During
the warmer months, you can enjoy the sight of lush greenery and colorful
flowers blossoming in public gardens on Long Island. You and your friends or
family can relax and stroll as you admire nature’s colorful creations.
There’s
nothing like sinking your bare toes in warm Long Island garden dirt. Especially
when it’s public Long Island garden dirt. These are some of the best.
Bayard Cutting Arboretum
440 Montauk Highway
Great River
(631) 581-1002
Now a
New York State park, the Bayard Cutting Arboretum was a former estate, created
to “provide an oasis of beauty and quiet…for those who delight in outdoor
beauty.” With acres of fir, pine and other trees, the arboretum boasts some of
the largest trees of their species in the area. In spring and summer,
wildflowers dot the green expanses crisscrossed by ponds and small streams.
Bayville Road and Feeks Lane
Lattingtown
(516) 571-8020
When
businessman Frank Bailey built a house on 43 acres in Lattingtown, he wanted it
to be "a living, growing museum...of trees and shrubs," and gave it
the whimsical name "Munnysunk." A self-taught horticulturist, Bailey
grew native and non-native trees including the exotic Dawn Redwood. This
species was rediscovered in China in the mid-20th century, long after experts
thought it had gone extinct. Now listed as "critically endangered,"
20 of the seedlings Bailey obtained and planted still survive. One is thought
to be the widest such tree on earth.
Bridge Gardens
36 Mitchells Lane
Bridgehampton
(631) 283-3195
First
opened to the general public in the spring of 2009, Bridge Gardens was created
by gardeners Jim Kilpatric and Harry Neyens. Working for 20 years on the
five-acre property, they created fantastic topiary, lavender beds, a garden
maze, an herb garden, a hidden bamboo room and other lush delights. Now owned
and run by the Peconic Land Trust, Bridge Gardens is open to visitors from May
1 through September, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays and from noon-4 p.m. on
Sundays. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the gardens have additional opening
hours on Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon-5 p.m. and on Fridays from noon
until dusk. Admission fee is $10 for adults, or $20 for a family of up to four.
Clark Botanic Garden
193 I. U. Willets Road
Albertson
(516) 484-2208
Clark
Botanic Garden opened in 1969 as a living museum and educational facility.
Visit its 12 acres to stroll through collections including butterfly plants,
medicinal plants, native wildflowers, roses, rock garden plants and more. The
garden is known for its daylilies and is listed as an official Daylily Garden
by the American Hemerocallis Society. There are only 325 such gardens listed in
the United States.
The
garden offers educational programs. Please check the Clark Botanic Garden
website for details. Admission is free, but voluntary donations are greatly
appreciated.
Hofstra Arboretum
114 Student Center
Hempstead
(516) 463-6815
Hofstra
University doesn't just grow a love of learning. On its 240-acre campus,
there's also an arboretum. Who knew? With over 12,000 trees representing over
600 species, stand tall at the university, and it's open to the public. In
addition, the Friends of Hofstra University Arboretum have turned two campus
acres into a bird sanctuary.
347 Oyster Bay Road
Locust Valley
(516) 676-4486
Step
into this tranquil space and you'll leave behind any memories of traffic on
Oyster Bay Road. Opened to the public in 1987, the John P. Humes Japanese
Stroll Garden was originally commissioned in 1960 by a former U.S. ambassador
to Japan and his wife to remind them of the calm oases they experienced when
they lived in Japan. The four wooded acres are filled with deep green plants
and trees, against a backdrop of white sand and gravel and dark-hued stones.
With Buddhist and Shinto elements, the stroll garden includes an authentic
Japanese tea house amid flourishing bamboo, evergreens and water elements.
$7
admission. $10 for tour and Japanese tea ceremony (reservations required.)
LongHouse Reserve
133 Hands Creek Road
East Hampton
(631) 329-3588
Famed textile
artist and collector Jack Lenor Larsen had LongHouse Reserve built to resemble
a 17th-century Shinto shrine in Japan. With 16 acres, LongHouse Reserve's
mission is to blend art with nature, and this idea is reflected in the
sculptures adorning the gardens.
Programs
include Twilight Tours, Sound Meditation, changing art exhibits poetry reading
and more. Group tours for schoolchildren can be arranged. Open to the public
Wednesdays and Saturdays from 2 to 5 p.m. In July and August, the reserve is
open Wednesday through Saturday from 2 to 5 p.m. $10.00 admission for adults,
$8.00 for seniors. Members and children under 12 accompanied by an adult: free.
Nassau County Museum of Art - Formal
Gardens
One Museum Drive
Roslyn Harbor
(516) 484-9337
In
1919, industrialist and patron of the arts, Henry Clay Frick, gave his son,
Childs Frick, and his bride, Frances, a wedding present in the form of a
sprawling, 200-acre estate. Today that property, with its Georgian mansion and
landscaped surroundings, is the home of the Nassau County Museum of Art.
When
Mrs. Frick lived at the estate, she commissioned Marian Coffin to design the
formal gardens. The original design's walkways and shrubs still remain. Some of
the other gardens have been partially restored and maintained.
To take
a photo tour of the museum's outdoor artwork, please go to Outdoor Sculpture
Old Westbury Gardens
71 Old Westbury Road
Old Westbury
(516) 333-0048
Listed
on the National Register of Historic Places, Old Westbury Gardens was once the
home of financier John S. Phipps and his family. The mansion is surrounded by
200 acres of formal gardens, woodlands and lakes. Stroll through the former
estate to see rich greenery, fragrant flowers like roses and lilacs and a
tranquil pond.
In
season, there are outdoor concerts. Throughout the year, there are adult and
family programs. The house and gardens are open every weekend from April 4th.
April 27-October 31: open daily except Tuesdays, from 10-5 p.m. Tours are
available.
$10.00
admission to the house and gardens, $8 over 62, $5 for ages 7-12, free for
children 6 and under.
Planting Fields Arboretum
1395 Planting Fields Road
Oyster Bay
(516) 922-9200
A
former Gold Coast estate, Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park sits on
over 400 acres with formal gardens, greenhouses, woodland trails and more. Coe
Hall, the estate's original 65-room mansion, still sits on the property and is open
for tours from the spring through the fall.
The
estate's grounds were designed by the famed Olmsted brothers. The landscapes
are lovely in every season. There are frequent scheduled programs for adults as
well as children, and the grounds are often used as a backdrop for wedding
photography.
