You are welcome to arrive any time today as no activities are planned. Make your own way to the hotel. There will be a brief meeting at 7pm with Jane to review the next day’s activities.

Located in the park, The Met Cloister is a replica of a medieval monastery. It specializes in European medieval architecture, sculpture, and decorative arts, with a focus on the Romanesque and Gothic period. We have a tour of some of the museum’s 5000 artworks dating back to the 12th through 15th centuries.

Built on a historic, elevated rail line above the streets on Manhattan’s West Side, the High Line is one, continuous, 1.45-mile-long greenway featuring 500+ species of plants and trees. On our guided tour, you’ll find perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees that were chosen for their hardiness, sustainability, and ever-changing textures and colors in all four seasons. B

This morning we have a guided tour of Wave Hill, a 28 acre estate with spectacular gardens. Our tour primarily focuses on seasonal highlights with an overview of Wave Hill’s extensive collection of rare and unusual plants found in thirteen designed garden areas. Your guide will also give a general history of the property.

Our next visit, the New York Botanical Garden, offers a unique multisensory experience with the work of Japanese artist,Yayoi Kusama. She weaves the natural world into her polka-dotted sculptures and paintings. We tour Kusama’s exhibition and the spectacular horticultural showcase in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. This is a once in a lifetime event!

In the afternoon we will visit the Park Avenue Malls Planting Project between 54th and 86th Streets. Since 1980 the non-profit organization, The Fund for Park Avenue, has been beautifying the malls with spring tulips and flowering trees, colourful begonias, fall chrysanthemums and sculptures. B

After a short stop at The Lotus Garden – a community garden located on the top of a parking garage, our tour ends today with a guided tour of Central Park’s only formal garden, the 6 acre Conservatory Garden. Enter through the magnificent wrought-iron Vanderbilt Gate. Stroll through the magnolia and lilac trees of the English garden. Enjoy yew trees, a large fountain and a wisteria pergola in the Italian garden. The French garden offers Korean chrysanthemums in autumn and Walter Schott's sculpture, Three Dancing Maidens.  

Return to hotel approximately 12:30 – 1:00pm. Transfer to the airport for your flight home or enjoy additional time in New York. B

Jane Reksten is a regular writer, educator and frequent speaker on a host of horticultural topics. She is the Manager of the Botanic Gardens and Greenhouses at Olds College. For many years she was the Botanical Education Coordinator and Manager of Continuing Education at the Calgary Zoo and Botanical Gardens. In 2011, Jane returned to Olds College where she first began her studies and career to take up her present post, which allows her to share her love of learning, and enthusiasm for all aspects of horticulture.