cherry blossom tree underneath the Brooklyn Museum

In New York and still thinking about plans for Mother’s Day? Instead of a bouquet, gift mom with a whole garden and go to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden this weekend and catch their amazing cherry blossom orchard while it is still in bloom! There really is nothing like the beginning of spring in NYC when cherry blossoms are in their full glory, blanketing the ground with their beautiful pink petals and perfuming the air with their sweet fragrance. One of my favorite places to see the blossoms and to spend an afternoon is the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 52 acres of serenity and beauty.

Here’s a little note on the meaning of cherry blossoms from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden:

In general, sakura, cherry blossoms, represent the impermanent nature of life. Not only is the beauty of the flowers short and sweet, the trees themselves are also short-lived. But there are contradictory meanings as well. Cherry blossoms symbolize both birth and death, beauty and violence. They are a central motif in the Japanese worship of nature, but they have also historically signified the short but colorful life of the samurai. Sakura emblems also adorned the planes of kamikaze pilots during World War II.

scarf, purchased at a street stand in Venice, Italy | dress, KALMANOVICH (purchase similar here) | jacket, RALPH LAUREN (purchase similar here) | boots, TOPSHOP

sneakers, ADIDAS

Head over this Saturday, they even have a special “A Japanese Spring in Brooklyn” tour, free with admission taking place on Saturday at 11am.
Meet at Magnolia Plaza by the building steps and register here. But get there early; people travel from all over the world to see this magnificence.

Here’s a throwback of a shoot I did last summer in the Botanic Garden’s Rose Garden.

Shot by Eric Branco and Brandon Taylor

And here’s a recipe for a delicious Cherry Blossom Panna Cotta courtesy of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden!

Brooklyn Botanic Garden
990 Washington Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225
718-623-7200
8am – 6pm