Thursday, May 06, 2010

The Poetry of Flowers

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886): gardener, poet, correspondent, recluse, "Belle of Amherst".

Sometime before June 13, 2010, I plan to see the exhibit "Emily Dickinson's Garden" at the New York Botanical Garden. The exhibit has two components: inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory and a "poetry walk" on the grounds surrounding the conservatory. Inside the conservatory you'll see typical garden flowers such as foxglove, delphinium, hollyhocks (could they be seven feet tall?), roses, daisies, hydrangea and more. (I use the word "typical" with more than a hint of envy since the flowers on display look nothing like the flowers I try to grow! Seriously, the foxglove must be four feet tall, ditto on the delphinium. If I only had a gardening crew...) Additionally there is a facade of the Homestead (her home) joined by a short path through a garden to the facade of her brother's home. Apparently she spent a great deal of time going back and forth. Outside the conservatory, there are shade gardens, herbs, and the most spectacular row of peonies. Nested in between all of these flowers and plants are placards with poems by Dickinson. Some are small so they fit in with low growing flowers, while the ones outside are like the oversized cards in Alice in Wonderland. I took the time to read most of the poems, though my companions were not that interested. Either way, it's all lovely.

After all that walking and Victorian culture, we drove the short distance to Arthur Avenue for a totally different cultural experience: Little Italy of the Bronx. Since we were there Sunday around 5pm, many of the shops were closed. However, several bakeries were open, including my friend's favorite- Madonia Brothers Bakery (2348 Arthur Avenue/ 718-295-5573). There I bought a puffy loaf of onion bread, ciabatta, and a variety of biscotti. When we walked out of the bakery, we must have had the look of "Where should we go for dinner?" since a couple crossing the street asked us if we would like a dinner recommendation. They raved about Enzo's, a local favorite across the street from where we stood. So, that's where we went.


http://www.nybg.org/

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