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‘New York Green’ Author Ngoc Minh Ngo on the Best NYC Parks

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Best for Spring Flowers

“There are so many places. The Met Cloisters is spectacular when all the tulips and bulbs are in bloom. The incredible setting transports you in time and geography. It’s fantastic.

I also love to visit the tulip trees in Green-Wood Cemetery when they are in bloom. I’ve never seen such a density of tulip trees, and these gigantic ones are beyond anything I’ve seen. It’s transporting to think of what was here before. There were giants in the forest before we cut everything down.”

Shady Summer Go-to

Above: “The Battery prides itself as a ‘paradise of plants,’ with the largest perennial gardens in North America free and open to the public every day,” notes Ngo. Excerpted from New York Green by Ngoc Minh Ngo (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2023. Photographs by Ngoc Minh Ngo.

“The Battery is one of my favorite places in summer. When the plantings are dense and knitted together, you see the genius of designer Piet Oudolf. It’s also the shadiest spot downtown in the summer. It is more a garden than a park, with Oudolf’s planting as the star.

Also, I love to visit the Liz Christy Community Garden, the city’s first official community garden, when the metasequoia tree is in full leaf. It was the first tree planted there, as a tiny seedling decades ago. It’s now huge. It’s lovely to see that embodiment of the garden’s history. It’s a beautiful metaphor: this tiny thing that has grown and has had such a huge impact.”

Favorite Fall Spot

“I love to go to Central Park to see the Chrysanthemums in the Conservatory Garden. I normally don’t like that almost eye-candy-like kind of gardening, but it’s done so well. The colors are eye-catching without being garish. The Korean chrysanthemums are so graceful. And it’s just a beautiful sentiment.”

Dreamiest Winter Wonderland

“As winter gives way to spring, the blooming heaths cut an undulating swath of pink and white through the heather beds,” writes Ngo of the Heather Garden at Fort Tryon Park. Excerpted from New York Green by Ngoc Minh Ngo (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2023. Photographs by Ngoc Minh Ngo. — Above: “As winter gives way to spring, the blooming heaths cut an undulating swath of pink and white through the heather beds,” writes Ngo of the Heather Garden at Fort Tryon Park. Excerpted from *New York Green* by Ngoc Minh Ngo (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2023. Photographs by Ngoc Minh Ngo.

“I love Prospect Park after a snowstorm when the trees are beautifully crystalized. You feel like you’re in a winter wonderland.

Then the Heather Garden at Fort Tryon Park in late winter when the heath are in bloom. It’s unique; you can’t see that anywhere else in the city.

It’s also always a treat to visit the New York Botanical Garden to see all the colors in their annual Orchid Show.”

Best-Kept Secret Garden

“This portal to a world of poetry and another way of seeing is just a short ferry ride away,” writes Ngo of New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden in Staten Island. Excerpted from New York Green by Ngoc Minh Ngo (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2023. Photographs by Ngoc Minh Ngo. — Above: “This portal to a world of poetry and another way of seeing is just a short ferry ride away,” writes Ngo of New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden in Staten Island. Excerpted from *New York Green* by Ngoc Minh Ngo (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2023. Photographs by Ngoc Minh Ngo.

“The New York Chinese Scholars Garden on Staten Island is such a gem. You go there and suddenly you’re in China. You’re completely transported in both place and time.