May isn’t the only month to see the flowers bloom.
The Queens Botanical Garden (QGB) is inviting visitors to take a tour of the garden’s new floral border every Saturday and Sunday in August, at 12:30 pm.
The first 25 people who arrive at the garden, located at 43-50 Main Street in Flushing, will have a chance to admire the delicate, pale yellow petals of the Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’ or the lavender-blue blooms of the Nepeta faassenii ‘Walker’s Low,’ among others.
Though the floral border is still fairly new, the plants already look stunning.
“Just last week, I saw a Crape Myrtle with beautiful leaves and buds that has now exploded with blossoms,” said manager and grant writer Shari Romar.
“It also has lovely peeling bark in shades of brown and cinnamon that will still look wonderful in the dead of winter.”
The hour-long garden tour, led by a member of QBG, will also showcase trees and shrubs meant to add structure to the display, such as the Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy,’ famous for its purple, heart-shaped foliage, and the lush green Thuja occidentalis ‘De Groot’s Spire.’
Lucky tourists may even catch glimpses of butterflies flitting between the colorful blossoms.
“Yesterday, when I went out to take pictures of the border, I noticed a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly coming and going all across the garden,” said Romar.
Along the approximately 85 foot border of perennial, annual and tropical flowers, visitors may also pause under a white trellis to snap a picture. Couples planning wedding ceremonies in August are encouraged to take their celebration to the garden.
“The color scheme was designed not only to be visually appealing, but also to meet the needs of the bridal parties that visit the garden,” she said.
The flowers in the border will bloom at different times, so that visitors may appreciate the vibrant colors for several months. They are arranged by color, moving from warm to cool tones, and were chosen for their unique characteristics.
The tours, made possible by Astoria Federal Savings, are free with a general admission pass of $4. Through October, the Queens Botanical Garden is open from Tuesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information about the garden, visit www.queensbotanical.org or call 718-886-3800.
