Amazing piece of art in my back yard

  Khadijat Ahmed
Sep./ 22/ 2017

      Having lived in the Bronx for many years and a few minutes from the New York Botanical Gardens, i felt ashamed that there is such an amazing place to visit and see such beautiful sights yet i failed to notice and pay attention. I cant remember how many times especially in the summer that i pointed out the direction to take to the Botanical gardens and the Bronx zoo which is right by each other to folks getting of the train at West Farms Square and East Tremont Avenue. Many times and i used to wonder what was so important there that so many visit on a daily basis, well i wondered no more because i took myself and a couple of friends to go visit a few months ago.

    At the entrance, it was packed and we realized there were different packages for students, families and those who visit often during various exhibitions and tours, we got our tickets and went in, you had the choice of getting into one of those trams or walk on foot, we chose the latter and regretted it after about 25 minutes when the trams came whizzing by us, the New York Botanical Gardens is vast.  After viewing many beautiful flowers and flower bushes, i mostly took pictures, i saw plants i had never seen before and it helped a lot that every group of plant and flowers were labeled with the name and a bit of background information, i would mostly ask other people who obviously had knowledge about the plants, i had run in into these older couple from Westchester county who come there religiously and were exotic flowers and plants lovers, i asked them many questions and it was obvious how much they enjoyed sharing their knowledge with us. I knew that at the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the famous Water Lily Pools hold amazing exhibitions, on that day the Lily Pool had so many water plants with intense colors and fragrance, there were what they called prehistoric looking leaves ( large and oval to round shapes) and tropical water lilies. These are all put on displays by different nature artists and often sponsored by a company or philanthropists .

At the Enid Haupt Conservatory, a  particular  water lily with so much history and a mouthful name behind it is called Nymphea which has been in cultivation for over 100 years and has been the most popular of water garden flower since the late 1800s. I found out also that this particular flower which was the focus of the display that day was grown by the famous nature artist Claude Monet in his personal garden and was a basis for some of his famous artwork.

 It took me a while to realize that plant displays and even its cultivation whether in a private or Botanical Gardens were a form of art.
Recently, another world renowned artist called Dale Chihuly has been holding exhibition at the New York Botanical Gardens which i managed to attend one and it was good experience, there was a showcase of an artwork which is on display at the  Conservatory Courtyards Pool which showed so many display of colors which in turn reflected more colors on the surface of the pool. Many more nature art pieces were put through out the gardens which in my opinion took it from ordinary gardens to amazing ones, what stuck with me in all these experiences is how color in it self is a form of art and art pieces that from a first glance looks like an alien piece of nothing transforms the surrounding it is placed on.
I must say i went to the New York Botanical Gardens not knowing what to expect, perhaps except for a few strange plants and flowers, it changed my whole outlook and when put on display amidst nature art pieces , it becomes an education and a wonderful life experience.
     
work Cited

     https://www.nybg.org/
     09/23/2017.