Tuesday, August 9, 2011

The Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden in the New York Botanical Garden


After visiting the beautiful waterlily and lotus pools in the New York Botanical Garden, which you can see in my prior post (click here), my husband and I decided to walk across the garden to see The Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, which is open May through October in the garden. The NY Botanical Garden has a tram tour that will carry visitors around the 250 acres of the garden, but as we like to walk for exercise, we decided to stroll through the lovely grounds and woods of the garden instead, to get to our destination.


We passed some interesting examples of bedrock, part of the billion-year-old Bronx borough's "Fordham Gneiss."  Bedrock is what has allowed the borough of Manhattan to build such tall skyscrapers as their foundations can be solidly anchored to support their weight.


We walked over a footbridge over the Bronx River and saw this bucolic scene in the distance.


It was the The Lillian and Amy Goldman Stone Mill, one of New York City's most picturesque pre-Civil War industrial buildings, restored with leadership funding from The Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust and the Amy P. Goldman Foundation.   The Stone Mill was built in 1840 by the Lorillard family and designated a New York City Landmark in 1966 and a National Historic Landmark in 1976. You can watch a Youtube video about the restoration of the mill at this link.



You can enlarge this photo, and all other photos in this post, by right clicking on them once and then again for an even larger image when they reopen. Use your "back" function to return to the post. This placard describes the origins of The Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden. Originally designed in 1916, completed in 1988, and beautifully renovated in 2006-2007, this stunning garden now displays more than 4,000 rose plants and over 600 varieties, with roses blooming for six months out of the year.


It has been a hot and humid month of August, so I did not expect to see too many roses in bloom during our visit last weekend, but I was pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the garden as we walked down the steps towards it.


The NY Botanical Garden web site calls it: "One of the world’s most environmentally-friendly rose gardens. Overcoming the rose's reputation of being among the most chemically dependent flowers, we celebrate the addition of more than 1,700 new, hardy varieties. Hybridization efforts from all over the world are on display."



It was certainly beautiful and very well maintained!

 

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a wedding ceremony here and then a reception held in the Stone Mill? I am a little sorry I did not know about this wonderful venue until now, but my daughter's wedding plans for next spring are already booked in another pretty NYC place which you will have to stay tuned to see next year.



I enjoyed strolling through the paths in the garden reading all the informational placards that were scattered through out the rose bushes. Remember you can click on each photo to enlarge it.





Beginning in 2009, hundreds of the newest disease resistant roses have been planted in this garden. You can enlarge this placard to read a list of them. If you have not been successful growing roses in the past perhaps these varieties will give you success?



While the roses were not at their peak, I still found many beautiful varieties of roses to photograph as you can see in the collage above. I'm sure when the weather turns slightly cooler there will be a last gorgeous bloom of new buds. Roses are certainly flowers that keep on giving all summer long!


After leaving the rose garden we decided to take a different path back on our walk to the main gate of the garden, and we entered the 50-acre native Forest.  It is the largest remaining expanse of the majestic woodland that once covered almost all of New York City.


With rustic paths that wind beneath magnificent American trees—some more than 200 years old—and past the Bronx River and its rushing waterfall, the forest is another magical place to see.

Walking along Native American hunting trails, under the cool and quiet canopy of the forest trees, was an extraordinary way to end our visit to the New York Botanical Garden, a place we hope to visit and explore many more times in the future!

I'm linking this post to "Outdoor Wednesday" on Susan's blog A Southern Daydreamer and to "Pink Saturday" on Beverly's blog How Sweet the Sound. Please visit these wonderful blogs to see all the wonderful enteries.


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50 comments:

Barbara F. said...

Pat, and I thought "Bedrock" was the home of the Flintstones! lol Seriously, I learn and see something new and wonderful each time I visit. I am happy that the roses survived this summer. I never knew that there was an old mill in the Bronx til now. Thanks for bringing this piece of NYC right into my home. xo

Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes said...

