Monet’s Garden
Writing a novel consists of a lot of sitting at a desk, pacing the office floor, looking inside yourself. So when my latest women’s fiction Beach Colors hit the shelves, a friend and I hit the NYC botanical gardens.
The NYBG is located in the Bronx and covers 250 acres.
Our trip this day was to the Enid Haupt Conservatory which currently houses an exhibit called Monet’s Garden. The conservatory is the nation’s largest Victorian style glasshouse. It was designed by the leading greenhouse company of the time, Lord and Burnham Co and was modeled after the Palm House at the Royal botanic Garden at Kew (London) and the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park which housed the Great Exhibition of 1851. The Haupt Conservatory opened in 1902.
It might seem like a non sequitur thing do on a release date, but since Beach Colors is about a fashion designer, known for her stark cutting edge designs, who returns to the shore to rediscover the joy or color, a trip to a painter’s garden seemed perfectly reasonable.
So it was off to Monet’s Garden to enjoy the French impressionist’s interpretation of color through his other passion, gardening. The original Monet’s garden is in Giverny, France.
The exhibit fills the Enid A. Haupt conservatory, and the colors are so vibrant that I couldn’t find words to describe them, but I did take some photos. It was quite busy with people stopping to talk along the narrow paths, artists camped out on stools with their easels and sketch books. Everyone leaning closer and closer to get a better view or read the names of the flowers.
The mood was one of wonder and joy.
The first surprise was a plant that held everyone spellbound, tall and soft with willowy arms that might have adorned a creature from Pixar.
It turned out to be Verbascum.
My favorites were the delphiniums. So many blues and pinks.
And speaking of pinks, check out these hollyhocks and snap dragons.
And this was just the beginning of an explosion of colors, texture and scents. Later we took the trolley to the Mertz Library and saw pictures and paintings of the original Monet Garden.
It was a lovely day, calm and beautiful.
The exhibit runs through October 21. And November 19 through the middle of January the conservatory is home to model train exhibit which runs through a vast New York City made entirely of natural materials.
Whether experiencing a special exhibit or just wandering the gardens, I always feel rejuvenated, inspired and thankful each time I enter the magical world of the New York Botanical Gardens.
Shelley, I love to visit gardens. The colors and scents and shapes of the plants excite me. I once grew a Verbascum plant from seed and it was beautiful. Thanks for the lovely tour through the Monet’s garden!
I do to. I used to have a big garden, both vegetables and perennials and annuals, but I got to busy to give it the attention it deserved.
Ah yes, Shelley … the Botanical gardens are a marvel … even though that particular one is in Da Bronx … I’ll allow that …
Seriously, I’ve been to both and would be hard pressed to answer which I liked better. The advantage the Brooklyn Garden has is where it is located … smack on the edge of the historic Prospect Park.
Great photos. Thanks
And some great restaurants nearby, though I always love having lunch in the Garden cafe. I haven’t been to the Brooklyn botanical in years. I see that you’re going to force me to do a serious tour of my favorite old haunts before long. I don’t get out to Brooklyn so much these days.
I love gardens and can’t imagine anything cooler than doing this on release day! I just finished reading Beach Colors and LOVED IT.
Patti
I love them too and it just seemed like the perfect thing to do since VBeach Colors deals so much with color and the power of nature, whether it be ocean or daffodil, to turn us around. So glad you liked the book.
I doubt I’ll get to Giverny anytime soon, so the Botanical Gardens seems like a nice idea. Thanks for the tour. :^)
I”m not anticipating a trip too soon either. But try to get to the NYBG. It was so invigorating and inspiring.
Gorgeous flowers! Wordsworth knew the value of absorbing the beauties of nature for restoring your creativity. Thanks for reminding us!
Definitely a boost to the creativity. And on so many levels, and reminded me to look at the details as well as the overall beauty.
Lovely word pictures, Shelley. Your blog brought back memories of my late husband taking me to the Enid Haupt Conservatory when they had an exhibit of orchids. I still have framed photos of so many varieties of orchids hanging around the house.
The orchid show is another favorite of mine. IT’s amazing that something so delicate can actually grow and thrive. Many of them look as if a touch or a breath could disintegrate them. From the exotic to the fragilely understated.