NYC Life

Top Gardens in NYC To Visit This Spring & Summer

By Deirdre Sullivan May 4, 2021

Of course, there are plenty of public parks. Walking the High Line should be on your to-do list. But the many gardens in NYC are just so beautiful and therapeutic. These outdoor gems provide residents with a much-needed oasis. Below are 15 of our favorites, in no particular order. You’ll also find the median asking prices for renting and buying near each garden as of March 2021 (because you may want to live near one of these beautiful spaces).

Please note: Due to COVID-19, some gardens in NYC may require a reservation for entry, so check their websites.

East Harlem

1796 Third Avenue

$2,295 No Fee

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East Harlem

315 East 108th Street

$2,190 No Fee

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East Harlem

434 East 115th Street

$1,980 No Fee

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East Harlem

419 East 117th Street

$2,295 No Fee

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1

East Harlem

317 East 111st Street

$2,350 No Fee

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East Harlem

1698 Lexington Avenue

$1,995 No Fee

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East Harlem

2004 Second Avenue

$2,200 No Fee

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East Harlem

2415 Second Avenue

$1,825 No Fee

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East Harlem

315 East 108th Street

$2,300 No Fee

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East Harlem

206 East 119th Street

$2,292 No Fee

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East Harlem

2183 Third Avenue

$2,295 No Fee

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East Harlem

190 East 104th Street

$2,400 No Fee

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1. East Harlem: Central Park, Conservatory Garden

_{The Conservatory Garden in Central Park is six acre formal garden. (Getty Images)}

Located near the northeastern corner of Central Park in Upper Manhattan, the Conservatory Garden is the only formal one in Central Park. What exactly is a formal garden? It’s a structured garden with geometric shapes and, in many instances, a classic symmetrical layout.

The six-acre Conservatory Garden opened in 1937. It features tulips, lilacs, crabapple trees, and summer perennials in a beautiful trio of European-inspired plots. Not surprisingly, this specular place is a popular destination for small weddings. Heads up, literary buffs! Be sure to stop by the statue dedicated to The Secret Garden author Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Where: East Harlem near Fifth Avenue and 104th Street
Subway Info: East Siders take the 6 train, and West Siders grab the 2 or 3 trains
Median Asking Rent: $2,000
Median Asking Price: $800K — that’s a deal compared to Manhattan’s median, $1.4M

Flushing

143-51 Roosevelt Avenue

$1,800 No Fee

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Flushing

42-15 College Point Boulevard

$1,925 No Fee

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Murray Hill (Queens)

149-44 Roosevelt Avenue

$1,775 No Fee

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Flushing

143-30 Sanford Avenue

$1,650 No Fee

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Flushing

139-76 35th Avenue

$2,295 No Fee

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1

Murray Hill (Queens)

34-15 Parsons Boulevard

$2,150 No Fee

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1

Murray Hill (Queens)

34-15 Parsons Boulevard

$2,250 No Fee

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1

Flushing

32-18 Union Street

$2,100 No Fee

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1

Murray Hill (Queens)

189-14 Crocheron Avenue

$1,950 No Fee

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Murray Hill (Queens)

144-32 35th Avenue

$2,232 No Fee

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Flushing

160-19 Harding Expressway

$1,900 No Fee

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East Flushing

40-17 194th Street

$2,375 No Fee

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2. Flushing: Queens Botanical Garden

^{May is always tulip time at the Queens Botanical Garden. (Getty Images)}

This 39-acre serene retreat is smack in the middle of Queens. It began as an exhibit for the 1939-1940 World’s Fair. As a matter of fact, the two blue atlas cedars at the garden’s Main Street entrance were taken from the original exhibit.

It is one of the most diverse gardens in NYC and has everything from an arboretum to an art gallery. So, in addition to the amazing horticultural, check out the Fragrance Walk and Woodland Garden.