Pat, what a beautiful tour. The entrance to the rose garden is just stunning, it took my breath away.

I agree, it would be a lovely venue to hold a wedding!

The entire tour was amazing. Thank you for this lovely post.

Mary

Gracey is not my name.... said...

It's beautiful! I'm constantly amazed at the beautiful places you find in the city...

Yvette said...

This looks like a heavenly place, Pat. Just perfect for a nice romantic walk. Hope it wasn't too hot. :)

Old Kitty said...

Oh wow - so lovely to see these roses and what a history - so ancient and so many uses too! Awww lovely!

The Stone Mill place is a perfect place for a wedding - it's so romantic!

I do hope that amazing pristine forest continues to be cared for and preserved. It's incredible to think NYC was once covered in forest! Amazing!

Pat! When I read the word "bedrock" - the Flintstone's tune just came into my brain and now I can't get rid of it! LOL!

Take care
x

betsy said...

I do not think anyone plants the once blooming antique roses anymore. They take up too much space, then grow shabby after they bloom. Now it is Knock out roses everywhere. But who can blame the people who plant them? Those roses never stop, and they always look good. Everyone in Nashville plants them now, to the exclusion of other roses. And thanks for more fine photos.

Gypsea Nurse said...

Pat~ again you have captured pure beauty!
Thank you for the lovely tour!
Smiles~
Cat

black eyed susans kitchen said...

How lovely...it always amazes me that a garden can be so disciplined in its plan. I love roses!

Linda said...

All so beautiful!!!

Anonymous said...

W.O.W.
thank you for sharing
just lovely...
loved the BEDROCK
reference to the
Flintstones :D
~victoria~

Snap said...

You've done it again! My list just gets longer! Nothing like a rose!

ellen b. said...

Wow...that is one fabulous Garden Pat!

Betty said...

I never knew what held those skyscrapers up. I learn something new from your blog all the time. They could never build them that tall here...this ground won't even hold my house up. We just had to have it jacked up again...a problem with most of this area.

What a beautiful place to visit. I guess it cooled off a little?

La said...

GORGEOUS!

LV said...

That is a place that anyone would enjoy visiting.

Sue said...

That trail under the trees is gorgeous, Pat! You captured so many gorgeous shots of those roses. Again, another fantastic tour of NYC.
hugs, Sue

The Gathering Place said...

A rose garden is such a magical place. Beautiful roses!

Vee said...

Such a nice garden and forest to take your exercise. I had no idea that a forest experience was possible in your corner, but I'm coming to believe that anything is possible in NYC.

Cindy said...

What an absolutely stunning place to see! How you must have enjoyed it, it is amazing to see so many gorgeous places from your area. I love it.
The roses are especially beautiful.
Hugs, Cindy

Sarah said...

Pat, oh thank you for taking us along. What a beautiful place!

Jadehollow said...

Beautiful .. Thank you for the tour. That's the kind of place I could spend days visiting.
~Debbie

Ginny Hartzler said...

How beautiful, the place is like a wonderland!! I love your rose collage, my fave is the one in the middle that looks kind of lavender.

Buttercup said...

Beautiful pictures. Hope to get up to the Botanical Gardens, but the weekends just seem too hot. Can't wait to see where your daughter's wedding will be.
I definitely will be BlogHer'12 in New York. What fun that will be.

Anonymous said...

AHHHHHHH!!!!

I love it when you visit gardens.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

I am so glad I have gotten to know you, Pat... I had NO idea there was so much beauty in your area... That is totally awesome. Thanks for showing us the Rose Garden... You know how much I appreciated this post!!!!! Thanks!
Hugs,
Betsy

stardust said...

Thank you for taking us along with you to the lovely rose garden and the verdant green of the native forest. Each and every rose has distinctive beauty in your lovely collage. My daughter had a trip to NY last year, stayed for 5 days, and I think she should've known this place. What I know about NY would be a piece of iceberg, so I look forward to see hidden gem of NY introduced by you. By the way, to let us see the explanations in the photos by clicking two times is a clever idea. I’ll catch up with you two weeks later. Enjoy your summer.

