Nature
2
Early spring fills this formal garden with fragrance from magnolia trees, among the earliest flowering plants, whose fossils date back 145 million years. The Administration Building, opened in 1917 as a laboratory building, is considered a masterpiece of the architecture firm McKim, Mead & White, and the names of 68 plant scientists, including Darwin and Linnaeus, appear along its exterior frieze. The Garden's Magnolia 'Elizabeth,' a cultivar bred by scientist Evamaria Sperber in the 1950s, became world famous as one of the first yellow magnolias and one of eight hybrids developed by the Garden. An armillary sphere installed in 1933 displays the signs of the zodiac and also serves as a sundial. Magnolias that flower in spring produce their buds in the fall, and furry outer scales protect them through the winter.
Hear stories like this as you drive
ExploreHere reads historical markers out loud as you pass them: over 325,000 stories across the US. No account needed.
4.7 · 800+ ratings · Free
FIND IT
New York, New York · United States
