If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.
~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

Luke and I decided that it was time for a bit of a tropical interlude in the midst of a wintry landscape, so we took a drive down to the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx to wander through the huge conservatory.

NYBG is a 250-acre botanical garden tucked into a small corner of the Bronx. It was established in 1891 and officially opened to the public in 1900, with the conservatory opening a couple of years later in 1902. The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory sits on about an acre of land and is constructed primarily of steel and glass. At 55,000 square feet, it’s one of the largest Victorian-style glasshouses in the United States.

The conservatory features a large central dome, known as the Palm House, and a series of eleven interconnected pavilions that extend from either side.

The climate-controlled pavilions allow plants from around the globe to thrive in environments that mirror their native habitats. The exhibits invite you to travel from the humid western slopes of tropical mountains, through lush rainforests, all the way to arid deserts.

Honestly? The conservatory is also where I’d love to spend the rest of
winter—relaxing among the tropical greenery, gazing out frosted windows as snow gently falls. Yes, please!

I know I’ve been trashing winter a bit in my recent posts, but I don’t actually hate it (my Norwegian DNA won’t have it!). I just only really like winter when it’s
snowing—like, actively snowing—or just after a fresh snowfall.

But the moment I step inside from the frosty, cold day to warm, earthy, floral-scented air, I feel the tension in my muscles relax a bit, I take a deep breath, let the humid warmth settle over me, and slowly turn to soak in all the lush greenery surrounding me.

I'd love to just take up residence in this little pavilion for the rest of winter.

These little meandering walks through an enormous glass house, filled with tropical plants of all kinds, are definitely a pleasant diversion in the middle of winter!