Where: 43-50 Main Street in Flushing, Queens
Subway Info: Take the 7 from Manhattan to Main Street— afterward, hop on a bus or walk for 13 minutes
Median Asking Rent: $1,950
Median Asking Price: $764.4K

Greenwood

208 18th Street

$2,250 No Fee

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Prospect Lefferts Gardens

181 Hawthorne Street

$2,367 No Fee

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Stuyvesant Heights

225 Howard Avenue

$2,122 No Fee

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1

Borough Park

1062 62nd Street

$2,500 No Fee

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Midwood

1122 Chestnut Avenue

$1,724 No Fee

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Midwood

1370 East 18th Street

$2,100 No Fee

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1

Stuyvesant Heights

385 Macon Street

$2,500 No Fee

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Stuyvesant Heights

843 Lexington Avenue

$2,495 No Fee

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Fort Hamilton

146 92nd Street

$2,300 No Fee

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Fort Hamilton

278 91st Street

$1,750 No Fee

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Bay Ridge

258 67th Street

$2,400 No Fee

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Flatbush

1904 Nostrand Avenue

$1,700 No Fee

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3. Brooklyn: Brooklyn Botanic Garden

_{Cherry blossoms abound each spring at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. (Getty Images)}

This 52-acre garden is home to the climate-controlled Steinhardt Conservatory. It houses plant life from three different temperate zones. Moreover, there are 15 other micro gardens, including one devoted to the fragrances and plants mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays. The biggest draw here in one of the top gardens in NYC is the Japanese Hill-and-Pond. Here visitors stroll through the cherry blossoms each spring. Looking to rent in the borough? Behold these affordable Brooklyn neighborhoods.

Where: 990 Washington Ave, Brooklyn
Subway Info: Take the 2 or 3 trains and get off at Franklin Avenue/Botanic Garden
Median Asking Rent: For the borough, it is $2,399
Median Asking Price: For the borough, it is $915K

Battery Park City

385 South End Avenue

$3,492 No Fee

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Battery Park City

385 South End Avenue

$3,477 No Fee

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4. Battery Park City: The Battery Gardens

^{Battery Park City’s glorious perennial garden is a treat for the eyes. (Getty Images)}

With 195,000 square feet of gardens, it is the largest perennial garden in North America. Located at Manhattan’s southernmost tip, the gardens have no fences or admission fees.

Be sure to check out The Bosque, which covers four acres and features more than 100 London plane trees. And, of course, you should also visit the Gardens of Remembrance, dedicated to 9/11 survivors. There you’ll see more than 100 different types of perennials. It’s like no other gardens in NYC.

Plus, the kids will love the SeaGlass Carousel.

Where: State Street and Battery Place, NYC
Subway Info: The 1, 4, and 5 trains will get you there
Median Rent: $3,995
Median Sales Asking Price: $970K

Fort George

9 Thayer Street

$2,400 No Fee

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Washington Heights

629 West 170th Street

$2,146 No Fee

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Washington Heights

946 Saint Nicholas Avenue

$1,900 No Fee

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Washington Heights

508 West 171st Street

$2,250 No Fee

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Washington Heights

920 Riverside Drive

$2,166 No Fee

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Hudson Heights

867 West 181st Street

$2,300 No Fee

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Fort George

114 Nagle Avenue

$1,750 No Fee

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Fort George

75 Ellwood Street

$2,495 No Fee

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Fort George

563 West 184th Street

$2,300 No Fee

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Hudson Heights

720 West 181st Street

$2,300 No Fee

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Fort George

560 Audubon Avenue

$1,961 No Fee

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Washington Heights

525 West 158th Street

$2,195 No Fee

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5. Hudson Heights: Fort Tryon Park’s Heather Garden

^{The Heather Garden in Fort Tryon Park is an explosion of texture and color every spring and summer. (Getty Images)}

Voted as one of the best gardens in NYC, Heather Garden also is one of the most elevated gardens in the city.

