New York Green: Discovering the City’s Most Treasured Parks and Gardens

“A true homage to New York, and an invitation to form an intimate relationship with its parks, brilliantly captured here from the Breugelesque winter scene in Prospect Park, to the jewel-like planting in the gardens of the Cloisters. There were so many places I didn’t know about, and cannot wait to explore.”  —Miranda Brooks, landscape architect and contributing editor at Vogue “A true homage to New York, and an invitation to form an intimate relationship with its parks, which are brilliantly captured here, from the Breugelesque winter scene in Prospect Park to the jewel-like plantings in the gardens of the Cloisters. There were so many places I didn’t know about and cannot wait to explore.” —Miranda Brooks, landscape architect and contributing editor at Vogue “Visitors to New York City might see mainly concrete, glass, and asphalt, but ask any longtime resident and they’ll enthusiastically share their favorite (and absolutely necessary) green escapes, from pocket parks tucked between pencil towers to outlying spaces that verge on the nearly wild. Ngoc brings a New Yorker’s insider knowledge and an artist’s eye to the many slices of nature this great city has to offer.”—Stephen Orr, editor in chief, Better Homes Gardens “Visitors to New York City might see mainly concrete, glass, and asphalt, but ask any longtime resident and they’ll enthusiastically share their favorite (and absolutely necessary) green escapes, from pocket parks tucked between pencil towers to outlying spaces that verge on the nearly wild. Ngoc brings a New Yorker’s insider knowledge and an artist’s eye to reveal the many slices of nature this great city has to offer.”—Stephen Orr, editor in chief, Better Homes Gardens “In this gorgeous book, Ngoc Minh Ngo celebrates public gardens in New York City, in all five boroughs and all four seasons. Poring over the photographs and reading the history of each garden, I wanted to drop everything and race to see them up close—the familiar spaces I’ve loved for decades and especially the hidden gems. This is an essential guide for lifelong New Yorkers and visitors alike.” —Frances Palmer, potter, gardener, and author of Life in the Studio “In this gorgeous book, Ngoc Minh Ngo celebrates public gardens in New York City, in all five boroughs and all four seasons. Poring over the photographs and reading the history of each garden, I wanted to drop everything and race to see them up close—the familiar spaces I’ve loved for decades and especially the hidden gems. This is an essential guide for lifelong New Yorkers and visitors alike.”—Frances Palmer, potter, gardener, and author of Life in the Studio “For almost four centuries, the once vast unspoiled natural paradise of New York City was subjected to the uprooting and paving over of forests, meadows, and shorelines. The last four decades, however, provided an antidote, with ruined parks restored and thousands of acres of new parks created. New York Green documents in glorious, vivid images the near-miraculous transformation of NYC back to a city of startling natural beauty, from tiny churchyards to vast natural areas and glorious parks built atop post-industrial ruins.”—Adrian Benepe, president of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and former New York City parks commissioner “Once a vast, unspoiled natural paradise, New York City’s last four centuries were marked by uprooting and paving over of forests, meadows, and shorelines. The last four decades, however, provided an antidote, with ruined parks restored and thousands of acres of new parks created. New York Green documents in glorious, vivid images the near-miraculous transformation of NYC back to a city of startling natural beauty, from tiny churchyards to vast natural areas and glorious parks built atop post-industrial ruins.” —Adrian Benepe, president of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and former NYC Parks Commissioner