Conservatory Garden

Conservatory Garden

Address

1055 5th Avenue

New York, NY 10028 

Phone

212-860-1382

Area

Neighborhood

Upper East Side

Price

Free

Web Page

http://www.centralpark.com/pages/attractions/conservatory-garden.html

Type of Makom

Other Type

Public

Parks Type

Garden

Semi-useful stuff

Mikomos rating

0.00

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Description

The only formal garden in NYC. 6 beautiful acres at the quieter northern end of Central Park.

(From Wikipedia)The Garden is composed of three distinct parts, skillfully restored since the 1980s, and is accessible through the Vanderbilt Gate at Fifth Avenue and 105th Street, a quarter mile (400 m) south of the park's northeast corner.

Below the steps flanked by Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), the central section of the Conservatory Garden is a symmetrical lawn outlined in clipped yew, with a single central fountain jet at the rear. It is flanked by twin allées of crabapples and backed by a curved wisteria pergola against the steep natural slope, that is dominated at its skyline by a giant American Sycamore.

To the left on the south side, is the garden of mixed herbaceous borders in wide concentric bands around The Secret Garden water lily pool, dedicated in 1936 to the memory of Frances Hodgson Burnett, with sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh. Some large shrubs, like tree lilac, magnolias, buddleias and Cornus alba 'elegantissima' provide vertical structure and offer light shade to offset the sunny locations, planted by Lynden Miller with a wide range of hardy perennials and decorative grasses, intermixed with annuals planted to seem naturalized. This garden has seasonal features to draw visitors from April through October.

This section of the Conservatory Garden has two dramatic seasons of massed display, of tulips in the spring and Korean chrysanthemums in the fall. Beds of santolina clipped in knotted designs with contrasting bronze-leaved bedding begonias surround the fountain, and four rose arbor gates are planted with reblooming 'Silver Moon' and 'Betty Prior' roses.

Tips

• Walk a few blocks north and you'll get to the Harlem Meer, another beautiful site in Central Park.
• Across the street, a few blocks south, is the Museum of the City of New York which has a "suggested donation" which means you only have to pay a minimum of a dollar.
• The best time to go is in the fall and late spring/summer. However, if you just want to talk and don't care too much for flowers (there are very few in the winter) or fountains (which are not on in the winter), this is a peaceful, quiet and beautiful spot.

Hours Subject to change. Always verify.

The Conservatory Garden is open daily from 8 a.m. until dusk.