As much as we believe that sending flowers is the perfect way to inject a little nature into your life, we’re all for getting out and about and discovering new green spaces, too. And amongst New York’s many skyscrapers and high rise blocks, there are plenty. So, whether you’re the active 6am-run-around-Central-Park type, or more of an alfresco picnic connoisseur – we’ve rounded up our favourite green spaces – from botanical beauty, to historic secret gardens – that New York has to offer for your visiting pleasure.
1. Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
No prizes for guessing where it’s located – Brooklyn Botanic Garden is located in the Prospect Park neighbourhood and has been since 1910. It’s 52-acres and boasts multiple gardens, plant collections, an art gallery, a museum dedicated to Bonsai, and an aquatic plant house. Our favourite is The Steinhardt Conservatory. Consisting of three climate-controlled pavilions – it’s here you’ll find your fill of succulents and cacti, alongside a multitude of unique desert floras.
![Brooklynbotanicgarden Taggeryanceyiv 9877 X Large](https://floom.imgix.net/general/brooklynbotanicgarden_taggeryanceyiv_9877__x_large.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=ea78f221888bdf8fe527fa0f0c915773 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/brooklynbotanicgarden_taggeryanceyiv_9877__x_large.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=e5c83708bd85ae92fc7c91aae879b683 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/brooklynbotanicgarden_taggeryanceyiv_9877__x_large.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=6ac3a52ca9f4b9ca4f2b9702611a2b41 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/brooklynbotanicgarden_taggeryanceyiv_9877__x_large.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=cd73e44e1890964a04008a63f827360e 400w)
![Brooklyn Botanic Garden 02 Tagger Yancey Iv X Large](https://floom.imgix.net/general/brooklyn-botanic-garden-02-tagger-yancey-iv__x_large.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=ecaf3510732b69b9bd9c4d89b2741039 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/brooklyn-botanic-garden-02-tagger-yancey-iv__x_large.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=55ee586885c80cfc963637f7b072b5df 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/brooklyn-botanic-garden-02-tagger-yancey-iv__x_large.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=302f23b4427a6a0869fe0347d112fdd8 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/brooklyn-botanic-garden-02-tagger-yancey-iv__x_large.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=ad87f9fdbbc6a925743d2968d0874103 400w)
![05 Brooklynbotanicgarden Taggeryanceyiv 1274 X Large](https://floom.imgix.net/general/05_brooklynbotanicgarden_taggeryanceyiv_1274__x_large_180629_161704.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=abf9d91d0d6c80983023372173586712 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/05_brooklynbotanicgarden_taggeryanceyiv_1274__x_large_180629_161704.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=ade87fa91ea4e20469f02f22b9096ae6 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/05_brooklynbotanicgarden_taggeryanceyiv_1274__x_large_180629_161704.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=3a548ef68ff5eb09838f5c362ed11ebe 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/05_brooklynbotanicgarden_taggeryanceyiv_1274__x_large_180629_161704.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=32e0d868d7686b3a31cf1a237b307055 400w)
2. The Highline
What was once a railway track in the 1980s is now New York’s only elevated park. Beat the tourists and walk the 1.45 mile stretch from Chelsea to Hudson Yards while taking in the sunrise over the city. And when hunger strikes, walk on to Greenwich Village and make a pit stop at Jack’s Wife Freda – a low- key American-Mediterranean all day-bistro with one place on Lafayette street and a second on Carmine Street – for breakfast.