Yoko

Kris said...

My goodness, you have the most interesting life!!! Your photos are always wonderful, and I always want to go back to NYC when I come visit you here!!!!

camp and cottage living said...

It must have smelled great in that rose garden and you must be in great shape to tackle two large gardens on foot!
It would be a lovely place for a wedding. Our sons was outdoors and was so lovely.

Ola said...

I love the smell of roses-it must have been a heaven:)

Mary said...

Pat~ What an unexpected treat to see all those varieties of blooming roses! Walking under a cool, leafy green canopy sounds heavenly and a wonderful way to escape the heat!

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

What a gorgeous post, Pat! I loved the stone mill...perhaps the most. All I kept thinking as I went from photo to photo is, "Mom would love this!"

podso said...

Again I've learned something new! I gave your address to my friend and she is delighted to see pictures of where she grew up and lived until a few years ago!

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed both post,Pat you sure do take wonderful photo's,always makes me want to be there,now I want to go back to NYC and visit these GARDENS!
~Jo

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

What a beautiful place Pat. So peaceful. It's hard to believe it's in a city full of hustle and bustle. The antebellum stone mill is one of the prettiest I've ever seen.

The bedrock is interesting and something I didn't know. I guess it never occurred to me what kind of land it takes to build skyscrapers. A duh moment for sure.
Sam

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

What a delightful place.

Light and Voices said...

I felt an AHA moment today looking at the Rose Garden. Jeepers I should put this place on my "bucket list."
Joyce M

Catherine said...

Beautiful Pat. My favorite picture is the old mill. It`s nice that it has been restored.

My name is Riet said...

What a beautiful place Pat. Beautiful roses and it certainly would be a wonderful place for a wedding. What a lovely tour this was again.

LindyLouMac said...

Enjoying this post and the last one The New York Botanical Gardens look like the sort of place my husband and I would enjoy visiting in reality.

Ciao Chow Linda said...

Pat - I remember walking those paths once years ago and thinking "This isn't really NYC!" It's just amazing how diverse the city can be.

Sharon Lovejoy said...

Loved this easy stroll dear Pat. Thanks for the sweet pics of the old stone mill...and the ROSE GARDEN! One of my favorite places to stop and smell, well, you know the rest of that one.

Sending love across the miles,

Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

SandyCarlson said...

Rich people. We need them. Thanks for this gorgeous post.

annie said...

Wonderful. Thanks for the beautiful tour.

Judy said...

What a nice tour of the gardens! You reminded me that I should have been on the look-out for disease resistant varieties when I chose my rose bushes. But I chose mine by looks only...and have found that was not a good idea!

That rose garden would be a lovely spot for a wedding. Our local gardens are a popular wedding venue. But I'm sure you have chosen the perfect place...and we will stay tuned!

Sheila said...

It's so amazing to think that 50 acres is all that's left of New York's forest. We have 60 acres left on our land and it's as is except for some selective logging done in the early 60's. Thanks for the tour through the rose gardens Pat!

Claudia said...

There is wonder everywhere, isn't there? Past its peak? Still impressive. The 50 acre woodland just shines. If it's hot - just embrace nature.

Trotter said...

Hi Pat! So, We, The People who are not in holidays, keep the blogosphere alive... ;)

Amazing that Garden! Another one to visit in the future...

Blogtrotter Two just crossed Corsica from North to South. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!!

Sheila said...

Hi Pat - please visit my blog again. I posted some special pictures of signs there for you just now. Thanks, Sheila

Erica said...

Amazing post! Thanks for this wonderful tour!

San Diego Catering

diane b said...

You find such beautiful places tucked away in that fabulous city. The rose garden is a delight and I must investigate disease resistant roses for my garden. The natural forest is great to show what it used to be like before civilisation.Love the old Mill too.