Visitors to The New York Botanical Garden this winter can find a refuge from the frigid weather outside with a retreat to the warmth of A World of Plants, a living museum exhibition of trees, flowers, and foliage in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Through self-guided strolls, use of free audiotours, or participation in docent-led tours of the Conservatory, visitors can encounter many surprises in the largest Victorian-style glasshouse in the country. Harsh winter frost gives way to warm rain forest mists, soaring palm trees, and bright desert landscapes. This eco-tour also allows discovery of aquatics, medicinal plants, unusual species, and the process of evolutionary change. The period between the Botanical Garden’s major seasonal shows, when the climate in the Conservatory is inviting and when the crowds are thinner, is an ideal time for visitors to fully immerse themselves in and take advantage of these collections.
The journey of discovery begins in the Palms of the Americas Gallery, the largest collection of New World palms under glass. Towering palms, cycads, and ferns surround a large pool that reflects the magnificent and iconic dome of the Conservatory, 90 feet above. A trip to the Garden in winter is also a journey through time, because many plants such as cycads are survivors of great evolutionary changes.
