". :-)

And an area with just magnolia trees - the air must be heaven scented!

Lovely!

Take care
x

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

So many flowers all blooming at the same time! WOW! We watched "You've got mail" last night and I enjoyed it even more now that I know more about New York City. Love your photos and getting to know you better! ♥

Nola said...

I love magnolias, but I've never grown one. Those photos are breathtaking.

Claudia said...

Pat - I do adore magnolias. I always think of them southern - forgot they bloom in NYC. They are magnificent in their lush beauty. How wonderful that someone had the foresight to plan this - I love the fountain photo with everyone out enjoying the day and the beauty.

Kathleen said...

Beautiful Magnolias...I have one Magnolia, it is Messy! :) Wish the blooms would stay ON the tree longer!
I went to WS/PB outlet today...NOTHING! They separated the stores so you can't move back and forth, Prices were high and nothing new..very boring..I hope they perk up soon..the store was empty!

Marg said...

Those purple colored magnolias I have not seen. We have plenty of the white...but those purple ones are gorgeous...I want one now!

Unknown said...

ah...so pretty, I am not even sure if we have Magnolia trees here, bet they must have smell divine :) Happy weekend Pat and big hugs...M

VKT said...

What a wonderful M post. I love Magnolia trees. My city is filled with them. Their blooms are so beautiful! I hope you will stop by mine if you have time. Happy Alphabet Thursday.

Velva said...

Beautiful. beautiful and beautiful again. Thanks for sharing.

Mary Ann said...

Absolutely gorgeous photos. You are certainly ahead of us folks here in the midwest.

Vee said...

Wonderful photography...so wonderful that I can almost smell the magnolias from here. Loved the picture of the little girl at the fountain.

Tales From My Empty Nest said...

Those magnolia trees are gorgeous!!! Our wisteria is blooming here and it is so beautiful. A lot of it grows wild here in the trees along the sides of the roads. So pretty and the smell is wonderful. Loved your pictures. Love & blessings from NC!

myletterstoemily said...

there are few blossoms more fragrant than
magnolias. such lovely photos.

our wisteria have almost lost their blooms,
such a tragedy to have to wait another year
for their explosion of color and heavenly scent

Debbiedoos said...

Magnolia trees are my favorite! There are so many here in the Carolinas! Thanks for sharing as always your awesome pics, and thanks for the b-day wishes:)

dianasfaria.com said...

wow! Pat these are amazing photos and amazing gardens too. I really must check this place out.
Have a great weekend.
: )

Punctuation Mark said...

those magnolia's are amazing... love your photos... stop by my blog and participate on my latest blog!

Pondside said...

We have two magnolias blooming right now at Pondside - like everywhere else, it seems! The deep pink of hte one in your photo is gorgeous.
It looks as though you, in the east, have gone straight from winter to deep spring overnight,

Cheryl said...

Gorgeous photos. Thank you for sharing this day. I can almost smell the magnolias from here.

Kat said...

This Mississippi girl is just smiling from ear to ear after reading this post :) Those magnolias are magnificent, and I can just imagine the beautiful scent as you walk this park. Such a gorgeous space, and the whispering benches are very intriguing. Beautiful tour Pat! Thanks for the well wishes, I feel more relaxed after reading this. Kathy

Just a little something from Judy said...

This lovely walk that I just took through these beautiful gardens lifted my spirit today. Thank you for sharing your skillful photography with us. The Magnolia tree was breathtaking.

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

Yours is one of the Thursday posts I look through all of them to find!

Magnolias and dogwoods are my favorite flowering trees. I loved this!!

CatHerder said...

My son went last year, and just said we should all go together this year, so i am definately planning on it...FINALLY...I love Longwood Gardens but a 3 hr. drive vs. a 20 minute one makes brooklyn the choice!

RoeH said...

If I lived back East, or down south, the first thing I would plant is a Magnolia tree. A big one. Last year when I was in DC I went to Abraham Lincoln's summer cottage and there is one big huge Magnolia tree there. I was fascinated and tried to think of a way to pack it into my overhead on the trip home. Soooo pretty!

Laura in Paris said...

Pink magnolia trees are part of the Paris decor these days and yes, they are beautiful. Your shots are full of spring air!

mrs. c said...

I love the Botanic Garden, we visited it on one of our visits. You are so fortunate to have the opportunity to visit it all seasons of the year! We have a magnolia tree in our yard but it is not blooming yet. Your blog is one of my favorites because I love the cit where you live! Thanks for sharing so many of NYC's wonderful sites!

aliceinparis said...

Stunning pictures and a beautiful place!! Wow. You live in such a marvelous area and I am so grateful you share it with us!!!

Amanda Lee said...

That garden is just stunning! I love all the blooming trees!

Mary Ann said...

Thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comment. My motto is stay busy, stay young.

Jo said...

Gorgeous Magnolias! Your blog has inspired me to get out and explore my own city more often ... which is a really good thing!

GardenOfDaisies said...

The magnolia trees are so beautiful. A lot of people have the pink ones in their yards here. My next door neighbors have a gorgeous big one in the back yard. I should have taken a picture yesterday ... it was just perfect then. Maybe tomorrow it will still be picture worthy.
I sent the info about Poet House to my niece-in-law and she LOVED it and hopes to visit there someday soon.

Jenny said...

Oh Pat! I am mesmerized by this lovely stop on my Alphabe-Thursday journey through the letter "M"!

These trees are exquisite. And your photos transport me there...

I can smell that sweet scent and see the grass littered with a confetti of loveliness!

I can't wait to get to the letter P hoping you will show the wisteria in bloom!

Thank you for joining us each week.

Your posts are wonderful!

A+

jeff campbell said...

Such fabulous pictures!! I would love to visit the Brooklyn Gardens again...perhaps one day MrsC and I will get back there. I would be in heaven with my Macro lens...thank you for your visit and such nice comments about my "M" posting...see ya soon...

Steph said...

I'm so glad you chose magnolia. They grew in my Virginia yard as a little girl, but they were never as glorious as the ones you photographed. These flower photos would make a lovely book about Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The pergolas are also wonderful (never used that word before in my life :). Thank you for sharing your city.

Christy said...

I love manolias. Amazing pictures. Thank you for sharing!

Personalized Sketches and Sentiments said...

Finally getting by to read your magnificent entry of Magnolias and the other aMazing scenery you have photographed! Thank you for sharing them and the fun facts.

Blessings & Aloha!

Betty said...

Beautiful pictures! I had no idea Magnolias grew up there. I thought they were only in the south.

Jasmine said...

So beautiful! I visited the Botianical gardens in Birmingham recently and was mesmorized by by the swolen buds of the magnolia. I had watched a documentary the evening before about a garden established by Charles Darwin in England. The Magnolia's there were almost two hundred yeaars old. I suspect some of the trees in your pictures are of a similar age.

Delwyn said...

What a wonderful public garden. Magnolias and wisteria are two of my favourite plants perhaps because they transport me back to my homeland.

Happy days

JSK said...

What a wonderful display. Looks like there were a lot of people out there enjoying them with you.

Tammie Lee said...

you have captured the elegant beauty of these flowers, such a lovely post!

Anonymous said...

thanks for the visit to the BBG which I last visited in 1995 at cherry blossom time when my sister lived on Park Slope, Brooklyn. It brought back many happy memories.