Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s new Robert W. Wilson Overlook is now open!
The ascending garden includes a winding, switchback pathway shaped by smooth walls that leads visitors through a landscape of native grasses and perennials as well as late-summer blooming crape-myrtles.
Designed by the architecture firm Weiss/Manfredi, the innovative path allows better access to the Garden for people of all abilities and connects the original Overlook site to Cherry Esplanade.
From the top, visitors can take in sweeping views of the gardens below, including Cherry Esplanade and the Cranford Rose Garden.
Viewed from below, the Overlook’s native grass and perennial plants, growing in a sunny, open location, will evoke a meadow and reference the Visitor Center’s living roof as well as the meadow habitat in the Native Flora Garden.
“It will create a nearly continuous ribbon of meadow-inspired gardens, each a distinct response to its site and the Garden’s mission,” says Toby Wolf of Wolf Landscape Architecture, who designed the plantings.
A collection of crape-myrtles will add further seasonal interest, with colorful late-summer blooms, fall foliage, and exfoliating, cinnamon-colored bark.
“We are excited to welcome our community,” says Scot Medbury, president of Brooklyn Botanic Garden. “The Overlook will allow visitors to discover new plants and new vantage points year-round.”
Be sure to visit soon!