Located more than 200 feet above the Hudson River, the garden transports you back to an English country estate. With three acres of sloping lawns and drooping elms, it is one of the most diverse gardens in NYC too. For instance, there are more than three dozen varieties of heaths and heathers, making it one of the largest collections on the East Coast. There’s more to love in Hudson Heights.

Where: 741 Fort Washington Ave, New York
Median Asking Rent: $2,000, way below Manhattan’s median asking, $2,750
Median Asking Price: $549K
Subway Info: Take the A train to 190th Street

Noho

302 Mott Street

$2,950 No Fee

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Greenwich Village

118 West 3rd Street

$3,095 No Fee

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Greenwich Village

167 Bleecker Street

$3,495 No Fee

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Greenwich Village

89 Bleecker Street

$3,300 No Fee

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1

Greenwich Village

171 Thompson Street

$2,800 No Fee

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Greenwich Village

1 University Place

$3,450 No Fee

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1

Greenwich Village

170 Thompson Street

$3,350 No Fee

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Greenwich Village

174 Thompson Street

$3,395 No Fee

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Greenwich Village

224 Sullivan Street

$3,195 No Fee

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1

Greenwich Village

57 West 10th Street

$2,495 No Fee

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1

6. Greenwich Village: Jefferson Market Garden

_{The Jefferson Market Garden, is a tiny Greenwich Village oasis with a small lily pond. (Getty Images)}

Greenwich Village’s Jefferson Market was created back in the 1960s, after the demolition of a woman’s detention center. Today it’s a bright, cozy garden filled with witch hazel, snowdrops, and magnolias. Walk the circular garden and enjoy flowers blooming alongside a tranquil stone fountain.

Bonus points for pop culture fans: “Sex and the City” aficionados might recognize the garden as the location of Miranda and Steve’s wedding.

Where: Greenwich Avenue between Sixth Avenue and West 10th Street, Manhattan
Subway Info: The A, B, C, D, E, and F trains to West 4^th Street will get you close.
Median Asking Rent: $3,100 vs. $4,000 this time last year
Median Asking Price: $1.5M

University Heights

2285 Sedgewick Avenue

$1,699 No Fee

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Bedford Park

3006 Decatur Avenue

$1,699 No Fee

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Riverdale

6629 Broadway

$2,250 No Fee

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1

Spuyten Duyvil

625 West 227th Street

$2,145 No Fee

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1

North New York

417 East 135th Street

$2,450 No Fee

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1

University Heights

2170 University Avenue

$1,950 No Fee

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1

Highbridge

917 Ogden Avenue

$2,395 No Fee

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1

Concourse

1504 Sheridan Avenue

$2,400 No Fee

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1

Pelham Parkway

2157 Wallace Avenue

$1,750 No Fee

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1

Concourse

299 East 161st Street

$2,312 No Fee

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Concourse

299 East 161st Street

$1,985 No Fee

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1

Spuyten Duyvil

3103 Fairfield Avenue

$2,063 No Fee

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7. Pelham Bay: Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum

^{The lush garden at the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum is a bit of secret. (Photo by Richard Warren for Bartow-Pell Mansion)}

The garden surrounding Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum is considered one of the best gardens in NYC. And since it’s somewhat a “secret,” it doesn’t get too crowded.

Set in Pelham Bay Park, the largest public park in New York City, this space features a serene, terraced garden and a carriage house built in 1840. You can also participate in a bunch of activities, from historical lectures to theater performances.

Where: 895 Shore Road, Bronx
Subway Info: Take the 6 train to Pelham Bay Park Station
Median Asking Rent: $1,638 (the cheapest on this list!)
Median Asking Price: $300,000 (the cheapest on this list!)

8. Riverdale: Wave Hill Public Gardens

^{Wave Hill Garden is tranquil treat hidden in Riverdale, Bronx. (Photo by Barry Winiker)}

Head up north to Wave Hill, a tranquil escape in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. Set along the Hudson River, you’ll surprisingly find 28 acres of greenery. Managed by a gardener with a degree in fine arts, the Garden’s color palette makes it one of the best gardens in NYC.

