lwd:
Queens Botanical Garden
This garden was such a strange and interesting place. I came with friends I was visiting in Queens last weekend, and we spent part of the afternoon strolling along the paths through the 39-acre garden.
Queens Botanical has a strong focus on sustainability, which was very clear from the moment we entered and saw the Visitor Center. As we approached the building, we walked up a path onto what was the green roof. There, we came upon a view down on the Cleansing Biotope. What the whole system looked like from above was a long, angular roof and a moat surrounding the building. What it actually was was an inverted roof to catch rainwater, a pool and fountain that recycles that rainwater, and a small wetland to cleanse the rainwater. And, it even had fish!
The garden also featured a Parking Garden, so I was immediately intrigued. My friends less so. The parking lot included permeable pavers and a series of planted bioswales to catch and cleanse runoff from the parking lot. From afar we were drawn to the mass of sunflowers and tall grasses. Upon closer inspection, it looked like there were also some serious weeds that needed pulling.
And Chickens?
As we made our way from the Visitor Center to the Wedding Garden, we thought we saw some rather large winged creatures. “Chickens?” my friend Junita asked. “Turkeys” I thought. “Peahens” our other friend Louise stated. But of course - why wouldn’t there be fowl in the wedding garden? Later, I learned that guinea fowl eat deer ticks, thus helping to reduce the amount of lyme disease. The jury is still out on whether or not they are a permanent fixture in the garden, specifically the wedding garden….
And 9/11
Upon leaving the garden, we were more aware of the tree sculpture gate, a gorgeous representation of an American hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana). I hadn’t noticed it when we came in, but I did this time. The inscription read: “A symbol of strength and renewal, this tree is dedicated to the victims and heroes of 9/11 and to the power of hope, healing, and community.” It was Sunday, September 11th, a somber and overcast day. We had seen signs of commemoration elsewhere in the garden, too - plaques on trees in memory of individuals who died in 9/11. It was a sad reminder of how New York was so affected by that one day, and how those memories live on in the garden.
