Emily Dickinson at NY Botanical Gardens

Emily Dickinson: The Poetry of Flowers from The New York Botanical Garden on Vimeo.

During her lifetime, Emily Dickinson was better known as a gardener than as a poet. With the New York Botanical Garden’s multi-venue exhibition, Emily Dickinson’s Garden: The Poetry of Flowers, discover the renowned poet’s life among gardens and spring flowers. A flower show in the Haupt Conservatory will feature a re-creation of Dickinson’s own mid-19th-century New England flower garden, and visitors can stroll through a replica of the family property in Amherst, Massachusetts, including the Homestead, Emily’s own home, as well as her brother’s home, the Evergreens, and the beloved wooded pathway that joined the two. Read about her garden and exhibition.

[Image: Interpretation of Dickinson Garden Plan. Watercolor and color pencil on paper, 2010 John Kirk, AIA.]

Outdoor Aviary Design

This early 19th century design for an outdoor aviary is intended as the chief feature of a flower garden. The aviary is in the center of an arcade of woodbine, roses, jessamines, and other creeping and flowering shrubs.

In front of the outdoor aviary is a small water pond for gold and silver fish that is ornamented by a fountain. The roof of the aviary projects to afford shelter and protection to the birds during the months they are permitted to remain in such enclosures. The supports are formed for the purpose of receiving foliages. The banks slope to the water and are embellished by flower beds, enclosed by iron basket-work.