Queens Botanical Garden

Seven Spots to See the Bloom in Queens

Iryna Shkurhan on April 12, 2023

Fresh Meadows Corona Park, Photo Courtesy of David Avila/NYC Parks

By Iryna Shkurhan | ishkurhan@queensledger.com

With each unfurled petal and new splash of color, we settle into the new spring season. All across the city, cherry blossom trees are making a statement. Luckily you don’t have to leave Queens to take in their beauty. They won’t be here for long, so check out one, or all seven, of our recommendations for where to witness the best blooms.

According to the NYC Parks Department, there are three main varieties of cherry blossom trees in the city: Okame, Yoshino and Kwanzan. They bloom at separate times so if you miss Okame cherry trees, with tiny pink petals and red centers that bloom in mid to late March, don’t fret. Yoshino trees, with light pink and white petals, and fluffy pink Kwanzan Cherry Trees reach peak bloom in mid to late April. But remember, any strong storms, rain or wind can shorten the peak bloom season, which only lasts about two weeks.

Flushing Meadows Corona Park

You won’t miss the Okame blossoms in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, especially since they are right near the towering Unisphere. Experts say that they are some of the first trees to bloom in NYC. As the bloom fades, you can marvel at the thousands of petals that coat the ground.

Hunter’s Point Park in Long Island City, Photo Courtesy of David Avila/NYC Parks

Hunter’s Point South Park

This newly constructed waterfront park in Long Island City with skyline views of Manhattan also has a strong lineup of cherry blossom trees. They’re already blooming, so don’t wait too long before paying the area a visit. While you’re there you can check out the picnic areas, bikeway, adult fitness equipment and a designated area for dogs.

Lewis Latimer House Museum

This historic home commemorates Latimer’s legacy as an electrical inventor who played a significant role in the invention of the telephone with no formal education. Cherry blossoms pop right in front of the colorful Queen-Anne style wood-frame home that is also open to the public with pay-as-you-wish admission. The house is open Fridays and Saturdays 11am- 5pm, but you can stop by to see the bloom out front anytime.

Conveniently located near the Main Street entrance of the Queens Botanical Garden, Cherry Circle is lined with a variety of blossom trees. According to QBG, several of the trees have been adopted in memory of a loved one. The Four Seasons Border, installed in 2007, is only steps away and has its own blooms. If you’re trying to see a large bloom, this should not be your first destination. But access to other notable plants will make it worth the visit.

Kissena Park

While you’re at QBG, visit Kissena Park right next door for even more blooms. This expansive park has a lake and several exotic tree species aside from cherry blossoms. For seasoned and budding cyclists, the park’s 400-meter velodrome, coined as the “track of dreams,” is one of the smoothest rides around.

Rainey Park in Astoria, Photo Courtesy of David Avila/NYC Parks

Rainey Park

Another waterfront park alongside the East River, right across from Roosevelt Island, is Rainey Park promenade in Astoria. Take in the views of Manhattan’s Upper East Side from a bench with Okane cherry blossoms towering alongside the promenade. Soon enough, Kwanzan cherry trees will bloom on the park’s lawn.

Cunningham Park

In one of the largest parks in the borough, 28 cherry blossom trees sit gracefully just outside the park along 193rd Street. They were planted in 2005 following the dedicated effort of Friends of Cunningham Park to raise funds from city officials and grants. Donations of labor and mulch from a Brooklyn landscaping company made the project possible. Without the efforts of local citizens, the park would be bloomless today.

Queens Botanical Garden receives historic donation

Jessica Meditz on January 11, 2023

$8 million provided for outreach and educational programming

By Alicia Venter

aventer@queensledger.com

The Queens Botanical Garden is receiving a historic $8 million donation to fund their programming and outreach efforts in the coming years.

Jamaica-based non-profit Joan N. and Norman Bluestone Foundation donated the $8 million, an amount that Queens Botanical Garden Executive Director Evie Hantzopoulos believes to be one of the largest donations given to any cultural organization in Queens.

With this donation, the Queens Botanical Garden plans to strategize the programming and educational services that will be provided to a variety of different Queens residents.

“One of the things that I’ve observed and I believe in is how much potential this garden has,” Hantzopoulos said. “It’s already considered such an important resource and space for the community here in Flushing and in Queens. Through this very generous gift that we are going to receive, it’s going to open up a bunch of opportunities for us to serve.”

The Queens Botanical Garden is set to receive an upgrade in the next few years, as the city is funding a new educational building to replace its current outdated center. This donation will allow there to be no time wasted once these doors are opened, as the donation will primarily serve to fund this location’s programming.

Though they are currently “at the mercy of the city” for its completion, Hantzopoulos shared that the new education center, which will be named after the Joan N. and Norman Bluestone Foundation, is set to be completed two years after its groundbreaking. The date of the groundbreaking is currently unconfirmed, but a press release stated it would take place this summer.

“We will be able to expand our capacity to serve New York City school children through tours, through workshops and through educational programs. We will be able to do some adult education as well,” Hantzopoulos said. “I think what’s really wonderful is that not only do we have this new building but we will also be able to staff and operate it. From day one that the building opens, we will be able to serve all the guests who come.”

The garden does currently have an education building, though outdated, and they will be developing and piloting new programming with the funding while the construction of the new building is underway.

Hantzopoulos told the Leader-Observer that the funding will directly benefit

underrepresented areas in Queens — specifically Jamaica and the Rockaways as requested by the donors.

“The Bluestone family… wanted to give something back to those communities as well. Through this gift, we will be doing some extra special outreach to those communities.”

The Queens Botanical Garden will work with the community within public schools, Hantzopoulos shared, in order to promote sustainability and present the opportunities they provide. They are looking at the engagement of communities who haven’t been coming to the garden as much as others, Hantzopoulos said.

The goal, with this funding, is simple to Hantzopoulos.

“Our hope is that we are going to reach more people,” she said.

The garden, she explained, is on the cutting edge of environmentally sustainable practices. They are completely organic, with strategies to not waste water and composting on site, continually working to manage their resources and reduce their carbon footprint. They were the first publicly funded LEED platinum certified building in New York City in 2007, and had the first publicly accessible green roof in the city, Hantzopoulos explained.

“This is the way our city needs to go in order to become more energy efficient, manage our resources better and mitigate the impacts of climate change,” Hantzopoulos said. “In addition to bringing more people to the garden… we also want to continue leading the way in terms of environmental sustainability as we face the existential crisis of climate change.”

The Joan N. and Norman Bluestone Foundation was formed in 2022 to foster the education of disadvantaged children and young adults in New York City. Joan was a longtime volunteer and donor at the Queens Botanical Garden, serving on its Board of Directors for many years, and she died in 2020.

Norman was a founding member of The Bluestone Organization, a Queens-based real estate company — he died in 2011.

The Queens Botanical Garden is located on 39 acres of city land at the northeast corner of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

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