The flower garden has everything from clematis hybrid and Tuscan kale to miscanthus cultivar. The herb and dry gardens have lots of bay laurel, rose-scented geranium, and shining sumac. So be sure to take some photos of one of the most spectacular gardens in NYC,

Where: 4900 Independence Avenue, the Bronx
Metro-North: Go to one of its two Manhattan stations, Grand Central and 125th Street, and get off at Riverdale — from there, it’s a short walk
Median Asking Rent: $2,233 in March 2021 vs. $2,400 same time last year
Median Asking Price: $399,000 vs. $380,000 a year ago

9. Inwood: Gardens of the Met Cloisters

^{One of the medieval gardens at the Met Cloister Museum. (Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)}

Set along the Hudson River, the Met Cloisters pays tribute to the architecture of medieval Europe.

The four-acre site displays about 300 species of flowers, from those grown during the middle ages to today’s modern plants. Head there in the winter, and you’ll find an indoor conservatory filled with spring flowers. Seriously, this is one of the best secret gardens in NYC — after your visit, have a picnic in Fort Tryon Park.

Where: 99 Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park, Manhattan
Subway Info: Take the A train to the top of Manhattan and get off at Dyckman Street — then walk up Riverside Drive and enter Fort Tryon Park.
Median Rent: $1,950
Median Asking Price: $434K

10. Midtown East: Greenacre Park

Yes, there’s a waterfall in Midtown East. Image courtesy of Greenacre Park)

It’s not every day that you get to see a 25-foot waterfall in midtown Manhattan. Greenacre Park truly is an oasis in that proverbial concrete jungle. So if you find yourself rushing around Midtown, grab a moment of relaxation at Greenacre Park and enjoy the honey locust trees, ivy hangings, and bright flowers.

There’s also plenty of outdoor seating (another NYC rarity) and a cafe.

Where: 217 East 51st Street, Manhattan
Subway Info: The E train will get you close, but you’ll need to walk a few blocks
Median Asking Rent: $2,800
Median Asking Price: $825K

11. Staten Island: Snug Harbor Botanical Garden

^{A visit to Snug Harbor Community Gardens is the ultimate day trip. (Photo by Lance Reha for Snug Harbor Botanical Garden)}

When it comes to the best gardens in NYC, the 83-acre Snug Harbor ranks right up there. It’s actually comprised of eight different gardens.

There’s an English-inspired white garden featuring snowdrops, lilies, and irises. There is a rose garden, with all the roses you could ask for, plus a serene reflecting pool. There even is a healing garden with expansive views of the wetlands. Plus, be sure to stop by the stunning Chinese Scholar Garden, inspired by the Ming Dynasty gardens. If you wind up falling in love with the area, here’s what to know about buying a house in Staten Island.

Where: 1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island
Ferry Service: The best to go is the Staten Island Ferry from Whitehall Terminal on the southern tip of Manhattan — afterward, grab a bus to Snug Harbor
Median Rent: $1,848
Median Asking Price: $658K

12. Brooklyn, Green-Wood Cemetery

^{You’ll discover century-and-a-half-old trees, glacial ponds, and foot paths in Green-Wood Cemetery. (Getty Images)}

One of New York City’s most historic cemeteries has 478 acres of tranquil nature, complete with cherry trees, bamboo, flowering dogwood, and fruit flowers. It is considered a “living cemetery” because while it memorializes the dead, its purpose is to bring life to the art and history of New York City.

It’s the resting place for several famous figures, including Leonard Bernstein, Charles Ebbets, and Horace Greeley.