![High Line](https://floom.imgix.net/general/high-line.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=292ae875ab8ad714948796599e230b13 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/high-line.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=e24ca7d52a1b2d44de685a25889a74ef 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/high-line.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=fd4184f2aea8e4c91b3b20ddbc565e18 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/high-line.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=82b41ca611b4c90eb128fd3820b95451 400w)
![Highline Walk](https://floom.imgix.net/general/Highline-walk.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=57a3667ac91a43eb0cec3af440e82879 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Highline-walk.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=27265274855d46ec3fe61e253dfe5e0a 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Highline-walk.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=3f02cadf25ed6e842e93e879cc00c628 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Highline-walk.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=2a9dc7e0d6da244cd30e7f4ec52ea380 400w)
3. The Met Cloisters
Chances are you’ve been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s main building on Fifth Avenue, which means you’ve bypassed The Met Cloisters – a branch dedicated to the art, architecture, and gardens of medieval Europe – overlooking the Hudson River in northern Manhattan's Fort Tryon Park. Named after the medieval cloisters that form the core of the building (that were dismantled in Europe and shipped to New York), the museum boasts three enchanting garden spaces.
![Cloisters 1](https://floom.imgix.net/general/cloisters-1.jpeg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=4cdb2a94b67ee0cc6e324b68a1e02946 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/cloisters-1.jpeg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=1510eead454054d9beaf690c9a68b3e5 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/cloisters-1.jpeg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=cd20b95fd444018a8994bcdcc04e2633 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/cloisters-1.jpeg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=909e6b050a2d3ebc33634e08a2930656 400w)
![212073 The Cloisters](https://floom.imgix.net/general/212073-The-Cloisters.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=47b84042736b33681fb757ce7d637cbb 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/212073-The-Cloisters.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=401854881de2e790418c8a8ba70b2282 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/212073-The-Cloisters.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=eeaa86cc7c2b05a420dcc4216099843b 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/212073-The-Cloisters.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=c1f64d76cb31c7a17bd0b5142ccae34b 400w)
4. Wave Hill
Wave Hill is a famous public garden located in the northwest Bronx along the Hudson River that was formerly part of a private estate, of which President Theodore Roosevelt was once a guest. Despite it’s current usage, the space has managed to maintain much of its stately grandeur and features an alpine house, a conservatory greenhouse, and a myriad of wooded paths leading to a number of blooming lovely flower gardens.
![Wavehill3 Taggeryanceyi X Large](https://floom.imgix.net/general/wavehill3-taggeryanceyi__x_large.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=d3784395a6c8b5342aa63e5e2e6f84e2 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/wavehill3-taggeryanceyi__x_large.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=ee844c57e6f4eb09836ca364fdef4b68 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/wavehill3-taggeryanceyi__x_large.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=e0f7be7278f45ce7b184623f1ce65ef5 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/wavehill3-taggeryanceyi__x_large.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=e8f312162845edd477b30e31dd2a28d2 400w)
![Wave Hill 0 0](https://floom.imgix.net/general/Wave_Hill.0.0.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=20d4a0e9e55c4ded2e9d32ded5b30395 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Wave_Hill.0.0.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=ee96e10fc58a30b2d5aff80418003df0 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Wave_Hill.0.0.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=d7a27e7cd1c8462966ace1209c95b40d 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/Wave_Hill.0.0.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=edf8ddb50b54cd96f79b9f4a6d63e021 400w)
5. Chinese Scholar’s Garden
Part of the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanic Garden in Staten Island, New York’s Chinese Scholar’s Garden was the project of landscape architect Frances X. Paulo Huber. Originally designed – and built by 40 Chinese artisans – in the city of Suzhou, China, by Zou Gongwu, the country’s foremost scholar of classical garden design, the garden is in-fact a recreation of Ming Dynasty Chinese gardens. It was shipped to New York in 1999, and became the first of its kind in the United States.
![Img 6311](https://floom.imgix.net/general/img_6311.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=938c4dbe9ab673c732b72dba7dcea3f1 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/img_6311.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=6b6bb16bfc139423fdce9fc17c6d5d69 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/img_6311.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=4628b946f4b2720ceec39145a72eeaa0 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/general/img_6311.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=3b0fb78a692df05dcad03fab7cad8851 400w)
Looking for further New York inspiration? Check out our A-Z to the big apple.