Where: 5th Avenue & 25th Street, Brooklyn
Subway Info: The R train is your best bet
Median Asking Rent: For the borough, it is $2,399
Median Asking Price: For the borough, it is $915K

Astoria

21-09 33rd Avenue

$2,250 No Fee

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Ditmars-Steinway

23-76 32nd Street

$2,200 No Fee

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Astoria

25-86 48th Street

$1,950 No Fee

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Astoria

28-28 35th Street

$2,350 No Fee

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Astoria

25-45 49th Street

$2,500 No Fee

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1

Ditmars-Steinway

22-73 Steinway Street

$2,400 No Fee

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Astoria

43-10 25th Avenue

$2,300 No Fee

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Astoria

31-43 Vernon Boulevard

$2,404 No Fee

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Astoria

34-56 33rd Street

$2,375 No Fee

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Astoria

25-56 35th Street

$2,400 No Fee

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Astoria

30-49 Crescent Street

$2,399 No Fee

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1

Ditmars-Steinway

22-28 42nd Street

$2,400 No Fee

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13. Astoria: The Noguchi Museum Garden

^{The gravel garden at The Noguchi Museum. (Photo by Nicholas Knight for The Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum)}

An inconspicuous brick building in Long Island City houses a tranquil garden designed by acclaimed sculptor Isamu Noguchi. The serene space pays tribute to Japanese gardens. Many of the manicured trees and shrubs are sourced from Japan.

While you are there, check out the 27,000-square-foot museum, as well. It showcases more of Noguchi’s artistry, including his marble and granite works. There’s more to discover in Astoria, Queens.

Where: 9-01 33rd Road, Queens
Subway Info: Take the N, W trains to Queensboro Station, then hop on a bus to Vernon Blvd/36th Ave
Median Asking Rent: $1,900 (that’s $100 less than the borough median, $2,000)
Median Asking Price: $749.5K

14. Belmont: New York Botanical Garden

Need another reason to visit the New York Botanical Garden? You can zip over to Arthur Avenue for lunch. (Getty Images)

There are 250 acres of stunning nature – smack in the middle of the Bronx. The New York Botanical Garden is a year-round arboretum that always has different events and curated displays.

Check out the collection of birch, dogwood, and holly, and bursts of color in the conservatory’s orchid collection. Or head to the forest and take part in a weekly bird watch. Better yet, enjoy a relaxing canoe ride down the Bronx River.

Where: 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx
Metro-North: Grab a commuter train at Grand Central or 125th Street and get off at Botanical Garden Station
Median Asking Rent: $2,100 — expect a lot of square footage for your rental dollars!
Median Asking Price: For the borough, it’s $475K

Long Island City

27-09 40th Avenue

$3,400 No Fee

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Long Island City

29-59 Northern Boulevard

$3,308 No Fee

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Hunters Point

42-20 27th Street

$3,277 No Fee

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Hunters Point

2-21 Malt Drive

$3,210 No Fee

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1

Hunters Point

2-21 Malt Drive

$3,223 No Fee

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1

Hunters Point

2-20 Malt Drive

$3,339 No Fee

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1

Hunters Point

26-38 Jackson Avenue

$3,494 No Fee

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1

Hunters Point

3 Court Square

$3,300 No Fee

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1

Hunters Point

44-41 Purves Street

$3,115 No Fee

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1

Hunters Point

42-20 27th Street

$3,277 No Fee

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Hunters Point

8 Court Square

$3,452 No Fee

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Long Island City

36-24 24th Street

$2,895 No Fee

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15. Long Island City: Brooklyn Grange Farm

^{Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm in Long Island City. (© Brooklyn Grange Rooftop Farm)}

On top of Long Island City’s Standard Motors Building is a rooftop soil farm. It is one of three sister farms throughout the city. Collectively, Brooklyn Grange produces over 80,000 pounds of organic produce per year which you can find at these locations or purchase right on-site.

With farm tours, workshops, even yoga on the roof, the Grange Farm promotes sustainable living and local ecology. Be sure to check out the friendly chickens and take an urban agriculture workshop.

Where: 37-18 Northern Blvd., roof
Subway Info: Take the B to the M or the 3 to the N
Median Rent: $2,900
Median Asking Price: $1.1M

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